Packaging is perhaps the most routine point of contact consumers have with a brand, creating a tangible experience that establishes a company’s identity and conveys what it represents.
Compelling decorative elements, anti-counterfeiting technologies, and sustainable packaging are front and center for pharmaceutical brands today. Let’s unpack these trends.
Anti-Counterfeiting for Pharmaceuticals
Not just the purview of unlawful money printers, counterfeiting in packaging has been gaining traction. Criminals are tampering with products and reselling them, or packaging knock-off items and peddling them in illegitimate packaging. In response, retailers are leaning into anti-counterfeiting components in labeling and packaging.
Counterfeit items can corrode consumer trust in a brand and undermine potential sales. Plus, efforts to remove this unauthorized merchandise can be costly. For example, counterfeit medicines may have either ineffective pharmaceutical qualities, no active pharmaceutical ingredients, or contain substandard formulations. In worst-case scenarios, they can be fatal.
Fortunately for pharmaceuticals, labeling and packaging have developed anti-counterfeiting capabilities, which can be broken down into two categories: overt and covert.
Overt authentication solutions are visible to the unaided eye, but remain difficult for criminals to replicate. Color-shifting inks change color when viewed from a particular angle. Pearlescent inks produce a glimmering visual effect, easily discerned by distributors and retailers. Tamper-evident closures and labels enable retailers to identify whether packaging has previously been opened or modified. Holographic seals and labels entail sophisticated graphics that can’t be reproduced without high-end printing capabilities. Specialized 2D and QR codes provide an authentication tool for manufacturers to track or monitor movement of legitimate products.
Covert authentication solutions have the extra advantage of being concealed from the naked eye, made visible only with specially calibrated tools. UV and infrared (IR) light-reactive inks reveal a packaging’s authenticity via UV or IR lights. Thermochromic inks display particular images when they undergo severe temperature changes. Hidden indicia entails a hidden design element that’s only apparent with a special lens of decoding software. Digimarc barcodes and digital watermarking similarly involve cryptic images detected only with the aid of tailored devices. Taggants are invisible molecular or optical symbols added to inks and coatings, made visible using specialized laboratory equipment.
Today, brands are using a combination of these solutions to counteract criminals and counterfeiters. Notably, these anti-counterfeiting techniques should blend well with other decorative effects, to maximize their marketing impact.
Decorative Effects
Packaging and labeling done right should add significant value to your products, and that centers around the decorative elements you integrate into your designs. Decorative effects should hook consumers’ attention, in the aisle or online, long enough for them to inquire further into your product’s benefits. Some national pharmaceutical brands are firmly embracing decorative designs.
Coating & Laminates
In addition to providing further protection against scratches and abrasions, coating and laminates help your packaging shine. Gloss coatings create a vibrant, glimmering effect, while matte finishes reflect light. Raised or textured, tactile coatings engage consumers with a physical impression. Pearlescent coatings involve injecting small reflective particles into the base of a clear UV coating to create depth and shine. Strike-though and reticulating varnish deliver superior rub resistance and even high gloss effect, enhancing the visual appeal of pharmaceutical packaging.
Hot Foil Stamping
Using a heating technique, foil is attached to a substrate, producing a metallic polish. Commonly silver or gold, hot foil stamping can be used to create shimmering designs, accommodating intricate and clean visuals of any color.
Cold Foil
Relying on ultraviolet light instead of heat, cold foil techniques can apply metallic colors across the CMYK and PMS color spectrums. Adhering to packaging or labeling material, cold foil offers another avenue for lustrous design elements. Notably, cold foil can be used in sheet-fed lithographic or flexographic printing.
The decorative options for pharmaceutical labeling and packaging are abundant, but you’ll also want to think deeply about how they relate to your sustainability goals.
Sustainability in Pharmaceuticals
More and more brands are taking strong action on climate change and other environmental issues, making strides to be more sustainable in everything they do. That includes sustainability in labeling and packaging. Sustainable packaging means using materials with the most limited environmental impact possible, accounting for what goes into their production and what happens after they’re used.
Practice Right-Size Packaging
Utilize no more materials than you need to protect or secure your product. Pharmaceutical brands implementing right-size packaging don’t only prevent waste, but signal to consumers that they’re serious about being environmentally responsible. Relying on bulky packaging can weaken consumers’ affinity to your brand. They want to purchase from those committed to eco-friendly principles.
Minimize Carbon Footprint
Industry-leading brands are turning to alternative energy sources to reduce their carbon footprint, but also focusing on how sustainably materials are produced at each step of this process. For example, eco-friendly printing and manufacturers employ paper-based products sourced from sustainably managed forests. Partner with firms certified by the nonprofit Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Sustainable Forest Initiative (SFI), or Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).
Utilize Tree-Free Alternatives & Biodegradables
Sustainable packaging involves moving away from petroleum-based products as much as possible, reducing reliance on plastics. It also includes using tree-free alternatives, such as sugarcane board, hemp, and recycled cotton fibers.
In addition to partnering with packaging companies focused on sustainability, you ought to consider all the ways your labeling might communicate this green commitment to consumers, such as explicitly stating “produced with 100% post-consumer recycled materials” on your materials.
While national pharmaceutical brands are embracing sustainability, they’re also trending toward new color technology.
Taking Advantage of Extended Gamut Printing
While available for decades, extended gamut printing now has the Pantone EG Color Guide, enabling printers to expertly match vibrant colors, to creative effect.
For example, your private-label version of night-time cold relief medicine could match the specific color of the national brand, leaving a strong impression on consumers.
Extended gamut printing goes far beyond the traditional four-color CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, and key) process, giving pharmaceutical brands a means of producing vivid visual designs.
In conclusion, innovative pharmaceutical brands are trending toward the latest in color technology, while embracing sustainability, anti-counterfeiting packaging, and the most up-to-date decorative effects. By bringing each of these factors together into your labeling and packaging, your brand is well positioned to foster loyalty with consumers and lead in the coming years.
Oliver provides printing and packaging to meet the exacting standards of pharmaceuticals. This high level of service comes with more than 250 years of combined experience. Contact us today to learn more about our one-stop solution to pharmaceutical labeling and packaging.
