PCD Innovation Awards 2026 finalists
regarder
PCD Innovation Awards 2026
In November 2025, our prestigious jury, featuring brands such as Chanel, Dior, PUIG, Interparfums, and many others, came together to evaluate the entries for the PCD Innovation Awards.
Personal care & haircare
The finalists...
AWARD
Mircea
Here is the future of beauty: highly sensorial and radically eco-designed.
A unique creation conceived without a single drop of water and without single-use plastic, yet desirable enough to be selected by Liberty London and Galeries Lafayette Champs-Élysées.
It sets the benchmark for the entire beauty industry.
certificate
NEXXUS Promend Oil Resurrection Refill
As Unilever’s first hair oil refill in tube format, this breakthrough solution disrupts category norms by combining scientific innovation, disruptive packaging, and a luxury aesthetic. The tube extends the refinement of the original bottle, with the same level of design precision and functional ease of use.
Fully mono-material, it is made from 100% recycled aluminum (95% PCR, 5% PIR), is fully recyclable, and consists of a single component produced in one step. After use, consumers can reverse the cap and reinsert it to enable proper recycling.
The dispensing orifice fits into the bottle’s narrow neck, allowing easy, spill-free emptying.
The finish is deliberately minimalist: a cool gold lacquer highlighting the natural striations of the aluminum, complemented by a single layer of black ink. The graphics echo those of the original bottle, ensuring strong visual continuity between the two formats.
Award Groupé
Ushuaia restage/NouveauDOP
The product was designed to address packaging line constraints and coordination with the bottle supplier, located directly adjacent to the factory.
The shoulder angle ensures sufficient axial strength to snap on the cap without deforming the bottle.
The face structuring, protected by a L’Oréal patent, reinforces the lightweight bottle and limits deformation during storage prior to filling.
The cap was designed to be more ergonomic, allowing easy uncapping with low opening force.
After blowing, hot bottles are stored in bulk; the final challenge was finding the right balance between container load and packaging line speed.
This format is used for DOP and L’Oréal Paris Kids, with a cap featuring an interchangeable top.
Certificate
Nolla Refillable Shampoo Bottle
The pack is a reusable silicone bottle designed to deliver flexibility and durability. Its semi-transparent finish allows users to see the amount of water during the initial mix and monitor the shampoo level, addressing a common frustration with opaque refill containers.
The wide refill opening makes it easy to pour in the powder sachet without spillage, while the modular design allows the bottle to be disassembled for thorough cleaning and compact, mailbox-friendly shipping.
Silicone ensures a safe, flexible, and impact-resistant bottle suitable for shower use, while maintaining an intuitive, squeezable grip comparable to a conventional shampoo bottle.
Skincare
award
Darphin Stimulskin Plus Sculpting Cream Jar
The Darphin Stimulskin Plus Sculpting cream jar combines timeless elegance with technical innovation. Its gold zamak cage houses a refillable glass jar, blending aesthetics with durability. One of the key innovations is the threaded ring, designed to secure the glass jar while allowing it to be replaced without compromising the design.
Achieving a uniform finish on the zamak components was a challenge, overcome through advanced assembly and molding techniques that ensure a smooth surface. The jar’s shape and angles were carefully engineered to avoid pressure issues during injection, preserving both structural integrity and visual appeal.
Harmonious gold tones and an ergonomic design enhance the user experience. Through this expertise and a commitment to sustainable engineering, the Stimulskin Plus packaging sets a new benchmark in luxury refillable skincare.
award
Orchidée Impériale – La Crème de longévité – Soin complet d'exception – 50ML
Environmental commitment lies at the heart of Guerlain’s vision. The 6th generation of Orchidée Impériale marks a decisive step forward with a virtuous and bold cream refill, representing a true revolution in luxury cosmetics.
This unique refill experience introduces an eco-design first: a dome made of 90% cellulose, combining FSC-certified bagasse and bamboo. An ultra-thin polymer film, invisible yet essential, protects the integrity of the formula without compromising recyclability.
The secondary packaging, also 100% cellulose, echoes the design codes of the cream jar while providing protection and delivering a clear educational message.
certificate
75.25 LONGEVITY DAY CREAM EFFICACY BOOSTER
Vagheggi and Nuon Medical developed 75.25, an integrated skincare system where formula, ergonomics, and technology work in synergy. It combines high-performance longevity actives with a precision device embedded in the packaging, delivering professional-level stimulation and continuous at-home care in a single tool.
