UNBOXING THE POWER OF PR

Unboxing is the new billboard.” In an age where a10-second reel can make a product sell out overnight, beauty brands have mastered a new language of marketing ,one that doesn’t simply speak, but sparkles, slides, pops, and unfolds. And at the center of this strategy are PR packages: glossy, theatrical boxes that deliver more than just makeup. They deliver experiences - moments of delight designed to go viral.

The global beauty and personal care market is enormous ,expected to reach USD 716.6 billion by 2025. In such a crowded space, brands aren’t just competing on formulas or discounts , they’re competing for attention. And PR packages have emerged as some of the most powerful tools in their marketing arsenals.

One of the biggest levers in this strategy is psychology. The unboxing process - the suspense, the layers, the reveal ,stimulates anticipation. Neuroscience suggests that the act of opening a package triggers reward centers in the brain, making the consumer feel good even before trying the product. Beauty brands deliberately design these packages to maximize that high,turning receiving into a mini emotional event.

It’s not an afterthought. The journey is the product.

Consider Maybelline’s Bubble Mascara PR kit. Instead of just mailing mascara, they sent creators a whimsical bubble-themed package, complete with floating orbs, bubbly textures, and playful design. That clever tie-in with the product’s concept resulted in dozens of unboxing videos - TikToks, Instagram Reels, YouTube clips ,all generating organic buzz for Maybelline.

And it’s not just Maybelline. Campaigns from big players like Huda Beauty (immersive light-up boxes) and Benefit (miniature dioramas) show that brands are investing in PR as content-first moments, not just sample drops.

The financial ripple of this is real. Around 80% of beauty brands invest in influencer marketing. According to beauty marketing research, influencer collaborations in this space often yield a return on investment up to 11× compared to traditional advertising. Beauty consumers are deeply social: 72% say social media recommendations influence their purchase decisions, and 60% of beauty purchases are influenced by social media in general.  All of this makes the unboxing content created by influencers sparked by eye-catching PR packages ,extraordinarily valuable.

Take the marketing reach of a major campaign: L’Oréal’s “Walk Your Worth” runway-tie-in campaign generated $58.8 million in earned media value (EMV) via Instagram influencers alone.  And according to influencer analytics, Maybelline also ranks high: in 2024, Maybelline received 435K VIT (a metric combining visibility, engagement, and trust) from influencer content.

These are not small wins -they are conversations, impressions, and trust built at scale.

But this creativity comes with real cost. Designing and producing such thoughtful, multi-layered packages isn’t cheap. Some brands spend heavily on materials, custom inserts, interactive elements, and even lighting. Yet many indie or smaller brands are finding clever ways to keep their packages meaningful without breaking the bank: zines, handwritten notes, fold-outs, or minimal but smartly designed kits.

What matters is not how big or expensive the box is, but how thoughtful the idea.

Let’s zoom out for a moment. Why does this matter so much? Because PR packaging reflects a broader shift in how people consume beauty. In 2025, the G20 beauty & personal care market alone is expected to generate US$ 423.8 billion in revenue, with online sales contributing 42.9% of that total. That’s not just product-first economics -it’s experience-first economics.

But there are trade-offs. Over-designed mailers contribute to waste. Some creators admit they receive so many PR boxes that a portion ends up unused or discarded. If every brand jumps on the viral unboxing bandwagon, the novelty might fade and audiences may grow skeptical of gimmicks.

Creative marketing can win attention. But without substance, attention fades fast.

So, what’s next for beauty PR?

The smartest brands will use PR not just as a spectacle, but as part of their brand story: aligning the box experience with their identity, making it meaningful, and crucially thinking about sustainability.

Because at its core, a PR package isn’t just cardboard and ribbons. It’s about crafting an emotion- delight, surprise, curiosity and turning it into conversation.

In a world where attention is the most valuable currency, beauty brands have learned to design experiences people don’t just unbox… they remember.