Melissa Niebes is chief commercial officer at Federal Package. Happi recently spoke with Niebes to learn more about trends in beauty and personal care packaging, what's new at Federal Package, and how newcomers can succeed in the highly competitive beauty and personal care industry.
Happi: What are the new trends you see in beauty and personal care in 2022?
Niebes: Clean beauty is having a moment. Clean beauty is not just about the product’s functionality but considers the entire lifecycle of the product from concept through disposal. Many of our customers are focused on ethical, inclusive and sustainable production, and we are more than happy to accommodate them. We offer post-consumer recycled (PCR), post-industrial recycled (PIR) raw materials, or bio-based resins to make the beginning of the product’s life more sustainable.
At the end of the product life, our Eco Smart additives allow the product to break down when placed in a landfill or ocean environment. The additive allows the container to break down into CO2, methane, and a rich humus or soil which does not contain any heavy metals or starch. In addition, this process does not produce microplastics that contribute to so much global pollution. Our sustainable packaging is the solution to limit your environmental impact.
Happi: What else is new at Federal Package?
Niebes: We are excited about our new state-of-art water filtration system that significantly expands our formulations capabilities to a wider variety of skin, hand and body products. Now customer formulas can be produced on-site and moved into the next stages of production quickly and easily.
We’ve expanded our in-house testing capabilities, so our labs are faster and more cost-effective at qualifying incoming raw materials as well as finished goods. One location provides direct oversight over the entire manufacturing process to ensure quality and efficiency, which cuts down on costs and lead times.
Our Eco Smart solutions deliver sustainability throughout the entire product lifecycle. This proprietary technology enables plastic components to break down in biologically active environments while providing the same form, fit and function as our standard line of containers.
Happi: What recommendations do you have for newcomers in beauty and personal care?
Niebes: Find the right partner that can help you take your product to market. A lot goes into creating a great brand that meets the needs of the customer at scale. At Federal Package, we have the expertise to take your product through the entire production cycle in one facility. Our turn-key service has the know-how and expertise to create any formula from scratch, or customers can customize one of our available stock formulas. With our in-house formulation capabilities, we can efficiently scale that formula in our facility to save time and money.
Happi: What are the advantages of working with a manufacturer like Federal Package?
Niebes: We specialize in hot pour blending, compounding and filling, which has made us one of the top deodorant, lip balm, and sunscreen stick manufacturers in the United States. Our lab team has over 90 years of combined experience that enables us to make a wide variety of formulas. Our robust in-house testing capabilities allow us to quickly get the finished product into our customer’s hands faster. We are continuously adding new stock formulations for brands looking for speed to market, with a focus on vegan, natural and organic formulations to meet growing demand.
Happi: What’s next for Federal Package?
Niebes: We are rapidly expanding our portfolio of lotions, creams, serums and body butters that include active ingredients. The sunscreen category is growing fast with customers understanding the need for all-year sun protection. So, we’re working on some exciting new formulations that are non-comedogenic (won’t clog pores) for the face and neck. Next on the list is high-performance skin care as well as acne-related products, cleansers and toners. We are also looking to expand our range of propel/repel containers with new sizes and shapes to round out the portfolio.