Technical innovations include a compact, rechargeable stimulation module housed in the cap, a controlled diffusion interface, a hygienic and airtight structure, and intuitive activation for everyday use.
Key challenges addressed were combining advanced technology with sensory luxury, ensuring charging stability and performance in a compact format, and creating a unified product that is safe, ergonomic, and easy to carry.
certificate
Armani Crema Nera
The packaging went beyond the original brief by elevating the refill into a luxury experience: a shift from plastic to glass, nested within a glass jar, delivering enhanced preciousness and a ritualized user gesture. This achievement was made possible by Groupe Pochet’s “Odyssée” innovation, based on a patented glass-in-glass system.
Functionality relies on the connection ring, whose stack-up, validated through user testing, ensures ergonomic, intuitive, and secure handling. The sophistication of this component has been widely praised.
The challenge of extremely tight tolerances, essential for sealing performance and smooth closure, was resolved through the integration of two gaskets within the cap. The bayonet-style removal refines the aesthetics, simplifies use, and enables automatic filling.
The nomadic cap adds elegance, durability, and ergonomics, fully aligned with modern consumer lifestyles.
Make-up
award
Mascara PRADASCOPE
Delivering on the brief required major technical innovations in collaboration with two suppliers.
Applicator assembly:
The brush’s patented geometry required a custom two-part stem to allow the sealing system to be molded prior to assembly. A dedicated semi-automated line secures the unique brush and its “sock.”
“Nylon” texture bottle:
As pioneers in bottle injection, we achieved a high-definition “Nylon” texture directly in the mold, while concealing four vertical parting lines. The bottle is bottom-sealed with a leak-tight plug.
certificate
Tilt Beauty Easy Way Effortless Lip Liner
Designed with inclusivity in mind, balancing both form and function, it enables people with limited dexterity, visual impairments, or other disabilities to interact easily with the product.
Beyond its accessibility-focused approach, the Easy Way Effortless lip liner by Tilt Beauty is also refillable.
certificate
Absolue le fond de teint
The initial objective was to restore Absolue foundation to its original level of prestige.
A key requirement was the use of a perfectly transparent, faceted glass bottle.
The refill gesture had to be simple, clean, and quick, encouraging long-term engagement with the product and reinforcing a responsible consumption approach.
Beyond the transparent glass, all complementary materials, from caps to decorative elements, were required to meet the highest quality standards, with a distinctly luxurious finish and tactile experience.
certificate
Ulta Beauty Collection Pop Star Mascara with Brivaplast's Click 'n go pack
The Click ’n Go pack, used for the Pop Star mascara by Ulta Beauty Collection, meets the brief through its patented system that turns an everyday action into a fast, playful, and accessible ritual. The “click, remove, use, click back” gesture replaces screw caps and enables one-handed operation, improving speed, convenience, and accessibility for a truly inclusive product.
The cap’s subtle ergonomic curve ensures an intuitive and comfortable design. The integration of a PCR material option reinforces our commitment to sustainability without compromising the packaging’s premium functionality.
certificate
Mascara ARMANI Vertigo Lift
The pack met the brief by addressing two major technical challenges:
Mastering polypropylene for a premium design:
The sculpted, thick-walled cap posed a challenge in PP due to the risk of sink marks and surface imperfections. Advanced injection optimization, including mold adjustments and tightly controlled cooling cycles, made it possible to achieve a flawless, high-end finish.
“Infinity-Loop” brush innovation:
Its unique twisted geometry coats the formula evenly, capturing both short and long lashes from root to tip. It retains the optimal amount of product for dramatic impact, delivering up to +5 mm of perceived length without clumping or flaking.
Perfumes - Women, Men and Unisex
award
Chanel EDP Eau Splendide
This product incorporates three innovations:
Cap:
– An innovative process: cold forging of aluminum instead of zamak injection molding
– CNC machining to achieve a flawless finish, including precise angles, radii, and integration of the inner cap
This marks the first time this technology has been developed in the luxury packaging sector, following five years of development.
