Cosmetic packaging design & printing

Designed alongside the formula

Packaging is more than visuals. Bottles, tubes and jars are in direct contact with the product for its entire shelf life, while cartons and labels carry information read by both regulators and consumers. If design only begins once the formula is finished, you risk choosing a container that does not suit the product’s texture, or reprinting labels that no longer match the notification dossier.

At Butter-C, the cosmetic packaging design team works in parallel with the pharmacists developing the formula. While samples are being sent and adjusted, the design goes through its own sketch rounds, so that when the formula is locked, the packaging and label are ready to be checked against it. This work corresponds to step 7 of the 8-step manufacturing process (in Vietnamese).

Four-step design and printing process

Step 1 — Brief intake and concept analysis

Butter-C discusses your brand, product positioning, target users and sales channels. The channel has a direct impact on packaging: products displayed at a counter need a carton that is easy to recognize from a distance; products sold online need visuals that read clearly on a phone and packaging that withstands shipping. At this step, both sides also agree on the primary container (bottle, tube, jar, pump) and accompanying items such as the carton and leaflet.

Step 2 — Design and 3D perspective mockups

From the agreed concept, the design team develops options for the label, carton and information layout. Each option is rendered as a 3D perspective mockup on the intended container shape, so you can see the product as it would stand on a shelf or appear in sales images, not only as a flat drawing.

Step 3 — 2D/3D proofs sent for your approval

You receive a full-size 2D proof with all text, together with the 3D mockup. Feedback is recorded and applied round by round. The final version is confirmed by you, given a version number, and becomes the reference for printing and packing.

Step 4 — Printing of the final packaging

Butter-C works with the printer from the approved artwork: the print proof is checked for color, content and the position of the batch number and expiry date before the full run. Printed packaging is inspected and compared with the approved version before it goes to the packing line. See the article on cosmetic packaging control (in Vietnamese).

Packaging must suit the formula

An attractive bottle does not necessarily protect the product. Common signs of incompatibility between packaging and formula:

• Essential oils or solvents cause plastic to swell or crack, or make the printed ink on the bottle fade.
• The product loses weight through thin plastic walls or a poorly sealed cap.
• Light-sensitive ingredients change when filled into a clear bottle.
• Pumps clog as product dries at the nozzle; tubes bulge or the end seal comes apart.

For this reason, the locked formula is stability-tested in the intended commercial packaging — step 4 of the manufacturing process (in Vietnamese). If you later change the material or supplier of the primary packaging, compatibility needs to be re-evaluated. See also the article on cosmetic stability and shelf life (in Vietnamese).

Mandatory label content, handled with the notification dossier

For cosmetics marketed in Vietnam, Circular 06/2011/TT-BYT on cosmetic management covers product notification, the Product Information File (PIF) and labeling. The label and the notification must match, so Butter-C prepares the notification dossier and reviews the label as one workflow.

When reviewing the artwork, Butter-C checks it against the notification and the formula ingredient list on these points:

• The product name on the label is identical to the name in the notification.
• Ingredients are listed by INCI name, in descending order of concentration.
• Net content, batch number, and manufacturing or expiry date have a clear print position that is not covered.
• Name and address of the organization responsible for placing the product on the market; country of origin.
• Directions for use and warnings for ingredients with specific requirements.
• Claim wording stays within the cosmetic scope and is consistent across the label, website and advertising.

The approved label is filed in the Product Information File. As the product owner, you bear legal responsibility for the label; Butter-C’s review helps reduce errors before printing. Further reading: cosmetic labeling rules and the cosmetic PIF (in Vietnamese).

Anti-counterfeit stamps

As a product gains traction in the market, the risk of imitation grows with it. Butter-C helps you build anti-counterfeit stamps into the packaging from the design stage: choosing the position on the carton or across the tamper seal, leaving suitable space in the artwork, and scheduling stamp application in the packing stage. The stamp type and how buyers verify it are agreed according to each brand’s needs.

Butter-C also assists with trademark registration procedures for your name and logo; the outcome of registration is decided by the competent authority.

Confidentiality of design files

• Your design files, print files, molds and custom packaging are used only for your orders.
• Printers receive only the files needed for printing and are required to keep them confidential.
• Surplus or misprinted labels and packaging are destroyed or returned to you as agreed, and never released to the market.
• Butter-C does not manufacture for other parties any product whose name, label or packaging style could be confused with yours.

You can request a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) before sharing your concept. Details are in the privacy policy (in Vietnamese).

Frequently asked questions

I already have artwork. Can Butter-C print it?

Yes. Send your design files; Butter-C checks dimensions against the actual container, reviews the label content against the notification dossier and reports any points to correct before printing.

Is the packaging designed at the same time as the formula?

Yes. Design runs in parallel with sampling, so that when the formula is locked, the packaging is ready for compatibility testing.

Can I see what the product will look like before printing?

Yes. You receive a full-size 2D proof and a 3D perspective mockup on the intended container shape; printing begins only after you approve the final version.

Who is responsible for the label content?

You, as the product owner, bear legal responsibility for the label. Butter-C reviews the label against the notification and the ingredient list and points out anything that does not meet the regulations before printing.

What happens if printed labels need to change?

The new label version is approved in the same way as the first. Labels of the old version are set aside and destroyed or returned to you as agreed, so they cannot be mixed into later batches.

See also: full-service cosmetic manufacturing · product catalog · Butter-C company profile.