We asked experts about the latest developments in bottle design and glass decoration—and how brands can achieve sustainability goals while creating luxurious fragrance packaging.

Fragrance brands aim to capture the consumer’s eye with a unique scent and bottle. Both work in harmony to tell a story to the consumer about the scent, while creating an emotional connection to the brand.

Since the pandemic, fragrance has become a leading retail category. The global fragrance market is projected to reach $74.8 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 4.9% and rising from $56.6 billion in 2024. The increasing focus on sustainability and ethical sourcing is one market driver, a report by Grand View Research states, along with the popularity of unisex fragrances and social media’s influence on consumer preferences.

‘Distinctive Designs Matter’

Innovative bottle designs help brands win over consumers in the ultra-competitive fragrance market. “Distinctive designs matter,” notes Laszlo Moharita, Vice President of Packaging for Fragrance, Hair Care, and Paris Brands at The Estée Lauder Companies (ELC)—and a member of Beauty Packaging’s Board of Advisors. 

“Fragrance consumers are drawn to bottles that combine emotional storytelling, aesthetic beauty, and functional quality,” Moharita says. The most successful bottle designs “visually express the mood of the scent, and convey luxury through weight, texture, and ergonomics,” he explains. 

Kilian Paris, an ELC brand, uses luxurious refillable bottles reminiscent of ornate glassware for its instantly recognizable fragrances. Angels’ Share Paradis is Kilian Paris’s newest addition to its Liquors Collection. The bottle has an oakwood cap, inspired by aging wood barrels, and swaps a plastic insert for a cork.

Urthy, a Georgia-based lifestyle brand, also chose a distinctive bottle design for its fragrances—round and sculptural. “All of our glass bottles share the same design language, so they’re immediately recognizable,” says Jen Rotundo, Urthy’s founder.

“One side features our logo, the other has a seal—so the bottle design feels intentional from every angle,” she explains. “Clean silhouettes with softened edges resonate with consumers because they feel modern, tactile, and timeless, rather than trend-driven,” she says. “And our stone-inspired caps bring warmth and natural texture into the design.”

Fragrance brands, including design and development teams, often collaborate with packaging suppliers specializing in glass molding to bring a new fragrance to market.

We asked suppliers about the latest innovations in glass bottle shapes and decorations—plus, the challenges of balancing luxury and sustainability. Read on.

Bringing a Bottle Design to Market

Numerous challenges can arise when designing a glass bottle for a new fragrance launch. Executing a designer’s vision often requires tweaks before production. “Creative ambition must be balanced with technical engineering constraints,” says Moharita. “Complex or sculptural shapes can be difficult to mold, fragile, or costly to produce. Achieving the right weight, balance, and durability requires careful engineering,” he explains.

“Glass can be unforgiving,” adds Urthy’s Rotundo. “Sharp angles or overly complex forms may look beautiful in concept, but don’t always translate well in production,” she says. Rotundo says she worked closely with manufacturers to refine curves, edges, and wall thicknesses so the bottles maintained their soft, organic shape while remaining consistent and durable at scale.

The team at ABA Packaging says it works closely with fragrance brands to deliver a seamless, fully supported development process. “What sets us apart is our ability to ensure every element fits, functions, and looks exactly as intended,” says Liana Cook, Vice President at ABA Packaging. 

Talking about trends in bottle shapes, Cook says minimalist, clean silhouettes are in demand. “These shapes have the look and presence of a custom mold, with the accessibility of a stock bottle,” she says.

ABA Packaging’s Oslo and Victor bottles are two examples, and are available with low MOQs and fast turnaround times. With its substantial inventory of stock components in New York, ABA offers brands the flexibility to move quickly without large minimums. The supplier offers glass bottles, fragrance pumps, and caps in Surlyn, aluminum, and Italian-crafted wood.

Trending Designs & Bottle Shapes

Some suppliers say “quiet luxury” is trending. “Luxury fragrance brands are using fewer, but more intentional decorative elements,” says Sheherazade Chamlou, Executive Sales Director at SGD Pharma. “Refined silhouettes and bottles with clean proportions are popular. There is also a strong shift toward lightweight glass, high-clarity transparency, frosted effects, and subtle metallized accents,” she says. 

