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Market prospects and technological development trends of cosmetic plastic packaging industry

1. Overview of cosmetic plastic packaging industry

With the increasing requirements of the cosmetics market on the appearance, performance and production cost of packaging, plastic packaging has distinguished itself from the competition due to its high strength, light weight, resistance to breakage and low production cost. Cosmetic manufacturers have more opportunities to produce many beautifully packaged and ingenious products at an economical and reasonable cost.

Related report: Beijing Puhua Youce Information Consulting Co., Ltd. "Consultation Report on the Supply and Demand Pattern and Prospect Forecast of the Cosmetic Plastic Packaging Industry in 2020-2026"

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With the increasing availability of materials for plastic packaging, packaging materials for plastic bottles are not limited to relatively low-cost raw materials such as AS, PP, and ABS. At the same time, higher-cost PETG and PMMA have become the focus of cosmetic plastic packaging.

PMMA, commonly known as acrylic, has been widely used in various types of cosmetic packaging. Acrylic has the following advantages when used as a cosmetic packaging material:

a. Acrylic cosmetics plastic packaging has crystal-like transparency, excellent optical performance, soft light transmission, and clear vision. Even after the dye is colored, it still has excellent light transmission, and the color development effect after dyeing is excellent;

b. Acrylic cosmetic plastic packaging has high surface gloss and surface hardness, as well as good printability and sprayability;

c. Acrylic cosmetic plastic packaging has good processing properties, and it can be thermoformed or mechanically processed.

Based on the above advantages, in cosmetic plastic packaging, acrylic (PMMA) has become a high-end cosmetics because of its resistance to falling, easy coloring, easy processing, and excellent optical properties. It has the same beautiful appearance as glass bottles and high-quality texture. The main alternative to glass in China.

2. Market supply status

As an important link in the cosmetics industry chain, cosmetic plastic packaging changes with the changes in the demand of the cosmetics market. At present, most cosmetic brands around the world focus on brand operation and promotion, and the manufacturing process is completed by suppliers in the industry chain. With the rapid development of China's manufacturing industry, like many other manufacturing industries, global cosmetic packaging manufacturing has gradually shifted to China, and China has become a concentrated area for cosmetic plastic packaging manufacturing.

In the early stage of the entry of major international cosmetics brands into the Chinese market, cosmetics remained high-end consumption in China, and the domestic market demand has not yet been stimulated. The main consumer areas for cosmetics are economically developed regions such as Europe, America, Japan, South Korea, and so on. With the gradual maturity of market cultivation and the continuous improvement of per capita income, the demand in developing countries and regions, including China, is growing rapidly. While the demand for the cosmetics market is growing rapidly, the market capacity of the cosmetics packaging industry is growing rapidly, and the number of industry participants is increasing rapidly. As an important part of cosmetic packaging, cosmetic plastic packaging has also attracted the participation of many manufacturers.

The main materials of cosmetic plastic packaging are AS, PP, ABS, PETG, PMMA, etc. Among them, PMMA is commonly known as acrylic. Because of its excellent performance, it is widely used in cosmetic packaging and is often used in high-end cosmetic packaging. Compared with other materials, acrylic is the most profitable category in the cosmetic plastic packaging industry. The customers are often big domestic and foreign brands, and they have strict requirements on the technical level, production scale, and qualification certification of their suppliers. Therefore, the production of acrylic cosmetic plastic packaging is mainly undertaken by enterprises with strong comprehensive strength in the industry. Nationwide, Shangyu District, Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province is the main production area for acrylic cosmetic plastic packaging. This area gathers the earliest domestic companies that produce acrylic plastic products. It has complete industrial supporting facilities in the production of acrylic cosmetic plastic packaging. Mature business environment.

On the whole, there are many players in the cosmetics plastic packaging industry, but most of them are small-scale enterprises with small production scale, low technical level and weak quality management capabilities. The quality of products supplied by small-scale enterprises in the industry is more for low-end products , The products demanded by major domestic and foreign brands such as high quality requirements, difficult craftsmanship, and short delivery cycles are mainly supplied by well-known companies in the industry. At the same time, with the increase in production scale, technical level and product design capabilities of relatively strong companies in the industry, the supply concentration of high-end products in the industry will gradually increase in the future.

3. Market demand status

The downstream of the cosmetic plastic packaging industry is mainly for cosmetics manufacturers and supply chain management companies. In foreign markets, cosmetics companies generally purchase packaging materials through professional supply chain management companies, while in the domestic market, cosmetics manufacturers purchase directly. In recent years, with the rise of domestic cosmetics brands, the demand for cosmetic packaging materials in the domestic market has gradually increased. At the same time, the foreign market still maintains a steady growth trend. In the future, as the competition between cosmetics brands continues to intensify, downstream customers are choosing suppliers Time will pay more attention to production scale, product quality and technical level to ensure the supply and quality of its own products. Therefore, relatively large-scale enterprises with strong quality management capabilities will continue to benefit.

