18 retail startups that are using psychology, sustainability, and the internet age to reinvent how they package their products

Act+Acre's special cold-processing technology captures the full potency of active ingredients, leaving your hair smooth, shiny, and conditioned in less time and with less product. Cofounder Colm Mackin says, "We wanted Act+Acre to be a role model in the category...[to] signal an elevated yet democratic design. Although our products may seem designed purely for aesthetic, function for everyone was our North Star."

The haircare startup consulted with inclusivity activist Sinead Burke among other experts to create bottles with oft-overlooked details, including a round shape and shorter size that people who don't have full range of motion can still grip, as well as a soft-touch cap coating that can be easily opened, even with one hand.

Hungryroot knows that if you open your fridge and are greeted by bright pops of color, you'll be more likely to want to make and eat its healthy foods. It sends the components to make delicious, nutrient-dense dishes like Salmon Brussels Grain Bowls and Pad Thai Fried Rice in packaging that's all recyclable.

While all the traditionally giftable candles tend towards the clean, minimalist, and maybe a little haughty, Otherland (and its Disney-esque logotype) isn't afraid to translate luxury and fantasy into something dreamy, artistic, and adventurous.

It's a beautiful way to package creative scents like Chandelier (champagne, saffron, leather) and Ruby Root (sugarbeets, grass, ginger), which can be bought individually or put together in a three-pack. When you gift a candle, you can select from a variety of messages to adorn the matchbox.

Rarely will a dessert as decadent as ice cream display its calorie information prominently, but when your name is Halo Top and you're making entire pints of ice cream with less than 400 calories, of course you'll be proud to put those numbers up front. Its golden "halo" lids hint at the richness of these healthy-ish ice creams, of which you'll devour the whole container without a second thought.

Wildist's unexpected combinations of effective natural ingredients ("nighttime" toothpaste containing activated charcoal and chamomile, for example) inspired the whimsical packaging design of its toothpaste and natural deodorant.

Creative director Erin Rommel wanted the style "to feel lush and green and fresh, but also to have a little bit of the dark, mysterious side." She explained, "It's not exactly the same aesthetic that our audience has come to associate with modern, online-first brands and there's a risk in that, but it was a risk we were willing to take. We want Wildist to be a brand that outlives current trends."

Rather than sell you cleaning products that are half water, Branch Basics gives you the multi-purpose concentrated cleaner and the empty, reusable, and refillable bottles to "make" your own safe and natural cleaners at home. Depending on the type of surface you intend to clean, you add a different amount of water and concentrate, so you waste less money and resources buying one-use plastic bottles.

This canned wine company might be called The Drop, but don't worry if you actually drop your red, white, or rosé — it has a handy and secure lock top to prevent spills and leaks. Wherever your party takes you, your can (which equals 1.5 glasses of wine) can travel right along with you. Its Summer Can Club three-month subscription option lets you customize your own 24-pack for just $66 each month.

You can tell just by looking at most kids breakfast cereals that they're not good for you. Shift your eyes over, however, and you have a row of brands with way too many mentions of bran and fiber to taste good. Magic Spoon is a healthy breakfast cereal that gives you the best of all the worlds: It's low-carb and gluten-free, with 12 grams of protein per serving; it tastes sweet and delicious, like the cereals you grew up eating; and you won't have to miss out on the fun characters and colorful boxes.

Tuft & Needle's comfortable and supportive mattresses are made with adaptive foam to offer pressure relief no matter what position you sleep in. But it's not just the mattress that should be great. The company's whole mission is to make shopping for a mattress painless, all the way down to the packaging.

Tuft & Needle head of product experience Mike Fretto says the mission "informs simple things such as testing [the] orientation of box-handle holes to improve mobility, and it influences experimentation with improved mattress box constructions to make unboxing our product easier."

Like many other online mattresses, Tuft & Needle's comes compressed and rolled up in a box. This "giant burrito" of a packaging solution allows the mattress to be shipped more efficiently without negatively impacting its performance.

To ensure its vitamins stay fresh and protected, personalized health startup Care/of covers its daily packs with moisture- and oxygen-resistant film. Until recently, this film wasn't made from renewable ingredients, but as of April 2019, the now-compostable film is made from wood pulp and a fermented blend of corn, cassava root, and sugarcane.

They'll disintegrate within 84 days in a municipal or institutional composting facility, so you can take your convenient daily dose of vitamins and supplements guilt-free.

Glossier's Cloud Paint is as light and pillowy as its name suggests. As you squeeze the gel-cream color out of its paint tube container and dab it on your cheeks, you can't help but feel like an artist bringing out your best features. Packaged similarly, the cult-favorite Balm Dotcom also elevates a simple multipurpose balm into something special.

As a small company in 2014 with a limited media budget, Oatly made its packaging its main advertising space, and with great success. Many people instantly spot its blue, brown, and gray containers and playful font peeking out of the fridge of their local coffee shop and breathe a sigh of relief that the precious oat milk is available. The clean packaging reflects the healthy, pure ingredients of the milk, while the spunky illustrations and copy hint that this is no ordinary milk.

Despite the beauty lying within, many flower and plant delivery boxes look plain and don't tell much about their contents. UrbanStems, with its floral print gift tote for customers in NYC and DC, is a notable exception. The pretty package even has ribbon handles for easy transport on sidewalks and subway cars. For all other deliveries nationwide, the bouquet comes in a light pink floral print box that keeps the precious cargo protected during transit.

Unilever brand The Right to Shower, which is donating 100% of its profits to mobile shower initiatives in 2019, conveys its mission-driven business prominently on its labels through its product names and iconography. The names — Dignity, Hope, Joy, and Strength — reflect the power of a simple shower and what it hopes to bring to hundreds of thousands of homeless Americans with each purchase. In addition, the bottles are made from 100% recycled plastic.

To get over your dread of repainting your house, shop at Clare, whose design strives to associate joy with painting. Founder Nicole Gibbons says, "It was important that every packaging touch point felt thoughtful and special. From our fun 'Hey hue' envelope that our swatches arrive in, to the bright shipping boxes for our paint, and even our collateral, every package our customers receive feels like a bundle of joy arriving at their doorstep."

On its site, you won't be scrolling for days trying to find the perfect color, and its paint bucket labels are free from unnecessary info, just like the paint is free from unnecessary chemicals and harmful ingredients.

You'll be hard-pressed to miss this bright yellow brand sitting on your bathroom counter. Regardless of your gender and skin type, Asarai is a brand that will make you smile. The 1% for the Planet company only makes six products created with Aussie botanicals, plus a turn key that clamps onto tubes so you don't waste a single bit of its powerful detoxifying mask or its gentle cleanser.

There's not a bottle in sight in eco-friendly brand Ethique's line of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. Instead, these daily personal care products are made in solid bar form (and with a host of powerful natural ingredients) as a solution to the 80 billion plastic shampoo and conditioner bottles thrown away globally each year. The boxes they come in are made from biodegradable ingredients.