10 packaging trends to hitch your wagon to in 2025

With so many different packaging trends (requirements?) pulling you in a gazillion directions, do you ever wish you could go back to the days when your only options were glass bottles, wooden boxes, and tin cans?

The pressure to make a splash with the latest CPG packaging innovation is real. Companies are going viral for their cool-looking, functional, sustainable, “how-the-heck-did-they-come-up-with-that” packaging…and then everyone else feels like they have to incorporate the new idea ASAP.

But if you forget about the pressure for a moment, it’s actually a pretty amazing time to be in the packaging business. Whether you’re looking to catch customers’ eyes on the shelves, delight them with hidden messages, or reassure them that the contents are completely fresh, you’ve got options.

From sustainable packaging to aesthetics, here are some exciting new CPG packaging trends to look out for in 2025 (and maybe try to emulate).

Packaging trends that attract

Looking good on the shelves is like Odysseus encountering Polyphemus the Cyclops—it’s your first make-or-break challenge. If you fail, your head will get bitten off (figuratively, we hope).

But what actually looks good? There’s a close connection between societal trends and what’s considered attractive for CPG packaging. You can buck the trends if it really makes sense for your brand, but it’s still crucial to understand what’s driving them.   

1. Minimalist designs with natural-looking materials

People are feeling overburdened, our attention spans are diminishing, and we’ve been told that all sorts of forever chemicals are poisoning us slowly. Rather than trying to sink its claws into our flagging attention, a minimalist packaging design soothes the soul with its simplicity.

Having a “natural” or “artisanal” look using materials like kraft paper, honeycomb wrapping paper, and even wood can catch the eco-conscious customer’s eye. Matte finishes often jibe well with the sustainability trend by adding a muted, handcrafted look.

Minimalism encompasses your messaging too, as it forces you to avoid bombarding the viewer with claims. (When you have to pick carefully, claims testing becomes even more vital.)

2. Designs that go for the “cool factor”

Just because some people are seeking balance and simplicity, that doesn’t mean you can’t find success with a loud, in-your-face design. If your packaging makes people feel awesome when they carry it around, then they’ll buy it—partly just to carry it around.

There’s no better example of this than Liquid Death, a brand that sells canned water with a punk-rock-themed sweating skull design. The founder, Mike Cessario, is now being hailed as a marketing genius for “making water cool.”

Canned water brand Liquid Death managed to do the impossible: Make plain old water appealing to metalheads and punk rockers with its bold packaging design. Image source: MarketingWeek

Packaging trends that delight

Once you’ve managed to catch someone’s eye on the shelves, and they’ve made a purchase, you have an opportunity to give them a very special user experience—not just with your product, but also with your packaging.

You can make your packaging extra easy to use by anticipating needs that even your customers hadn’t thought of, and you can add some unexpected charm to make them smile.

3. Single-serve portions that give the consumer more agency

This may seem to fly in the face of sustainability, but it could actually end up wasting less. Why? Because customers won’t throw as much away! Single-serve portions let people take just what they need for the day, and the individual sealings lengthen shelf life.

Think about the last time you bought a giant pack of something refrigerated, and half of it spoiled because you didn’t really need that much. Had you bought smaller portions, you would have wasted less, and you would have felt better about yourself too.

4. Specialized dispensers for beauty and household products

Until recently, the design opportunity for dispensers has been woefully overlooked. But that’s changed! From boxed wines with spouts (which, if you didn’t know, actually stay fresh longer after opening) to functional beverages that shoot vitamins into the drink when the cap is turned, dispenser designers’ creative juices have really been flowing lately.

Touchland’s Power Mist is a great example of how personal care products are innovating form and improving function to achieve success–as evidenced by their recent acquisition by Church & Dwight

All this creativity has resulted in forecasts that the global pump and dispenser market will likely rise from $9.7 billion this year to $14.8 billion by 2035 (a CAGR of 4.3%).

5. Multisensory packaging that enhances the unboxing experience 

Customers aren’t looking just for a product. In the world of bath bombs, perfume, and the like, they’re looking for an experience—or even a whole new lifestyle.

