By Dianna Brodine, vice president, editorial, Plastics Decorating
Beauty markets traditionally have served as creative frontiers for packaging and container decoration. With products competing for consumer attention on the shelf, brands use clever design and precision print to put their best foot – or, in this case, paw – forward.
The pet cosmetics market – which includes shampoos, conditioners, perfumes and skin-care items – was valued at $2.2 billion in 2025, and is projected to reach $3.9 billion by 2035, according to research group Future Market Insights, Inc. “The pet cosmetics market is expanding rapidly due to rising pet humanization trends, increased awareness regarding pet hygiene, and a surge in premium grooming services,” the report explained. “Social media influence, brand endorsements, and growing participation in pet shows also have played a role in boosting product visibility and demand.”
Among this surge in pampered pet products, Proper Printers London was asked to produce 500 pieces in five days for Hera Beauty. “We produced a batch of 500 custom-printed 250 ml PET bottles across two designs – 250 shampoo bottles and 250 conditioner bottles for beauty products specially designed for dogs,” said Emma-Jane Bloxham, business development manager, Proper Goose.
Dog Shampoo Design Plays Catch with Consumer Attention
Specializing in direct-to-surface printing, Proper Printers London offers digital cylindrical printing, flatbed printing, screen printing, engraving or hot foiling. Based in Surrey, UK, the trade printing company utilizes its expertise to provide premium printing services on plastic, metal, wood, ceramics and more for its customers’ products.
The Love Boo shampoo and conditioner was produced for a Hera Beauty customer. There were two designs, which were both simple and clean, featuring an illustration of a playful dog, the brand’s logo, the product name, the product description and a full ingredients list. The graphics were created by Hera Beauty using AI.
“When a design includes this much important text, print clarity is absolutely essential, and that’s where our digital printing technology from Inkcups really shines,” said Bloxham. “Every detail was reproduced with crisp precision, ensuring the final product is eye-catching on the shelf, as well as easy for customers to read.”
Using its Helix® digital cylinder printer, a white layer was printed first, and then standard print using Inkcups’ Xflexx UV inks (manufactured to maintain image integrity on flexible items) completed the design.
The Helix® allows 360° full-color images to be printed directly onto a cylindrical object. With its all-digital, inkjet-based process, time-consuming prepress and screen-making steps are eliminated, making the machine ideal for small runs, such as the 500 prints needed for the dog shampoo and conditioner order.
After printing, each bottle was individually bagged to protect the artwork during transit, and the full order was securely packed and shipped to the client.
“The only challenge was matching exact Pantones and colors from a previous order that had been produced by a different printer,” said Bloxham.
With the pet care market poised to grow significantly over the next 10 years, Proper Printers is well-positioned to fill future orders for pampered pups.