4. Trends and reasons for changes in industry profit levels

On the one hand, the profit level of cosmetic plastic packaging companies is affected by upstream raw material prices, R&D and innovation capabilities, production technology levels, and product iteration speed; on the other hand, there are differences due to different customer groups of products. Companies that produce high-end well-known cosmetic packaging containers have relatively high profit levels due to factors such as product design, technology, and downstream product prices; while companies that produce mid-to-low-end cosmetic packaging containers have relatively low profit levels. In recent years, in order to obtain better marketing effects, second- and third-line cosmetics brands pay more attention to product packaging than before, and gradually choose higher-grade packaging materials. In the future, the profits of enterprises in the industry will remain at a relatively high level.

(1) Differences in customer groups

Companies in the industry face different customer groups, so there will be gaps in their profit levels. Large-scale cosmetics at home and abroad usually choose higher-grade packaging materials and invest more in packaging materials. Companies that provide packaging materials can get a higher level of profit; low-end brand cosmetics are limited by their own profitability and invest relatively little in packaging materials, and the profit level of companies that provide packaging materials for them is relatively low.

(2) Changes in upstream raw material prices

In the production cost of cosmetic plastic packaging materials, the cost of upstream plastics (PMMA/PP/ABS/PETG/AS), accessories and other materials account for a relatively high proportion. Once the price of plastics fluctuates greatly, it will have a greater impact on the production cost of the company. Affect the profit level of the industry. In recent years, plastic prices have seen a certain degree of price fluctuations, but companies in the industry have controlled corporate profits by improving efficiency, appropriately adjusting selling prices, or slowing down price declines, which did not have a significant impact on the industry's profit level.

(3) R&D and innovation capabilities

Cosmetic plastic packaging companies' product design capabilities, mold development capabilities, and comprehensive application capabilities of injection molding application technology determine their cooperative relationships in downstream high-end customer R&D activities. Companies with strong plastic mold development and manufacturing capabilities and large-scale injection molding capabilities can participate in the simultaneous design of downstream companies' terminal products, thereby enjoying a higher level of profitability.

(4) Production technology level

In the production process of cosmetic plastic packaging materials, it mainly involves core technologies such as mold development technology and injection molding technology. In terms of mold development, molds with high technical level and good quality will increase the yield rate during the injection molding process, reduce mold maintenance costs, and improve corporate profitability. In terms of injection molding technology, the performance of the injection molding machine and the injection molding process affect the yield and production efficiency of injection molded products. The use of a good injection molding machine and appropriate injection molding process can improve production efficiency and increase profitability.

(5) Product iteration speed

The consumption of cosmetics is obviously affected by popular elements. Because of the large demand for packaging materials for hot-selling cosmetics, other cosmetics manufacturers will also learn from similar packaging designs. Therefore, enterprises with weaker scale and technical strength will gradually participate. With the continuous joining of the same product, the profit level of the same product will gradually decline. If the product iteration speed is slow, large enterprises in the industry directly compete with small and medium-sized enterprises, and the overall profit level of the industry will decline; if the product iteration speed is fast, powerful companies in the industry will have a greater chance of obtaining new products with higher profit margins. Production. Therefore, product iterations are fast, and powerful companies in the industry will be able to maintain a higher level of profitability.

5. Industry technology development direction

The technical development direction of the cosmetic plastic packaging industry mainly includes the following aspects:

In terms of product design, most companies in the industry currently only use ordinary graphic design software and drawing software for product design. With the continuous development and progress of various design software, the future will gradually develop into the integrated use of graphic design, three-dimensional modeling, New technical methods such as drawing and three-dimensional rendering are used for product design. At the same time, most samples in the industry currently use sample mold injection molding, and the cost is relatively high. With the development of 3D printing technology, the future sample preparation process will gradually evolve from single mold molding to 3D printing and mold molding to complement each other to make samples.

In terms of mold design, due to the current standard production level and low software application level of industry enterprises, software application development capabilities cannot keep up with the production development needs. Most companies just stay at the application level of CAD and CAM. With the level of enterprise software application development in the industry With the continuous improvement of production standardization, mold design is gradually developing to CAE and CAPP with a higher degree of information.

In terms of mold manufacturing, due to deficiencies in concepts, design, technology, technology, and experience in many aspects of the current industry, companies in the industry have a low comprehensive level of mold manufacturing, poor quality reliability and use stability, and manufacturing accuracy. The degree of standardization is low, and the synergy ability of different products to realize the process is poor. With the improvement of the quality of R&D talents in the industry, the accumulation of basic theories and technical research experience in mold design and manufacturing, and the improvement of mold material quality, future mold manufacturing will move toward high precision, high quality, long life, and coordination with supporting injection molding processes. develop.