Strip:
– Transfer of expertise from China to Europe by replacing brass with aluminum
– The strip is manufactured in France, with the insert produced in Spain
award
Jil Sander
Perfectly aligned with the collection’s subtly disruptive character, the bottle was conceived as a collaborative effort between the designers and Formafantasma, the Milan- and Rotterdam-based studio renowned for its in-depth research into the ecological and social forces shaping contemporary design.
The bottle is marked by deliberately embraced micro-imperfections, the result of a unique glassmaking process that fuses industrial production with an artisanal approach. This balance of opposites, true to the Jil Sander spirit, required a non-conventional process to achieve the final form.
The gesture of lifting the aluminum cap that covers the bottle evokes the handling of an intimate, precious object.
certificate
BUBLOOM (Innovative Portable Perfume Applicator)
Technical and sensory innovations
Bubloom uses IPOROUS’ patented porous dome applicator to transform fragrance into micro-bubbles. The user moistens the applicator, presses the air pump, and applies the bubbles, creating a sensory ritual in which the fragrance is truly experienced.
Zero air diffusion: bubbles adhere to the skin, reducing waste and allowing use anywhere.
Refillable glass container: eco-friendly and compatible with any fragrance.
Replaceable porous applicator: enhanced hygiene and easy replacement.
Design and emotion: a gesture inspired by the opening of a flower.
Formula integrity: no reformulation required.
Bubloom blends technology and emotion to reinvent the way fragrance is applied.
certificate
LA BOMBA CAROLINA HERRERA
The folding carton features intense, vibrant colors on both sides of the board, a challenge successfully overcome despite its high absorbency. Finally, the structure was pushed to its mechanical limits through a demanding hot stamping process, resulting in a refined and technically mastered finish.
certificate
Purse Spray BV
The travel spray meets the brief through an injected aluminum case, adorned with intricate Intrecciato engraving and polished to a jewelry-level finish. It incorporates 13 metal components, ensuring mechanical precision, stability, durability, smooth opening, and easy refilling.
The 15 mL glass bottle, fitted with a screw neck, enables simple refilling and disassembly, minimizing waste. The secondary packaging uses FSC-certified, plastic-free paper, while the pouch reflects Bottega Veneta’s distinctive design codes.
Key challenges addressed included mastering complex metal molding, achieving a high-end finish, and ensuring functional precision while eliminating plastic and guaranteeing recyclability.
certificate
Collection les Classiques Van Cleef & Arpels
• Cold-forged aluminum cap: high target weight, with insert finishing optimized to match the large contact surface with the collar plate.
• Aluminum collar with silver lurex thread: challenge of achieving precise winding and secure application to prevent any unwinding.
• Diamond-shaped aluminum plaque set into the glass: design integrating dimensional tolerances of the bottle, the plaque, and the assembly process.
• Bare glass with 15% PCR: quality challenges (columns, distribution) linked to the heavy glass weight and the off-centered recess.
• Bottle decoration: lacquer + silver MAC or black screen printing, with additional work on the varnish following issues identified during juice and disgorging tests.
• Presentation box: tolerance adjustments between box, foam, and bottle to ensure optimal holding and smooth packing operations.
certificate
Collection de Parfums Balenciaga
Glass engineering: optimization of wall thickness without compromising transparency.
Custom cap and ribbon: high-precision tooling and hand tying to preserve couture craftsmanship.
Redesigned presentation box: European production in FSC-certified board, foam replaced with a 100% cardboard structure; wrapped in leather-effect paper with aged bronze hot stamping.
Plastic-free approach: folding carton without cellophane, water-based varnish, and solvent-free adhesives.
Challenges: balancing historical authenticity with eco-responsibility, replacing non-recyclable elements, and preserving artisanal details at industrial scale.
certificate
BOSS BOTTLED BEYOND
The bottle retains its iconic shape while adopting sharper lines at the base and a deep push-up that reveals the new BOSS logo. This push-up was a key challenge, as it needed to remain angular, crisp, and perfectly engraved.
Made with 15% PCR, the bottle is now refillable thanks to its SNI15 neck, designed to accommodate an elegant accessory assembled by the glassmaker: anodized gunmetal aluminum, an injected PE faux-leather lace, and a mini “BB” seal in zamak. Extensive development work was required to absorb glass tolerances while ensuring durability and aesthetic consistency.
The ensemble is completed with a weighted cap in polished, anodized aluminum, echoing the BOSS BOTTLED shape in a more angular interpretation and integrating the double B logo.
