With fatigue and frustration at excessive and wasteful product packaging at an all-time high, we examine what’s next for the world of product packaging and beauty PR mailers
It’s hard to ignore the incessant amount of beauty products bloggers receive and the content they create with it. Scrolling through pages and pages of the beauty community on Youtube and Instagram, there are thousands of “hauls” or “unboxing” videos. But in the past year or so, editors, industry partners and those same bloggers—as well as industry pros like Jen Atkin—have stepped forward to demand less packaging and simple, sustainable product packaging which has changed the culture of unboxing beauty products as a result.
“It always stuck with me how insane and excessive the mailings were and it was one the big reasons that I felt like the industry didn't really suit me despite being a beauty junkie,” says Clara Jeon, a former beauty publicist who now owns her own fashion PR agency called Chapter 2 in New York City. “We're talking thousands of client dollars spent on printing physical paper assets, sequins, glitter, fizzle, packing peanuts, anything shiny that you could possibly put in or on a box, used for multiple product launches a year that ultimately end up in an editor's trash bin. Let's be real, no one saves the metallic fizzle from a shampoo bottle delivery they didn't even ask for.”
Unboxing is not a phenomenon relegated only to beauty—in fact, Vogue did an entire article on a guide to unboxing in 2014, which touched on everything from tech gadgets to food. The same year, CNN wrote about how lucrative a job making unboxing videos could be. However, since the beauty industry is a world in which the sheer amount of product releases are never-ending, and because of the number of products that are gifted with the hopes of being featured on Instagram or written about in major publications (and brands trying to outdo one another for that social media moment), it certainly stands out as being one of the worst offenders in terms of waste.
If it’s hard to imagine the kind of volume of stuff the beauty industry sends to its community, I’ve personally received entire cakes, LCD screens, iPads, mirrors, bathrobes and more tote bags than anyone should ever own in their entire lives, as a freelance writer team of one. As an experiment, the U.S. fashion and beauty publication Racked documented how much stuff their staff received unsolicited in just six months, and it came to a whopping $95,000.
Aside from the sizeable amount of stuff, the average beauty product that is packed in the hopes of being unboxed by a blogger is not designed with sustainability in mind. There’s insurmountable waste and much of the packaging is rarely biodegradable. Earlier this year, a survey by Fashionista said that 81 per cent of its participants (people who work in the beauty and fashion industries who receive gifted mailers, usually made to unbox for social media) believe the mailers they deal with contain excessive packaging. All this, of course, is what’s contributing to the fall of beauty unboxing culture. It’s no longer impressive to send over-the-top mailers because of the fact that so many self-aware bloggers or editors will now call out brands for their excessive and selfish waste in the form of an unboxing, or not post the product at all. There are even entire accounts devoted to zero waste lifestyles.
The good news is, some brands and PR agencies are really starting to change the way they send mailers, and along with that, the entire culture of beauty content. All the excess is what inspired one of the biggest mainstream beauty brands, Benefit, to rethink the way they send out product to bloggers just this month too. While it may sound futuristic, the California-based brand is using technology to deliver products based solely on the need of the individual. Brow Now, an internet-enabled button connected to the LTE-M network signals that an influencer needs a refill at the push of a button. “For years brands have been competing to outdo each other with PR sends, each more over the top than the next, in hopes of being featured on an influencer’s channel,” a representative from the brand said. “It’s permeated culture so much that there’s even an unboxing doll. We’ve officially reached peak PR package and now fatigue and frustration with excess product and packaging is growing.”
Along with Benefit, there are individuals who are speaking out against unboxing materials that may not be sustainable. “Overall, I’ve noticed a decline in decadent mailers,” says Lara Eurdolian of Pretty Connected. “I still appreciate when a brand does a creative gift with their product, it’s just when it’s something I can’t reuse that I’m frustrated. I will say that I’ve been removed from some PR lists by brands that weren’t receptive to my feedback asking for less waste but now that there has been so much backlash I’m glad to see they’re getting the message.”
The forward-thinking brands and agencies who listen are the ones who are leading the charge and changing the culture of unboxing forever. Earlier this year, Beach House PR was one of the first to react with a newly remodelled plan for how they distribute creative beauty mailers, with the feedback of bloggers who unbox products in mind. They now send only 100% recycled, eco-friendly mailers and boxes with no fluff. “We recognise that we may not be fueling those unboxing moments anymore, but we’ll be really encouraging you all to focus on what’s important—the great products we represent and are sharing with you,” founder Amy Denoon said after making her announcement. “Rather than a story focusing on unwrapping our package, the agency is encouraging recipients to consider a moment testing the product on their hand, face, hair, etc. After all, we’re sharing these products because we believe in their performance and ability to deliver what they’re designed to do—from the perfect red lip to some serious skincare solutions. “
In turn, the fall of unboxing means that beauty content continues to evolve. Many bloggers are moving away from making videos of themselves unboxing beauty products, even if just to briefly promote them on Instagram Stories. Instead, bloggers are focusing on thoughtful reviews and tutorials. “I am not a fan of unboxing,” says Ryle Tuvierra of The Fierce Walker. “I find it a little bit tacky and harmful for my personal brand. Whenever I receive a package I usually use it straight away and check the content of each if it’s good for my skin or not. Second, I always check if the brand is aligned with my brand values and direction.” And as for whether a brand’s PR packaging affects the user’s opinion of how it works, it definitely seems to: “Sometimes the packaging and how they prepare it wasn’t really good and I find it a little too much kind of a waste. I prefer packaging that I can still use for other stuff and is eco-friendly, I do believe that if a brand is socially aware and has a social responsibility the brand is good and it speaks for itself.”
“To be fair, I understand when visually beautiful and thoughtful packaging is a gesture and final touch that can make a lasting impact, but it always goes back to how consciously and personally it's done,” adds Jeon. “If you haven't put the time into pitching why a product makes sense for an editor or influencer to consider in their coverage without literally putting a bow on it, the bow isn't going to change their mind. It's just going to end up in a landfill.”
With a less is more approach to packaging in beauty mailers, brands will have to focus more on the actual products and content creators will continue moving away from a culture that prioritizes the simple, voyeuristic act of opening up gifted product and showing it off. The future of unboxing might be the same thing conceptually, just without the distraction and frills of unnecessary objects and harmful waste. It’s no surprise. With so many people talking about sustainability and waste as an everyday occurrence, unboxing has become much more of a taboo and is slowly but surely on its way out.