P. Mohanty, Senior Vice President Marketing at PGP, says brands gravitate toward fragrance bottles with thick, heavyweight bases because they feel luxurious. “We introduced rotary machines, which can produce bottles with a base thickness of 25mm and above. We use digital and AI tools to control energy consumption and reduce rejections,” he says. PGP operates 12 furnaces and 70 production lines for molding glass bottles. “Our capacity for specialty glass is one of the largest of any global supplier, at 1,730 tons of glass per day,” adds Mohanty. PGP also has a decoration facility near its glass plants.

Maurizio Ficcadenti, Global R&D Manager at Baralan, says fragrance brands are choosing subtle design elements. “We are seeing a strong return to purity of form—bottles with clean lines that reveal their character through refined textures, tactile finishes, or subtle decorative techniques. Matte surfaces, frosted effects, and neutral color palettes are especially in demand,” he says. 

A Reliable Production Partner is Key to a Successful Launch

Baralan has developed new glass shapes, premium decorations, advanced coating technologies, and surface treatments. “Our expertise lies in combining Italian design excellence with robust industrial capabilities. We transform creative ideas into solutions that can be produced reliably and consistently at scale,” he explains. The supplier offers custom bottle designs in high-quality glass, with a comprehensive selection of closures and accessories.

Coverpla offers stock glass bottles in numerous styles and shapes—complete with fragrance pumps and caps, for turnkey solutions. “Our large inventory of bottles is ready to ship. We also decorate and manufacture Surlyn caps in-house,” says Sarah Orlowicz, Brand Marketing Specialist.

Coverpla’s Oscar bottle, which launched last year, is one of its stock designs. “At first glance, it’s a basic cylindrical bottle. But the curvature of its shoulders is what makes our Oscar bottle unique,” says Orlowicz. “Its thick base gives it a solid seating,” she adds. 

Coverpla Delivers a Turnkey Solution for Galimard

Galimard chose Coverpla’s 100ml Oscar bottle, paired with a matte black version of the supplier’s “Wally” cap, for a home fragrance spray in its Instant Riviera collection. Coverpla developed the collection’s packaging, turnkey.

Galimard’s Instant Riviera collection includes six home fragrances in spray, candle, and diffuser formats. The reed diffusers are in Coverpla’s Philos bottle, in refillable 100ml and 250ml sizes. “An apothecary look inspired this bottle’s neck and the visual play that outlines the mass of glass at the bottom,” says Orlowicz. “We also supplied the resin collar that decorates the neck and holds the reeds in place,” she adds.  

Suppliers Offer Luxurious Stock Bottle Designs

Verescence, which operates seven glass manufacturing plants across France, Spain, North America, and South Korea, has two factories in the U.S. that offer services ranging from glass production to cutting-edge decoration.

The supplier recently introduced ATOM, a cylindrical glass bottle with a distinctive dome-like silhouette. Available in 30-, 50-, and 100ml formats, the ATOM bottle features a large flat front surface that serves as a canvas for custom branding.

“Our portfolio includes bespoke bottle designs and a wide range of standard models in our Verescence Collection. All are fully customizable to reflect each brand’s unique identity,” says Céline Le Marre, Marketing & Communication Project Manager at Verescence. 

A Striking ‘Edge’

Bormioli Luigi, owned by the Bormioli family, has been in the glass manufacturing industry since the 14th century. The company often works with the most prestigious luxury brands—and has the know-how and technology to produce the most complex bottles. Bormioli Luigi’s team collaborates during every stage of development, from design to production, decoration, and assembly.  

Bormioli Luigi’s new 100ml Edge glass fragrance bottle is its latest addition to the supplier’s standard “ready-to-go” collection.

The Edge bottle is a striking square shape with high shoulders. As the name suggests, the bottle is defined by its sharp edges—a feature that is challenging to industrialize, the company says. It has excellent glass distribution, intended to create depth and an elegant interplay of volumes.

Offered as a turnkey solution and on short production runs, the Edge bottle comes equipped with an SNI 15 screw neck, so it’s easy to recycle and refill. “The Edge represents how our turnkey solutions don’t compromise on premium aesthetics or technical complexity,” the company states. 

Bormioli Luigi’s team suggests brands personalize the Edge bottle with its in-house decorating techniques, such as sputtering, metallization, and printing. The bottle shape would be ideal to decorate using the supplier’s ‘Inside’ technology, an internal lacquering, technique, since it would accent its glass thickness and sculptural shape. 

Combining Glass & Plastic Expertise

Another supplier, Zheijian BI, operates a glass bottle factory with nine lines, and a plastic factory with more than 90 injection machines for fragrance bottle caps.

