Luxe Pack New York, the US tradeshow dedicated to creative and luxury packaging, celebrated its 16th annual edition on May 16th-17th. Held at Pier 92 for its 5th consecutive year, the show floor welcomed 3586 industry professionals eager to meet the 240 packaging suppliers who specialize in premium packaging elements for the cosmetic, fragrance, wine & spirit, fine food, and fashion sectors. The exclusively varied selection of this year’s exhibitors offered a dynamic variety of packaging products and solutions that crossed all creative thresholds. The synergy initiated by the impactful exchanges between today’s premium sector brands and leading manufacturers solidified another successful Luxe Pack New York edition!

Companies represented included L’Oreal, Bare Minerals, Revlon, Estee Lauder, Kashmere Kollections, PEPSI, Philosophy, Bacardi USA, Coty, Unilever, Shiseido, E.L.F. Cosmetics, Amway, Davidstea, Bloomberg LP, Glossier, Calvin Klein, Colgate-Palmolive Company, Clarins Usa, CHANEL, Inc., Ulta Beauty, Anthropologie, Briogeo Hair Care, Birch box, Diageo, Tarte Cosmetics, Swarovski, Sephora, Samsung, NARS, Moroccan Oil, GOOP, Moet Hennessy, Michael Kors, MATTEL, MAC Cosmetics, LVMH, Ralph Lauren Fragrances, Jose Cuervo, Johnson & Johnson, John Varvatos Enterprises, IT Cosmetics, Glossier, Free People, Dermalogica, Dean & Deluca, Constellation Brands, Heineken, Godiva, Conair, Clinique, Chantecaille, Buxom Cosmetics, Belvedere Vodka, just to name a few.

Also for 2018, Luxe Pack was thrilled to partner with various industry design and networking associations such as ICMAD, CIBS, Material ConneXion, STYLUS, The New Jersey Packaging Executives Club, Package Insight, and The Packaging School. This year’s collaborations brought a welcomed spirit of support and advocacy for the future of packaging and design to the show floor. An element that Luxe Pack plans to expand for all upcoming U.S. shows. This year’s partnerships were just one of the many show layers that contributed to its overall success.

2018 Event Highlights:

2018 in green Ceremony

Sustainable packaging products and solutions were prominent at the show this year, exemplified by the 20 record breaking participants excited to gain recognition for their impactful eco-friendly products and industry changing CSR initiatives. During this year’s in green ceremony, hosted by Instagram influencer/Luxury brand ambassador, Anjelika Kour, Luxe Pack honored 2 exhibitors who demonstrated revolutionary sustainable.

After meeting with all finalists, the expert judging panel consisting of packaging industry experts awarded this year’s Luxe Pack in green awards to Golden Arrow for their luxury molded fiber packaging created from bamboo and bagasse which subsequently eliminates the use of thousands of tons of plastic packages and James Cropper for their CupCycling™.

Stefan Pryor, market sector manager for packaging at James Cropper, said: “We’re delighted to have won the Green Award at Luxe Pack New York for the second year running. With CupCycling™, we’ve developed a scalable and innovative solution to the issue surrounding coffee cup waste in the UK, and since launching last year, we’ve brought many major brands on board – both those supplying used cups for recycling and those using the resulting fibre in their packaging. By using this high-quality, eco-friendly fibre source, brands are able to enhance their sustainability credentials while enriching their brand story and appealing to new and existing customers: a win-win.”

Additional 2018 Luxe Pack in green finalists:

Best in green product

1. API GROUP – “TRANSMET TECHNOLOGY”
2. NATE PACKAGING – “CUTTING EDGE COMPACTS”
3. RPC BRAMLAGE - ECOSOLUTION®
4. U&I WORLDWIDE – “WATER SOLUBLE FOAM”

Best in green initiative

1. BILLERUDKORSNAS – “CO2 INITIATIVE”
2. GOLDEN ARROW – “WATER RECYCLING”

The 2018 Luxe Pack in green judging panel:

Jamie MATUSOW, Editor-in-Chief, Beauty Packaging Magazine
Dr. Robb AKRIDGE, PHD, Founder and CEO, REA INNOVATIONS, INC.
Erica HILLMAN, Director of Creative Services, TARTE: HIGH PERFORMANCE NATURALS™
Anne BRACEY, Senior Director, Creative, CLARINS USA
Anne NELSON SANFORD, Founder, LURK BEAUTY
Dr. Sandeep KULKARNI, Founder & President, KOOLEARTH SOLUTIONS INC.

2018 Conference Program & Workshop

A dynamic 2 day conference program (11 sessions) complemented the spirited show floor with standing room only sessions addressing current luxury industry pain points, the new demand for sustainable packaging, influencer marketing, and future 2019/2020 design trends. This year’s speaker roster included packaging and design experts from Estee Lauder, Shiseido, L’Oreal, STYLUS, Winky Lux, and Material ConneXion.

Included in this year’s program was an exceptional talk and workshop on "Synethesia and the visceral language of scent". Dawn GOLDWORM, business director and founder of 12.29, delivered an engaging explanation followed by an interactive workshop that enabled participants to learn how to incorporate this form of olfactive branding.

“Branding and Package design is our business. LuxePack connects creatives with manufacturers to ensure our clients look the best they can”. - Pierre Janssen, Creative Director, LUSHmedia

“This show is a "must" for luxury packaging”! - Luis Quispe , Business Development Manager, Amfora Packaging

“Luxe Pack 2018 was the best one yet! I really enjoyed meeting with current packaging partners, and seeing new technology and suppliers as well. Since Luxepack, we have had great followup and beautiful sample/swatch packs from a variety of exhibitors." - The Spearhead Group

“The caliber & assortment of products presented at the show were on target for what I was looking for; Always a great show for inspiration and meeting new vendors to form relationships for future projects” -Randi Seiff, President, Randi Seiff Design

The pulsating show floor was this year’s main star. Ultimately, this New York edition provided all of the elements necessary for visitors to experience true packaging innovation, be inspired, but most importantly meet all of their packaging needs and challenges. Looking forward to doing it again in 2019! Stay tuned for next year’s dates and location.