Profile
Aarts Packaging isn’t a newcomer to the luxury space, the company has been creating items for the high end cosmetic space for decades. When asked on what they based their success in the sector, the response from Rob Geurtz, the firm’s director, came without hesitation: "vast experience in product mould development, attention to upcoming trends in the market, and, of course, some of the finest assembly and finishing techniques in the business".
Aarts offers the luxury cosmetic market a small standard range, but the company’s secret weapon is its custom development division, that caters to numerous fragrance and cosmetic firms all over Europe, including new up-and-comers and established market leaders. From perfume caps to powder compacts, from outstanding design to the selection of the highest grade materials, Aarts makes sure that the development of new packaging concepts runs smoothly and efficiently.
The luxury cosmetic and fragrance industry is a key piece of Aarts’ market share. When consumers procure high ticket items, they want to enjoy every iota of their purchases. The packaging, therefore, has to create an immediate link between the product and an appropriate lifestyle value proposition.
First and foremost, it has to be a compelling product worthy of attention, either tied to an established and recognized brand or a chic, new concept. A luxury item, therefore, has to offer an incomparable visual aesthetic, closely tied to an appropriate heft and feel, it has to have a certain weight to it, but can’t be so heavy it will discourage use. Consumers want to get the sense that they’ve purchased something as solid as it is visually attractive. This is where Aarts’ expertise comes in, ensuring each packaging concept released is the best fit for the product it contains.
Everything Aarts creates is developed bearing in mind the end goal - to ensure that each consumer using a product the company has taken part in packaging only thinks about how fantastic their new purchase is. Anything less isn’t a luxury item.
For most pieces, the process the firm uses to convert an idea into a physical reality is the hallmark of its renown. Starting with an engagement with the client to define exact parameters for the project, a brief is developed which will lead to the actual design phase. Once a 3D modreel has been generated and approved, if requested a prototype item is produced along with a pilot mould (for injection projects), ensuring a limited run can be set to test production prior to full release. After the testing phase has been concluded, the full mould can be developed, and depending on the project requirements, can be done as either a single cavity, multi-cavity, or multi-cavity stack mould. This is one of the key differentiation points that Aarts offers, its attention to detail and painstaking care when it comes to scrutinising every aspect of development.
Aarts also offers a number of extrusion opportunities, developing masterbatches based on meticulous colour recipes that enable the firm to offer any colour product imaginable, as well as metallic or pearlescent effects. Some of the more popular decoration options the company offers include IML (in-mould labelling), lacquering, and of course, industry standard hot-stamping and screen-printing.
With regard to both technical expertise and design capabilities, Aarts is a name that is swiftly becoming inextricable from luxury cosmetic and fragrance packaging.
