Packaging is critical for private label marketing in the cosmetics and beauty realm. The aim is to simultaneously convey quality, value, and luxury in products that will compete against national and international brands with well-established consumer bases. Private label manufacturers, who also fulfill packaging and filling requirements for retailers, have begun introducing artificial intelligence (AI) into the product development matrix.

The uses of AI in beauty tend to focus on consumer-facing experiences, such as packaging conception and design. AI programs expedite the design process, quickly generating hundreds of unique packaging concepts that feature complex combinations of shapes, colors, and textures. These can then be reviewed by human designers, with the best visual attributes selected and refined further into finished packaging concepts.

This approach was described by one beauty company as enabling the creation of multiple prototypes for A/B testing (which compares one variant versus another) for online and on-shelf display. At the same time, AI enables design optimization, depending on sustainability mandates and material specifications. This pairs well with other industry uses of AI, such as for enhanced skin diagnostics that deliver personalized product and product-use recommendations.