Luxury packaging designer and manufacturer Verescence is no stranger to the glitz and glamour of the world’s greatest cosmetic and fashion houses with a clientele that includes Estée Lauder, Elizabeth Arden, Revlon, and Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH), to name only a few. With this star-studded cast of clients, the company reaches nearly every corner of the globe.
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Verescence allows glass to transcend utilitarian frumpishness, and its genius extends far beyond perfumes. The only one of its caliber in this type of glass manufacturing in America, the company is responsible for creating the packaging of some of the world’s leading beauty preparations, including cosmetics and skin care formulations.
“We are number one in both America and Europe when it comes to luxury glass packaging. While we don’t do all our clients’ glass units, we have strategic partnerships with all of the top local and global players,” says President and Chief Executive Officer for North America, Peter Acerra.
Its customer portfolio is vast with many of the largest and mid-tier players in the business already signed up for its services. Small brands also benefit from the wealth of industry expertise that has helped catapult many smaller labels into the limelight of global cosmetic markets. Of course, this enormous task is simplified by Verescence’s in-depth knowledge of how to make new, high-end products stand out on already crowded shelves. Naturally, this has led to it becoming the glass packager of choice to international beauty icons.
“The internet has really changed the world of beauty. As a result, we’re now also seeing many of the newer beauty outfits that break into the market approaching us for their packaging. While it isn’t always easy doing small runs, we do try to accommodate these labels,” says Peter.
Of course, many smaller companies are bought up by industry giants which allows packaging costs to make more long-term financial sense. While Peter advises that it is never an exact science, the team is always happy to meet entrepreneurs, especially at Luxe Pack trade shows in New York, Los Angeles, and Monaco. This exposition gives creative packaging suppliers the opportunities to show their wares and of course make new friends in the industry.
New customers are only part of its story, however. Existing clients benefit from weekly meetings with the company’s packaging development and design teams where confidential briefs, goals, standards, and specific requirements are discussed. Design discussions can get rather technical, with elements such as recyclability, interior and exterior engineering, design, and decoration all being important.
“These elements are what set all brands apart. Once this is fixed, the umbrella brands are made up of what we call flankers or additions to the core range. Flankers are promotional vehicles to keep the brand foremost in the customer’s mind. There is a lot of innovation that goes into these lines as they are often seasonal and are variations of the same bottle,” says Peter. Flankers are also prized for adding a lot of value and expanded brand potential to core ranges by adding new fragrances.
As expected in the beauty industry, perfume and cosmetic packages are very much judged by the impact of their appearance. For this reason, market leaders inevitably find themselves sitting opposite the creative minds at Verescence.
“Because there is a lot of competition between brands, our clients count on us to assist in providing each one with a point of difference in the marketplace. This is why we work tremendously on innovation. This is incredibly important for every one of our customers to help sustain their growth and their market share,” says Peter.
This innovation is vital to the company’s success and includes such things as continuously seeking new glass decoration avenues. One of its services is its advanced technology for decorating the inside of glass bottles. Due to the nature of perfume ingredients and the possibility of them affecting a decorated layer, this is no easy thing. It is specialized work that has grown the company’s market share significantly in the past five years.
This operation has headquarters in Paris, France and offices in Madrid and Barcelona in Spain, as well as elsewhere in France. Its American manufacturing facility is in Covington, Georgia, while its New York office can be found on Third Avenue, two streets away from Elizabeth Arden’s famous Red Door Spa.
With so many diverse brands, Verescence is a hub of fresh ideas and much excitement. This comes with responsibility in terms of quality and safety, so the company holds a selection of certifications by the International Standards Organization (ISO) and other well-respected industry watchdogs.
The company takes its corporate social responsibility as seriously as taking care of its customers. It achieves this through strict adherence to the values that govern its philosophy of caring. First of these is its belief that people come first, and this is acted upon through health and safety initiatives, wellbeing programs, recognition at work, skills and career development, and diversity. Secondly, the company makes a concerted effort to act for society through sustainable procurement, solid business ethics and employing local people. Its third focus is on environmentally sustainable solutions, with some of its key performance indicators directed by the incorporation of eco-friendly packaging and awareness in terms of its impact on the environment. It has worked consistently to become more energy efficient, recycle, and integrate other green measures.
“We base our objectives and targets on each of our core values. It is important for us to be a diverse and responsible company,” says Director Human Resources and Environmental Health and Safety, Joseph DeCocco.
Various community projects support local residents with contributions to activities such as Adopt-A-Mile, which helps keep highways free of litter. It is also a proud sponsor of the Covington Police Department’s charity Fuzz Run and the annual U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program.
The company also participates in an apprenticeship program to ensure that local youngsters benefit from skills development and professional opportunity. “When it comes to our team, we take a very serious approach to providing a good working environment. We have phenomenal, best-in-class safety record accomplishments at both facilities,” says Vice President of Operations Todd Rosebrock.
In 1896, Henri Desjonqueres created a glassworks in Mers-les Bains, France. Acquisitions followed, and the company established its first American factory in Covington, Georgia in 1996. More plants followed from 2002 to 2006 in locations as far afield as China and Russia with a specialized decoration plant also opening in Sparta, Georgia. The company was renamed Verescence in 2016.
Its special dedication to eco-friendly glass especially caught our attention. While all of the company’s glass is recyclable, it also uses a great deal of recycled materials. It is so dedicated to being environmentally smart that it received a Gold-level rating from EcoVadis for corporate social responsibility in 2018. It also proudly upholds the ten principles of the United Nation’s Global Compact, an international agreement to operate in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. This entails contributing to seventeen sustainable development targets. Verescence also won the Luxe Pack in green award 2018 for its best responsible initiative and its ‘Glass made to last’ recycling policy.
However, its design is not only sensible. It is also very sensual, winning The Fragrance Foundation France FIFI Award for the most beautiful masculine bottle for Yves Saint Laurent’s Y last year. Its SCULPT’in technology also landed it the Formes de Luxe 2018 Award for the complex engineered glass bottle made for L’Oréal’s Arizona by Proenza Schouler.
Peter is clear about the reason for the company’s success. Every one of the company’s talented employees is hired for their spirit and passion for the industry. Verescence also looks for qualities in its people that can enrich its customers’ experience and success.
“Our carefully selected staff forms a very motivated and creative workforce. Glass manufacturing is a difficult and dangerous environment, which means that our people’s safety is our top priority,” says Peter. The company can proudly lay claim to four years without injury.
The company’s collaboration between its international branches has made it a trendsetter, leading it to extraordinary growth in 2018. Its goal is to continue building on the solid environment it has created for its employees and its customers. “It is really important to us to compensate our people in a way that provides them and their families with comfort,” says Peter.
The company’s most refreshing aspect must be that its commitment to the beauty industry and the environment is certainly not only skin deep.
