Ergonomic make-up packaging which blends elegance and accessibility has won the top prize at this year’s Pentawards.
At the awards show in Amsterdam this weekend, New York-based studio Established won the Diamond Award for its work on Tilt Beauty, a project the studio says, “required us to rethink the way beauty products are packaged from the ground up.”
It’s the second time Established has scooped the top Pentwards prize, after winning the 2015 Diamond Award for its work on the Marc Jacobs Beauty range. Established was also named design agency of the year at Saturday’s ceremony.
Established’s work for Tilt Beauty
The brief for Tilt, was to create packaging that was, “accessible to those with various physical challenges, from chronic pain to low vision, but still be coveted by all.”
For people suffering with chronic pain, existing make-up packaging can be impossible to use. Established says consumers are forced to find hacky workarounds, using sticky tape or rubber bands, or they end up avoiding make-up altogether.
The primary packaging is coated with silicone, which along with the curvy shapes are designed to help people with lower grip strength. The mascara wand is shorter than standard, as research showed people whose hands shake struggle with the longer design, and the refill system is easy to replace with a simple push mechanism.
The casing includes magnets to reduce the force required to open and close the products. The secondary packaging has large tearable strips to make it easy to open, while text is set in the Braille Institute of America’s Atkinson Hyper-Legible font to make it easy to read. There are also Braille product descriptions.
Crucially, the team was determined not to sacrifice aesthetics in a bid to make a more accessible product. “In creating Tilt, we wanted to make products that were both ‘seriously comfy’ and beautiful to look at,” they explain. “The vegan, cruelty-free makeup is easy to open, hold, read and apply, and the packaging is bold, playful and gorgeous.”
Established’s work for Tilt Beauty
The packaging is the first make-up line to get an Ease of Use certification from the Arthritis Foundation, with whom the designers collaborated on the project.
“This project really showcased the art of accessibility,” says Marc Powell, Unilever’s global accessibility centre of excellence lead, and one of the Pentwards judges.
“Not only does it feel stylish, desirable and modern, it’s just really cool that accessibility and inclusive design have been embedded into this product from start to end.”
And Established co-founder Sam O’Donahue said it was “an incredible honour” to win the top prize for the second time.
“Creating Tilt Beauty has been a labour of love and one of the most important projects we have taken on in the past 20 years,” he said. “We hope that its pioneering approach to making beauty accessible will have ripple effects throughout the industry.”
This year’s platinum winners recognised an eclectic mix of projects across the different categories.
Beverages
Diageo’s Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ultra – the lightest 70cl whisky bottle ever made – topped the beverages category.
Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ultra by Johnnie Walker
“This design does more than trim weight: it redefines what luxury in spirits packaging can mean. For decades, heft has been equated with prestige, but Blue Label Ultra proves that true refinement lies in balance; elegance without excess – a bold statement for the premium drinks sector.”
Food
Spain’s Simple Packaging Studio won platinum in the food category for its work on Pueblo charcuterie. The studio was also named best newcomer.
Simple Packaging Studio’s designs for Pueblo cold meats
“Inspired by the cultural resonance of Spanish village life, the design elevates what was once seen as humble or provincial into a point of pride. Pueblo is a design manifesto that restores dignity to ‘village’ origins and reconnects consumers with provenance through clarity and simplicity.”
Body, health and beauty
The eye-catching perfume packaging for L’ENTROPISTE by French studio Centdegres took platinum in the body, health and beauty category.
L’ENTROPISTE – Master of Disorder by Centdegres
“Centdegres imagined a radical fragrance house that celebrates chaos as its creative currency, producing a visual and structural identity that fractures traditional perfumery tropes.
“Every detail works to destabilise expectations: from layered, deconstructed graphics to asymmetry that suggests both disorder and liberation.”
Brand identity and connected packaging
The top award for brand identity and connected packaging went to the Stella McCartney x Veuve Cliquot collaboration.
Stella McCartney x Veuve Clicquot by Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin
“The identity centres on a next-gen, 100% vegan leather made from grape stems, translating vineyard by-products into a premium tactile signature. It’s a statement of values as much as aesthetics: craftsmanship, circularity, and brand storytelling aligned in one confidently modern system.”
Home, leisure and other markets
Zenpack’s Dwell Dripper for Verve Coffee Roasters won platinum in the home, leisure and other markets category.
Zenpack’s Dwell Dripper for Verve Coffee Roasters
“Designed to travel as well as it brews, the Dwell Dripper’s packaging takes cues from paper-bag lunches and accessory bags to create a friendly, take-anywhere unboxing.
“A single-part dieline streamlines production and reduces waste, while the range launches in seven colours with a matching coffee scoop engineered as an extension of the brewer itself – mirroring its angles and radii for a cohesive, durable, and easy-to-use system.”
Professional concepts
Italian studio Gentlebrand won the professional concepts platinum award for AVANCE, its limited-edition perfume collections inspired by a chess set.
Gentlebrand’s limited edition chess-inspired perfume design for AVANCE
“The concept translates strategy and symbolism into form and finish, giving each fragrance a distinctive presence while inviting the wearer into a more enigmatic, cerebral world of scent – a visual and tactile code for decoding emotion.”
Sustainable design
London-based Shellworks won the sustainable design award for its Vivomer Dropper – a “home-compostable” version of the cosmetics staple that, “performs like plastic in use but breaks down within 52 weeks, leaving no trace.”
‘Not only was this project considering innovation, end of life and a full packaging scale, it was really looking at a groundbreaking innovative way to penetrate an already saturated market,” says Pentawards judge and sustainability expert Sebba Alqetrani.
“It’s changing the way we look at consumption, it’s changing the way consumers look at usage and how we package products.”
Next-Gen award
Glasgow-based designer Morgan Hastie, aka The Logo Lassie, won the next-gen award for her Calentón Hot Sauce concept, while University of the Arts London was named educator of the year.
Calentón Hot Sauce by The Logo Lassie
Adam Ryan, head of Pentawards, said this diverse year’s winners show the power of great packaging design.
“What shines through this year is how packaging design touches lives – whether by making beauty more accessible, cutting waste in everyday products, or telling cultural stories through design,” he said.
“It’s proof that innovation can be practical, responsible and visually unforgettable.”