Limited Edition > 2000 pieces
award
LIBRE Vanille Couture
The brief was to replicate the drape of a Saint Laurent dress on the bottle. The initial marketing mock-up used fabric glued onto the bottle, which guided the design development. We refined the structure and analyzed wall thickness in close collaboration with Heinz, our glass partner on this project.
The texture is extremely fine, with a maximum depth of 0.1 mm in the mold, produced using laser technology. The Cassandra plaque had to be bonded onto the relief while successfully passing durability tests.
A second major challenge was developing the metallized coating on a bottle without grooves and featuring additional relief. The metallization needed to be perfectly controlled, with no bleed onto protected areas. The facing, backing, base, and shoulders were metallized, a result flawlessly achieved by Heinz.
award
L'Or de Vie Le Grand Cérémonial Millésime 2024
We partnered with master glassmaker Salviati to create the stopper. A dedicated punch was developed to mold the glass with the precise internal shape required, followed by meticulous hand polishing to eliminate any marks or scratches. An aluminum ring is then bonded onto the stopper.
The vials, made in aluminum by Axilone, are engraved and anodized. Each one is carefully sealed with a gold thread and wax seal by the maison’s artisans, the knot echoing the vine stocks of Yquem.
The presentation box is made of cardboard with a metal plaque, and the massage applicator, featuring faceted beads, is crafted in aluminum.
certificate
JPG ANNUAL OFFER 25
This box was designed with a circularity-driven approach to minimize its environmental footprint:
• FSC®-certified cardboard to ensure responsible forest management
• Single material: recycled and recyclable cardboard
• Free from disruptive elements and assembled without glue for easier sorting
• Short supply chain with production in France
• Responsible industrial manufacturing at DS Smith, with reduced water use, carbon emissions, and waste
• Simplified packaging: one single component to manage instead of two previously
Limited Edition < 2000 pieces
award
J'adore Diamonds of dreams
The headpiece was crafted using the lost-wax casting technique, without a silicone mold. Achieving perfectly spherical beads while preserving precise spacing required a single-piece 3D wax print. The headpiece was then polished, electroplated, and hand-set.
For the pearl, a glass artisan used a specific patented process to embed a diamond within the glass mass via a cannula. The glass composition is critical to ensure perfect transparency and to prevent any chemical reaction that could cause gas release. The pearl is formed artisanally, by hand, using a torch.
award
Les récoltes Majeures 2025
As for the amphora, the glass component was produced semi-automatically in France by the artisans of the Walterperger glassworks, in two separate parts (the base and the body). The assembly of these two elements is then carried out in France at PSP’s workshops.
The development and production phase was entrusted to the Vermont workshops in Paris. Each bouquet is handcrafted by experienced embroiderers, with several hours required to complete a single piece. The cap features a standard threaded neck, while the flowers are fitted with a screw which, once assembled, allows the two components to be joined. The ingenuity of this system ensures standardized assembly for this edition as well as future ones.
award
ROUGE MILLESIME
The technical innovation lies in integrating a refillable pump system into a hand-blown crystal bottle, a rare configuration due to the material’s precision requirements and inherent fragility.
Key innovations and challenges include:
• Refillability: a pump designed for long-term use and multiple refills without loss of sealing or spray quality.
• Material compatibility: precise fit and mechanical stability between crystal, brass, and pump components.
• Durability and assembly precision: maintaining sealing and performance despite the tight tolerances of hand-blown crystal.
This approach enabled the creation of a luxury perfume bottle that is both durable and technically advanced.
certificate
Les Exceptionnels - 90 years Lancôme
The brief was exceeded: our three icons became true statements of ultra-luxury and innovation, combining technical perfection with ancestral craftsmanship.
• Lalique: masterful crystal, hand-molded to achieve unprecedented purity and brilliance.
• Bernardaud: architectural porcelain finesse, pushing the boundaries of manufacturing standards.
• Ateliers Gohard: a cap created using unique lost-wax molds, elevated by the delicate application of pure gold leaf.
Each packaging piece is unique, refillable, numbered, and free of imperfections. The challenges were significant: pushing beyond the limits of artisanal excellence, forging unprecedented collaborations with master craftsmen, and stepping outside our comfort zone to redefine what exceptionality means. This project embodies our boldness and our absolute commitment to innovation and dream-making.
Contact the team
