If you’re launching a skincare brand, you’ve probably already invested heavily in formulation. Chemists, testing, tweaks, more testing. Your product might genuinely make someone look like they bathed in the fountain of youth.
And then margins disappear.
Not because of ingredients.
Because of packaging decisions that felt harmless at the time.
This is where cost actually creeps in.
What a budget skincare packaging designer will do
A budget designer will:
- Put your logo on a box
- Choose a colour palette that feels clean and modern
- Pick a trendy font
- Deliver mockups that look great on a white background
At that price, that’s the job.
What they won’t do:
- Ask what your unit cost needs to be
- Factor in shipping weight and breakage
- Question MOQs or supplier constraints
- Design for scale or future cost reductions
Not because they’re bad designers. Because logistics, production, and margin strategy are not included at that level.
The result is packaging that looks fine… until you start selling.
Where skincare packaging margins actually die
Margins are usually lost when:
- Secondary packaging costs more than the product
- Glass, boxes, or closures are too heavy to ship profitably
- Custom components lock you into high MOQs
- One small change requires a full redesign
None of this shows up in a logo file.Budget vs strategy-led skincare packaging (the real difference)
This is where the cost gap makes sense.
Budget packaging gets you:
- A logo
- A box
- A look
That’s it.
Strategy-led packaging at €9k gets you:
- Clear brand and packaging strategy before design
- Defined positioning (are we affordable daily skincare or luxury miracle product?)
- Packaging systems designed around production realities
- Margin protection at launch and as volumes grow
- Packaging that supports the price instead of fighting it
This is the difference between packaging that decorates and packaging that converts.
You can see what this includes on my Services page.
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What you’re actually paying for at 9k USD
You’re not paying for “more design”.
You’re paying for:
- Fewer expensive mistakes
- Packaging that doesn’t need fixing six months in
- Systems that adapt as volumes change
- Decisions that hold up in production, fulfilment, and retail
That’s why this work starts at 9k.
Not because it’s luxurious. Because it’s commercial.
Skincare packaging cost checklist (before you design anything)
Before committing to packaging, you should know:
- Who the product is for
- What problem it solves
- The price point you need to protect
- Where you can stay simple
- Where spending actually matters
This is the foundation of profitable packaging.
If you’re planning a skincare launch and want packaging that supports margins, not kills them, this is the work I do.
Packaging-led brand strategy
Or get in touch here when you’re ready.
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