Multisensory packaging is one of 2025’s CPG industry trends that turn mere products into experiences, and you can do this in a myriad of ways. Add a whiff of perfume to your tissue paper, design your cap to produce a distinctive click when opened, or incorporate multiple different textures on your boxes … really, sky’s the limit here.

6. QR codes to inform consumers or offer rewards  

Trying to add some finger-food recipes that won’t fit on your cracker box? Or an invitation to join your loyalty program? Simple—just put a QR code on your packaging!

Really, these codes can do whatever you want them to, and they can go almost anywhere, so it’s no surprise that they’re one of the most visible CPG packaging trends of recent years. You can put them on the interior wrapping paper of your e-commerce delivery, on a small card placed inside the box, or under the cap of your juice bottle.

QR Codes for beauty brands form a bridge between the physical and digital experiences and streamline processes in a frictionless manner. (Image source: Uniqode)

Packaging trends that reassure

From knowing that their food is clean and fresh to verifying that their favorite brand isn’t wasting resources, consumers are looking for reassurance.

Your product packaging is your best tool for demonstrating that you’re a brand people can rely on. This is in part because it’s the first thing people see. If you’re claiming to use less plastic than other brands, that can be verified at a glance.

7. Using unexpected biodegradable packaging materials

One theme that keeps marching on throughout the CPG industry is that consumers really, really do care about the environment. Especially when it comes to plastic waste. NOBODY likes the thought of microplastics getting lodged in their brains for the rest of their (possibly shortened) lives.

Thankfully, the materials scientists have NOT been disappointing this decade. Plant-based packaging is burgeoning, with bioplastics and other sustainable packaging options made from mushrooms, bamboo, sugarcane, cornstarch, and even seaweed now taking the place of petroleum-based plastics.

8. Making the packaging easier to reuse or recycle

For every person who carefully reads and memorizes recycling charts to know what’s recyclable and what’s not, there’s someone who either doesn’t recycle, or who simply recycles everything that isn’t food … just because it’s all too much sometimes.

Your brand can save recyclers this headache by shifting to mono-material packaging, which gets rid of the layering that instantly disqualifies something from being recycled. Even better, you could go full-on circular economy and make your containers cleanable and refillable.

Ready-to-drink coffee and oat milk company Minor Figures has a strong commitment to sustainability that includes eliminating all single-use plastic from its shipping packaging. (Image source: Minor Figures on LinkedIn)

9. Using less packaging material overall  

Otherwise known as “lightweighting” or “material optimization,” cutting down on your packaging material gives you the best of both worlds: You get to pay less for the materials you use, and you can boast that you’re using less material. It just might take some creativity in your design and some thorough testing.

As a bonus, you’ll also reduce energy consumption, since there will be less raw materials to source and less fuel required to transport your goods (since everything weighs a lot less).

10.  New (and exciting) ways to keep things fresh!

Another area where the scientists are not disappointing. You can now add antimicrobial barriers, layers that absorb things like moisture and ethylene, and even small pods that release mold-inhibiting compounds.

It’s never pleasant to purchase a large bag of greens or a carton of berries and find that some of them are already going bad, and yet this happens all the time. Solutions like modified atmosphere packaging, which involves controlling the levels of certain gases and excess moisture that could lead to spoilage, can make you stand out as a reliably fresh brand. Ethylene, for example, is a gas released by fruits that are ripening, and it can encourage other fruits around to ripen even faster. That’s why ethylene is a common target for absorption in modified atmosphere packaging.  

Go the extra mile by incorporating specialized indicators that tell your purchasers when there’s a change in temperature or quality. You can sense spoilage-associated compounds like volatile amines, carbon dioxide, and acetaldehyde. New research is happening every year, with bioactive chitosan films showing promise for preventing oxidation and tamping down on bacterial and fungal growth.

A world of packaging inspiration—and it’s all just getting started

Whether you’re into the artsy stuff or the science and tech stuff, there’s plenty to draw inspiration from. These ten CPG packaging trends are just a sampling of all the exciting developments that are happening right now.

And remember, whatever direction you decide to go in, we’re here for you at Highlight to help you test how well your new design resonates with your buyers!