Custom Cosmetic Packaging

Lipstick Boxes

Lipstick Boxes built to your specification — your dimensions, your board, your print.

Minimum order
100 units
Production
3–5 business days
Construction
folding carton
Delivery
US, UK, Canada, Australia

No obligation

Ask for a quote

Name, email, phone and what you are packing and the finish you have in mind. Attach artwork if you have it. We reply with a specification and a written price, usually within one business day.

The more detail you give, the more accurate the quote.

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    What lipstick boxes have to cope with

    Lipstick Boxes hold a small, heavy metal or plastic bullet that is dense for its size. That is the starting point for the specification, because a slightly wider base or a shelf tray solves the stability problem that a tall narrow carton always has.

    In service they are used for beauty counters and retail shelves where units are displayed upright in rows.

    Presentation on the shelf

    Shelf presence is decided at arm's length, not close up. Contrast, the front panel hierarchy and how the pack sits next to competitors matter more than a finish that only reads in the hand.

    If lipstick boxes will be faced on a shelf, tell us the facing orientation so the strongest panel is the one the customer sees.

    Where lipstick boxes are actually used

    Lipstick Boxes are specified for beauty counters and retail shelves where units are displayed upright in rows. A slightly wider base or a shelf tray solves the stability problem that a tall narrow carton always has.

    • Beauty counters and retail shelves where units are displayed upright in rows
    • Shelf display in specialty retail
    • Subscription and gift sets
    • E-commerce inner packaging

    The substrate for lipstick boxes

    14pt to 16pt SBS. Nothing heavier is needed for the weight, but a lighter board makes a tall carton feel flimsy.

    The options we would consider for this format are below; a slightly wider base or a shelf tray solves the stability problem that a tall narrow carton always has.

    • 12pt SBS paperboard
    • 14pt SBS paperboard
    • 16pt SBS paperboard
    • 18pt kraft board
    • recycled CCNB board

    Printing lipstick boxes

    The narrow front panel is all a customer sees in a row of units. Design for a vertical strip, not a square.

    Offset lithography, Digital press, Flexography are all available for this format. Run length usually decides which is cheapest: digital removes the plate cost on short quantities, offset and flexo overtake it at volume.

    Finishing lipstick boxes

    The narrow front panel is all a customer sees in a row of units. Design for a vertical strip, not a square.

    Each finish below is a separate pass on the press or the finishing line, which is why they are quoted individually rather than bundled.

    • Gloss lamination
    • Matte lamination
    • Soft-touch lamination
    • Spot UV
    • Foil stamping
    • Embossing
    • Debossing
    • Aqueous coating

    Sizing lipstick boxes

    Tall and narrow, commonly 0.9 × 0.9 × 3.5 in, sized to the closed bullet including the cap.

    Send the contents rather than a box size. Sized to the bullet exactly, leaving a carton that cannot stand reliably on a shelf edge.

    Getting artwork press-ready

    Supply artwork on the dieline we send you, with 3 mm bleed past every trim edge and all text held 4 mm inside the fold lines.

    Supply a print-ready PDF or vector file with fonts outlined and images at 300 dpi. Our prepress team checks every file before a proof is issued. The check that catches most files is type sitting too close to a crease, which is easier to move at layout than at proof.

    From enquiry to delivery

    The useful starting point is the product, not the pack. Give us its measurements and the quantity, and we work the folding carton outward from there.

    You approve the quote, we send the dieline, prepress proofs it, and production follows. The proof stage is where changes are still free.

    Proofing before the run

    Foil, soft-touch and deboss all read differently in person than on a screen, so we recommend a printed prototype rather than a digital proof alone for anything finish-led.

    Sample costs are normally credited against the production order.

    Reference

    Lipstick Boxes at a specification level

    ProductLipstick Boxes
    CategoryCustom Cosmetic Packaging
    ConstructionDie-cut, creased and seam-glued
    Board thickness12pt – 18pt depending on product weight
    Ships asFlat-packed, glued one seam
    Materials12pt SBS paperboard, 14pt SBS paperboard, 16pt SBS paperboard, 18pt kraft board
    PrintingOffset lithography, Digital press, Flexography
    FinishesGloss lamination, Matte lamination, Soft-touch lamination, Spot UV, Foil stamping
    Minimum orderMinimum order is 100 units on any format, and unit cost falls sharply as the quantity rises.
    Lead time3 to 5 business days after artwork approval
    ShippingAcross the US, UK, Canada and Australia

    Specification builder

    Specify Lipstick Boxes in under a minute

    Set what you know, leave the rest. Everything here travels with your request, so nothing gets retyped.

