The conversation around connected packaging has shifted. A year ago, many brands were watching and waiting; curious, but cautious. That hesitancy is dissolving fast. With GS1’s Sunrise 2027 deadline requiring all checkout systems to be able to read QR codes, brands across every CPG category are moving from concept to execution. The question is no longer whether to adopt connected packaging, but how and for cosmetics, the timing could not be more important.
At Paris Packaging Week and Cosmoprof this year, the overarching theme was transition: connected packaging moving from experimental to essential. The Digital Product Passport was the defining topic of both shows. Brands are converging on a single, unified QR code that satisfies regulatory requirements – traceability, recyclability, ingredient transparency – while simultaneously opening a direct channel to the consumer.
The QR code itself has evolved aesthetically too. What was once tucked awkwardly into a corner is now integrated into the packaging design. Omnipresence has become the standard.
The numbers are catching up with the opportunity too. According to the 2026 Global Connected Packaging Survey, 81.2% of brand professionals are actively using connected packaging, up from 72.6% in 2025, and 92.3% of industry professionals believe connected packaging will be increasingly important over the next 12 months and beyond. The category that stands to gain most from this shift is cosmetics.
Cosmetics: the category with the most to gain
Against this backdrop the cosmetics industry stands out, not for how far it has come, but for how much further it can go. Compared to beverage and dairy, which have led connected packaging adoption for years, the cosmetics sector remains in its early stages. But the interest among brands at Cosmoprof was striking. The foundations are there. What remains is the willingness to build on them.
The case for building is compelling, as cosmetics are inherently personal. Choosing the right product is not a passive decision; it touches skin, identity and self-perception. That intimacy creates a unique environment for connected packaging to deliver real value, in ways a standard label never could.
Consider the physical constraints alone. A lipstick, a serum, a concealer are products that offer minimal real estate for communication. Connected packaging removes that ceiling entirely. Through a single scan, a brand can deliver an immersive AR skin-care tutorial, a full ingredient breakdown, sustainability credentials for every component of the packaging and personalised product recommendations; all without a word appearing on the box itself.
The always-on expert
The AI chatbot is, from my perspective, the most significant near-term opportunity. Brands deploying their own AI-powered chat functionality on pack give consumers a 24/7, always-on expert. It can answer questions they would never feel comfortable raising with a store assistant. Questions about sensitive skin concerns, allergies and specific product interactions among others.
The brand retains complete control over what the chatbot communicates, ensuring the consumer experience stays on message. And every interaction generates data: what people are asking, when they scan and how long they engage.
That intelligence feeds directly back into marketing strategy, content development and product communications. In a post-third-party cookie landscape where first-party data is increasingly scarce and valuable, this is a meaningful structural advantage. In fact, connected packaging campaigns consistently achieve scan-to-engagement rates of 14% or more, compared to 0.1% for traditional digital advertising.
Sustainability & regulation accelerating the shift
Sustainability is another benefit of the cosmetics industry adopting connected packaging. Complex cosmetics packaging including glass jars, folding cartons, plastic pumps all pose genuine recycling challenge for consumers. Many people simply do not know which bin to use. Connected packaging can remove that uncertainty, directing people to local recycling facilities, refill stations or take-back schemes. This is not just a compliance solution; it is a trust-building mechanism.
The regulatory landscape is accelerating the shift regardless. The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation is reshaping how brands think about product data and digital disclosure. The Digital Product Passport, while still being finalised for cosmetics specifically, signals clearly where the direction of travel lies. Brands that build connected packaging infrastructure now will not scramble to retrofit it later.
And the cost of entry is lower than most assume. A static QR code is, in practical terms, a design swap from a standard barcode, there’s no significant increase in print cost. The investment lies in the digital experience behind it. That experience can be built incrementally, starting with one product or one campaign, then scaled as data and confidence grow.
The 2026 survey found that sustainability and recycling was cited as a key driver by 50.1% of connected packaging users, and for cosmetics, where ingredient transparency and environmental credentials are core to brand trust, that figure is likely higher.
The difference between compliance and leadership
The cosmetic brands that act now will gain something more durable than compliance. They will gain a direct relationship with the end consumer, one that lives on the bathroom shelf, available every time someone reaches for a product. In an industry built on loyalty, that relationship is worth more than any display ad.
The QR code was always going to land on cosmetics packaging. GS1 Sunrise 2027 will see to that. The only question is whether brands treat it as a compliance checkbox or as the most direct consumer relationship they have ever had access to. The difference between those two choices will define category leadership for the next decade.