“We have been developing a new over-molding technique to produce plastic caps,” says David Chen, Sales Representative. “Our heavyweight caps have a flat surface. The quality is comparable to Zamac, but at a much lower cost,” he explains. The supplier also has the capability to decorate glass in a variety of ways.

Verescence’s Recent Brand Collaborations

Verescence recently produced new bottle designs for Victoria’s Secret and Juicy Couture. Both bottles were manufactured at Verescence’s Covington glass plant and decorated at its Sparta site in Georgia.

VS’s Bombshell Eau de Parfum features a debossed front panel for plaque assembly, engraved vertical stripes on the back, and a pink translucent lacquer finish. The launch, which celebrated Bombshell’s 15th anniversary, received an Honorable Mention at the 2025 NJPEC Awards.

Juicy Couture’s Just Moi Eau de Parfum bottle is inspired by vintage French champagne glasses. The glass bottle has a sculpted silhouette, refined golden touches, and a black ribbon. “It includes a clear UV-protection spray to prevent any color change of the soft pink juice without compromising aesthetics, along with organic gold silk-screening on the front,” says Le Marre. 

Lightweighting, PCR Glass & Recyclable Decoration

In line with the eco-conscious movement, the fragrance brand Abel recently repackaged and relaunched its Radical Fragrance collection. Abel’s new formulas feature a 37% increase in parfum concentration, and its packaging is more sustainable.

Abel’s distinctive triangular-shape bottles are made with post-consumer recycled (PCR) glass. Biodegradable caps complete the design. “We’ve completely reimagined our packaging—to harness biodegradable and recyclable mono-materials, while localizing our supply chain to significantly reduce our environmental impact,” says Frances Shoemack, the brand’s founder. 

Is it becoming easier for fragrance brands to create luxurious bottles, while remaining committed to sustainability goals?

“Yes,” says SGD’s Chamlou, “because innovation has matured,” she explains. “Lightweight glass and high-clarity PCR glass are among the most effective sustainability levers,” she says. “Lightweighting—exemplified by our NOVA platform—is particularly valuable for refill systems, reducing material use, transport emissions, and overall carbon footprint,” she explains. 

SGD Pharma’s NOVA lightweight glass platform delivers up to a 20% weight reduction compared with conventional bottles—while maintaining clarity, robustness, and design freedom.

“A challenge is balancing lightweighting with mechanical resistance. Due to our experience in pharma packaging, we know how to optimize glass distribution to avoid weak points, ensuring performance during filling, transport, and consumer use,” Chamlou says. SGD Pharma’s Narrow Neck Press and Blow (NNPB) technology delivers bottles that combine exceptional mechanical performance, refined aesthetics, and measurable sustainability benefits.

‘Sustainability & Luxury Can Seamlessly Co-Exist’

Bormioli Luigi also specializes in lightweighting. The company says it can significantly reduce raw material usage and CO2 emissions by optimizing glass distribution to create bottles that are lighter, yet strong. The supplier says this molding ability often proves that sustainability and luxury can seamlessly coexist.

Bormioli Luigi collaborated with the House of Spoturno when François Spoturno’s (aka Francois Coty’s) great-granddaughter, Véronique Spoturno, reached out to the supplier, asking the company to produce a lightweight 60ml bottle that looked sophisticated look and feel. The bottle design, by Pierre & Jules Dinand, is shown above. It pays homage to 1920s aesthetics.

The team at Bormioli Luigi produced a bottle for House of Spoturno in lightweight glass with defined angles and fine, even walls. The bottle has a chiseled structure that “plays beautifully with the light,” the supplier states. Achieving this shape was a challenge, the team at Bormioli Luigi explains. The supplier had to ensure optimal sturdiness despite the bottle’s reduced glass weight.

Complying with New Packaging Regulations

Regarding eco-friendly deco, Baralan prints custom-embossed designs directly on glass with its innovative 3D decorating technique.

“This decoration enhances a bottle’s depth and tactility without additional materials, so the glass maintains full recyclability,” says Ficcadenti. “This will help brands adapt to meet newly defined sustainability standards, such as the new PPWR regulation,” he explains.

PPWR is the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, published in January 2025. It requires all packaging to be reduced to the minimum necessary weight and volume by January 1, 2030.