    • 100-unit minimum
    • 3–5 day production
    • Free dieline
    • No obligation
    Approximation only — proportions, colour family and finish character. Not a colour proof, and the panel shown is a placeholder, not your artwork.
    Packaging type
    Box style
    Quantity
    Colour
    Material
    Printing
    Finish

    Drop files or browse

    Up to 5 files, 10 MB each.

      Prices start from $0.30 per piece for large-volume orders. Final pricing depends on size, material, printing, finishes, and quantity.

      In practice

      What you get with this format

      The dimensions that matter

      Tall and narrow, commonly 0.9 × 0.9 × 3.5 in, sized to the closed bullet including the cap.

      What tends to go wrong

      The carton topples on a shelf because the footprint is small relative to the height and the contents are bottom-heavy.

      Where it has to work

      Specified for beauty counters and retail shelves where units are displayed upright in rows.

      The detail that decides it

      A slightly wider base or a shelf tray solves the stability problem that a tall narrow carton always has.

      This format sits in our custom cosmetic packaging range, alongside 24 other made-to-order formats.

      Answers

      Lipstick Boxes: finish and presentation

      Specification, minimums and lead times for lipstick boxes.

      Why do my lipstick cartons fall over on the shelf?

      A tall narrow carton with a bottom-heavy product tips easily. Either widen the base slightly or display them in a shelf tray — sizing the carton exactly to the bullet is what creates the problem.

      How do I measure a bottle for its carton?

      At the widest point, which is frequently not the base, and including the cap or pump. Send us the actual container if you can — a measurement from a drawing misses flex and applied label thickness, and both decide whether lipstick boxes close cleanly.

      How much panel space do ingredient lists need?

      More than most brands allow for. Ingredient copy and any warnings compete directly with the design, and adding them late usually forces a reflow. We block the area on the dieline before you commit design time.

      Do lipstick boxes arrive flat or assembled?

      Flat and glued along one seam, so they pop open on your packing line. That keeps freight cost down considerably compared with a pre-assembled structure.

      What do lipstick boxes cost?

      Prices start from $0.30 per piece for large-volume orders. For this format the biggest levers are quantity, print route, board grade and how many finishing passes are involved. We quote each element separately so you can see where the money is going. Finishing passes are the lever buyers most often underestimate: each one is a separate run through the line.

      Can I see a sample first?

      Yes. We can send a plain unprinted sample so you can check the fit and structure, or a printed prototype for colour and finish. Sample costs are normally credited against the production order. Ask for the printed prototype rather than the plain sample if the question is finish — soft-touch, foil and deboss all read differently in the hand than on a screen.

      Can you match packaging we already use?

      Send the current specification or a physical sample and we will quote to match it rather than proposing an alternative you would then have to re-approve internally. A physical sample tells us more than a specification sheet — board caliper and coating are usually described loosely and measured exactly.

      Where do you deliver?

      All 50 US states, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, on the same timeline everywhere: 3 to 5 business days of production after artwork approval, then 5 to 7 business days in transit. Every run is made to order and shipped directly to your address rather than pulled from stock, so you receive current production rather than whatever has been sitting in a warehouse. Freight is costed separately by weight, volume and destination. Tell us at quoting if the delivery point cannot take a pallet, and we will break the consignment into cartons instead.

      Can I order lipstick boxes in a custom size?

      Every run is cut to your dimensions — there are no stock sizes here. Send the product measurements rather than a box size and we will build the folding carton around them, then send a dieline template you can design onto.

      What happens after I approve the quote?

      We issue a dieline template sized to your product, prepress checks your artwork against it, and a proof comes back for sign-off. Nothing runs until you approve that proof, and folding cartons then take 3 to 5 business days.

      Can you hold the specification for repeat orders?

      Yes. Once a first run is approved we hold the board, structure, dimensions, print method and finishes against your account, so a reorder references the same specification exactly rather than being re-derived. That includes the ink formulation, which is what keeps a brand colour consistent between runs rather than drifting a shade each time.

      Do you offer recycled or recyclable options?

      Recycled grades are available across most of the substrates we run for folding cartons. Recycled content, kerbside recyclability and certified compostability are three different claims though, so tell us which one you intend to print.

      Next step

      Start on Lipstick Boxes

      Send the dimensions, the quantity and the finish you want. We reply with a full specification and a written price, usually within one business day.