In terms of injection molding process, on the one hand, the injection molding process is related to the performance of the injection molding machine, and on the other hand, it is related to the development and manufacturing level of the mold. On the same injection molding machine, different levels of molds can achieve a large gap in injection molding effects. At present, there are a large number of small and medium-sized enterprises in the industry, the performance of injection molding machines and mold development capabilities are limited, the number of injection molded products per mold during the injection molding process is small, and the synergy between the injection molding process and the subsequent process is poor. With the improvement of the performance of upstream injection molding machines, the level of mold design and manufacturing in the industry, and the improvement of injection process design capabilities, the future injection process will develop in the direction of out-of-mold cooling technology, one-mold multi-cavity, multi-color injection, and automatic in-mold labeling. Greatly improve production efficiency.

In terms of printing hot stamping, printing hot stamping is mainly about color matching and uneven surface hot stamping. This is a relatively high-tech link in the entire printing hot stamping process. At present, most companies in the industry have control of color difference and blurry fonts on uneven surface hot stamping. , There are still technical difficulties in fracture. The control of printing bronzing effect is related to the selected pigments and processes. With the accumulation of technical experience in the industry and the improvement of pigment quality, printing bronzing will become more difficult to high-quality, precise color difference control, and irregular surface printing and hot stamping. The direction of development.

6. Industry prospect analysis

(1) National industrial policy support

The China Plastics Processing Industry Association pointed out in the "Thirteenth Five-Year Development Plan Guidance for the Plastics Processing Industry" that the plastic products industry will continue to maintain a steady and rapid development during the 13th Five-Year Plan period. The historic strategic transformation of a processing power into a plastic manufacturing power.

The "China Packaging Industry Development Plan (2016-2020)" pointed out that the packaging industry, as a service-oriented manufacturing industry, is an important support for the development of the national economy and society. With the continuous expansion of the scale of my country's manufacturing industry and the improvement of the innovation system, the packaging industry will play an increasingly important role and influence in serving national strategies, adapting to people's livelihood needs, building a manufacturing power, and promoting economic development.

The "Guiding Opinions on Accelerating the Transformation and Development of my country's Packaging Industry" jointly issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Commerce further pointed out that the packaging industry is a service-oriented manufacturing industry closely related to the national economy and the people's livelihood, and plays a pivotal role in the development of the national economy and society. During the "Thirteenth Five-Year Plan" period, my country will further enhance the core competitiveness of the packaging industry and realize the change from a "big packaging country" to a "packaging power".

With the successive promulgation of relevant policies, it has demonstrated that my country's awareness of the importance of the development of the packaging industry has continued to increase, and the status of the industry has been further improved.

(2) The adjustment of national taxation policy will benefit the cosmetics industry chain

On September 30, 2016, the Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation issued the "Notice on Adjusting Cosmetics Consumption Tax Policy". The "Notice" abolished the consumption tax on ordinary beauty and cosmetic cosmetics, and changed the name of the "cosmetics" tax item to "high-end cosmetics" . The scope of levy includes high-end cosmetics, cosmetic cosmetics, high-end skin care cosmetics and complete sets of cosmetics, and the tax rate is adjusted to 15%. The adjustment of national taxation policies has promoted the development of the cosmetics industry and benefited the cosmetics industry chain extensively. As an important link in the cosmetics industry chain, the cosmetics plastic packaging industry will also benefit from the adjustment of taxation policies.

(3) The development of the cosmetics industry will also drive the development of the cosmetics packaging industry

Cosmetics is entering a period of prosperity in my country, and its development potential and profit margins are huge, which has triggered many industry giants to intervene in the cosmetics industry. In the next few years, the overall scale of the industry will further expand.

At present, domestic cosmetics packaging has paid more and more attention to fashion trends, and a variety of novel packaging has emerged one after another, becoming one of the fastest packaging updates in my country. With the improvement of people’s living standards and the increase in market demand, cosmetic packaging will have a faster development. The more marginalized consumer groups such as children, the elderly, men, etc., have now received more attention from cosmetics companies. The development of sub-markets will effectively drive the development of the cosmetics market, thereby increasing the demand for cosmetic packaging.

(4) The packaging industry is facing rapid growth

According to the forecast of the "China Packaging Industry Development Plan (2016-2020)", by the end of the "13th Five-Year Plan", the global packaging market demand will exceed US$1 trillion, and the average annual growth rate of the packaging industry will reach about 4%. As my country is the largest packaging consumer market and packaging product producer in the future, the growth rate of the packaging industry will be higher than the global average level, and there is broad room for development.

(5) The continuous increase in the national per capita disposable income provides a foundation for the growth of downstream industries

With the increase in income levels, residents’ consumer demand for cosmetics continues to grow, and at the same time they begin to show diversified and personalized characteristics. Consumers no longer blindly pursue low prices, and begin to pay more attention to the product quality and service experience of cosmetics. The recognition of value is gradually increasing, the consumer group of high-end products is expanding, and the trend of consumption upgrading is gradually emerging. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, my country’s per capita disposable income has increased from RMB 14,551 in 2011 to RMB 28,228 in 2018