The new waste reduction goals focus on weight, but since it’s not material-specific, it may be problematic for glass packaging. FEVE, the European Container Glass Federation, says the new legislation is concerning because it provides incentives for brands to switch from heavier glass to lighter materials, such as plastic, which is more difficult to recycle and reuse. FEVE critiqued part of the new regulation in a letter to EU leaders.

A Growing Interest in Refillable Fragrance Bottles

Refillable packaging is gaining momentum, experts say, including refillable bottles for fragrances. “Sustainability expectations, an evolving regulatory landscape, and a growing consumer desire for responsible luxury is driving this demand,” says ELC’s Moharita.

“While challenges exist—such as engineering leak-proof refill systems, maintaining a seamless aesthetic, and adapting retail environments—the solutions are improving quickly,” he says. Choosing a refillable fragrance bottle means working with suppliers to plan every step of the refill process for the consumer,” he advises.

Many suppliers agree that refillable fragrances might soon become the norm in the fragrance industry. “We’re seeing more requests for refillable packaging than ever before,” says ABA Packaging’s Cook. “Educating consumers is the challenge for brands, while the challenge for us is developing intuitive designs that function well, with elevated aesthetics,” she says.

Related: Beauty Shifts Into ‘Refill 2.0’

Cook says the industry’s shift away from traditional 15 FEA crimp finishes, which are challenging to separate, to threaded neck bottle designs, is an exciting development. “When fragrance bottles are easier to disassemble, they’re more compatible with both recycling streams and refill-and-reuse programs,” she says. ABA offers a range of refill-ready glass packaging solutions for fragrances, including bottles, pumps, and closures engineered for easy refilling. 

Coverpla offers a refillable fragrance bottle with a threaded neck, called Gala. “Our Gala bottle is a stunning example of luxury design. It has clean lines, a substantial weight, and a screw-on neck,” says Orlowicz.

More Innovative Refillable Bottle Designs

Many of Verescence’s newest bottles have screw-on neck finishes, including the refillable version of its ATOM bottle. Its lightweight Celeste and Tango bottles are ideal for fragrance refills. “Our bottles are designed to support circular economy principles,” says Le Marre.

Bormioli Luigi’s team says there is a “massive shift” toward refillable fragrances, as brands increasingly move away from disposable formats—and screw-neck bottles are becoming a frequent request.

Bormioli Luigi’s interchangeable neck technology is an innovative solution that enables different neck sizes to fit onto the same glass bottle. It’s a game-changer, the company says, because brands can transition to refillable packaging without having to develop new molds. This solution makes it easy to keep with one unified design for both fragrance and cosmetic lines.

SGD Pharma’s Chamlou also sees growing interest in refillable fragrance bottles. “Sustainability has become central to brand strategy, so more brands are investing in refillable fragrance concepts,” she says. “There are challenges, such as system compatibility, consumer behavior, and maintaining a seamless luxury experience,” she explains. “Refillable fragrance formats require robust glass design, precise neck finishes, and long-term durability—areas where our pharma heritage provides a clear advantage,” she says.

Aluminum Bottles for Fragrance Refills

ABA’s Cook suggests brands consider choosing ABA’s lightweight aluminum bottles for packaging fragrance refills. “Many brands want to move toward lighter, eco-conscious components, but they’re not willing to sacrifice the luxury feel of a heavyweight glass bottle for a fragrance,” says Cook.

The solution, Cook suggests, is for brands to create a luxurious heavyweight glass bottle for a fragrance, which the consumer will buy once, and then refill.

“Our lightweight aluminum bottles for fragrance refills bridges that gap, between luxury and sustainability,” says Cook. Paired with a specialized closure, the aluminum bottle allows consumers to easily refill a glass fragrance bottle at home, without spilling a drop. “It’s a functional, elegant way for brands to embrace refillable concepts without compromising the luxury experience fragrance consumers expect,” she explains. 

Looking Ahead—What’s Next?

Suppliers say we’ll continue to see more innovation in bottle designs that are also more eco-conscious. “Our objective is to deliver solutions that integrate aesthetics, innovation, and sustainability—the three pillars guiding the future of primary packaging,” says Baralan’s Ficcadenti. “Whether the request involves a customized bottle shape, a distinctive decorative finish, or a sustainability-driven proposal, clients choose us for our proven reliability and design-driven approach.”

ABA Packaging’s Cook agrees, and says, “Sustainability will continue to drive innovation in fragrance packaging—and this direction will continue into the future.”

PGP’s Mohanty adds, “Sustainability will drive our future goals in manufacturing—and the goals of the entire fragrance industry.”

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