TL;DR
Get beauty and skincare favorites delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
PZ Cussons European Packaging Lead Mark Browne described food-inspired and collectible packaging as trends appealing to young Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumers. The report says brands face pressure to pair these designs with sustainability expectations and tightening rules on single-use packaging, but gives no specific product, regulation or launch details.
PZ Cussons packaging lead Mark Browne says beauty and personal-care brands are seeing growing interest among young Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumers in food-inspired, playful and collectible packaging. In an interview with Cosmetics Business at London Packaging Week, he also pointed to a tension for brands: designing products that attract younger shoppers while responding to sustainability expectations and tighter rules on single-use packaging.
Browne described a trend he called the “foodification” of packaging, in which products resemble food or desserts. Examples he gave included whipped-cream-style shower gels and products presented in doughnut-shaped containers. These are examples from his account, not details of a specific launch or sales result in the supplied report extract.
He also described “toyification”: packaging or accessories designed to be playful, collectible, or wearable. Browne cited small charms or fluffy toys clipped to handbags alongside products such as hand cream, lip balm, or fragrance spray. He said such items can remain visible and serve as an expression of the consumer.
The report frames these design ideas alongside pressure to reduce the environmental burden of packaging. It says brands must account for rising sustainability expectations and tightening regulation around single-use packaging, but the available extract does not identify a particular law, material, brand campaign, or measure of consumer demand.
Balancing Playful Design With Waste
The examples illustrate a design challenge for beauty companies: packaging is being treated as part of the product experience, rather than only as a container. A shape, texture, or attachable charm can make an item more noticeable and give it an additional use, but it can also add components or materials that brands need to account for when considering packaging waste.
For shoppers, the issue is whether novelty and collectability can coexist with packaging that meets environmental expectations. For companies, the report points to a need to consider design appeal and sustainability together. It does not establish that these trends are universal among young consumers, or provide evidence that a particular design increases sales or is more sustainable.
Products Worth Considering
Garmin Forerunner 570 GPS Running Smartwatch, 42 mm, Raspberry, with P-Bank Bundle
Withings Sleep – Sleep Tracking Pad Under the Mattress
Hyperice Hypervolt 2 Handheld Percussion Massage Gun
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
The Trends Browne Described
The news comes from an interview published by Cosmetics Business, which spoke with Mark Browne, identified as European Packaging Lead at PZ Cussons, during London Packaging Week. The supplied text is only a small extract from a premium article, so it offers Browne’s examples and broad assessment rather than a full account of the company’s packaging strategy.
Browne’s description groups the examples into two ideas: products made to look appealing or edible, and products paired with playful objects that can be kept, displayed, or worn. The extract says brands are responding to the trend, but names no companies or launches beyond the examples he gave. It does not set out a timeline for the trend or quantify how many consumers are interested.
“There is the foodification of packaging, like whipped cream shower gels, products that look edible, in doughnut-shaped containers.”
— Mark Browne, European Packaging Lead at PZ Cussons, speaking to Cosmetics Business
Evidence and Rules Not Specified
The supplied extract does not provide consumer research, sales figures, or market-size data to measure the popularity of food-inspired or collectible packaging. It also does not specify which regulations Browne was referring to, what requirements apply in particular markets, or how brands are changing designs to meet them.
Because the source text is a short extract from a subscriber-only article, further details from the full interview are not available here. It remains unclear which packaging examples are already on sale, how widely they are used, and whether the accessories described are part of product packaging or separate promotional items.
Brands Must Show Practical Changes
The report provides no announced launch, policy deadline, or next company milestone. The next developments to watch are whether beauty brands introduce more food-inspired or collectible designs and how they describe the materials, reuse options, and disposal requirements for those products.
Specific claims about compliance or environmental impact would need to be assessed against the relevant rules and product details. The interview extract does not say what changes PZ Cussons plans to make, or whether Browne’s observations represent a formal company strategy.
Key Questions
What packaging trends did Mark Browne identify?
He described foodification, including shower gels that resemble whipped cream or products in doughnut-shaped containers, and toyification, such as charms or small toys paired with beauty products.
Who is Mark Browne?
Cosmetics Business identifies Browne as European Packaging Lead at PZ Cussons. He discussed the trends in an interview at London Packaging Week.
Why are these designs an issue for brands?
The report says brands are trying to appeal to younger consumers while facing sustainability expectations and tightening rules on single-use packaging. It does not explain how any specific product addresses those concerns.
Does the report show that these designs are popular with all young consumers?
No. Browne describes trends he is seeing in the sector, but the supplied extract includes no survey, sales data, or other measure establishing how widespread consumer interest is.
What remains unknown about the regulatory impact?
The extract does not name the regulations, affected markets, compliance deadlines, or specific packaging changes. Those details are not available in the supplied material.
Source: cosmeticsbusiness.com
