Intriguing packaging, combining various materials, using the power of colour and texture, attracts our attention in all possible ways. Today, perfume packaging is inseparably connected with the fragrance and it is one of the many elements of a successful marketing campaign. It is made with great attention to detail, of top-quality, and often startling, materials, under close supervision of quality controllers making sure that there are no visible defects on the surface of the packaging (e.g. seams on the bottle or printing errors on the outer packaging.

The complexity of perfume packaging forms may be illustrated with examples. Here are a few perfumes which became immensely popular on the market upon their release, also due to the shape of the bottle or another element of the packaging:

• Carolina Herrera Good Girl

The perfumes were captured in a very elegant stiletto-shaped bottle covered with navy blue varnish (Midnight Blue shade), with a gold logo at the front applied through thermal printing. To obtain the expected final effect, it was necessary to eliminate any visible seams, which was quite challenging for the designers, considering the complexity of the forms. The heel was made of zamac and attached to the bottle, with the cap composed of as many as three separate elements. The outer packaging is a box following the rule that “less is more,” with gilded edges of the brand’s logo.

• Kenzo World

The fragrance of Kenzo World, the campaign promoting the perfumes and the packaging caused quite a stir in the industry. It is a product based on a concept connected with other products of that brand which are recognisable all over the world (such as the eye motif from the autumn-winter 2013 collection). A short bottle made of thick opaline glass in a mint colour was not simple to make – the squat and wide form required a complicated glass blowing technique in order to obtain the right shape of edges. Aside from the hollow that is to resemble an iris, the rest of the surface was given a matte finish, and the whole bottle was subject to thermal processing for a smoothening effect. A plate with the name of the brand was fixed on top, with a gold sphere symbolising a “third eye” attached to it. The black rubber cap with a clear texture crowns the bottle like thick, dark lashes above the lower eyelid.

• Flower by Kenzo

Although uncomplicated at first sight, the slim and tall form of the Flower by Kenzo required the designers to exercise great prudence in terms of form to keep the flacon in balance. The bottle is very tall, slightly arched and transparent. Dwelling inside, as if imprisoned in a glass tower, is a red poppy. The form of the cap is equally minimalistic, almost blending in with the bottle. The outer packaging is a white box with red poppy imprints.

• Louis Vuitton – perfume collection

Unusual in many aspects, a collection of 7 fragrances captured in flacons shaped to resemble apothecary bottles. They have a unique spray nozzle placed inside a wide bottleneck, with an invisible tube. The bottles were made of transparent glass with invisible seams. Engraved at the front is the name of the fragrance. The cap, with the LV initials embossed on top, was made of zamac and has a magnetic closing. The bottles were designed to be refillable in the shop, which is a response to the current ecological trends.

The immense complexity of perfume packaging definitely proves that current industrial design is unpredictable in this respect. With each new, innovative product, the designers confirm that the packaging is just as valuable as the content and just as important for commercial success.