Indonesian Industry Ministry kept encouraging the improvement of  small and medium industry cosmetics and herbal products' packaging. So, they will produce safe and good-quality products and fulfill standards for marketing. That was stated by Director General for Small Medium and Multifarious Industry, Gati Wibawaningsih in an official statement in Jakarta on Monday (14/9).

Gati Wibawaningsih said that the packaging trend for cosmetics and herbal products are developing to be eco-friendly. She exemplified natural or colorless (non-metal) cap, bamboo cap, or hi-quality recycled plastic. Besides, there is also a trend to use natural materials so that it will open the emergence of nature-based cosmetics such as spa and face masks.

To follow such a trend in improving packaging design, Directorate General for Small Medium and Multifarious Industry had a webinar about packaging trends for cosmetics and herbal products of small and medium industries recently.

Gati further said that the increasing use of cosmetics and herbal products had made manufacturers create interesting designs so that the main function of a packaging becomes not only product protection, but also an important part of the marketing.

She added that the increasing need for beauty and wellness products is predicted to trigger the growth of the national cosmetics industry. Moreover, cosmetics now is now a primary need not only for women, but also men and children.

Gati also stated that currently, the packaging industry cannot be separated from the industry sector in general. Along with the increasing industrialization into the 4.0 era, the packaging industry develops more quickly.

Until 2019, the Industry Ministry recorded 797 cosmetics industries nationally. This number had increased from 760 companies in the previous year. Around 95 percent of the total national cosmetics industry is small and medium industries.

Based on data from Indonesia Packaging Federation, the performance of Indonesian packaging industry is projected to grow around 6 percent in 2020 from last year's realization around 98.8 trillion rupiahs. Based on the materials, the distributed packages are 44 percent flexible packaging, 28 percent paperboard, and 14 percent rigid plastic. Characteristics of the three types of packaging from economic and durability aspects made it a better choice.

Gati Wibawaningsih hopes that by joining the webinar on packaging trends, the small and medium industry's competitiveness, especially the cosmetics and herbal products manufacturers can increase.