Case Study: Major Beauty Brand Company achieves rapid, consumer-validated packaging optimization with GutCheck

How One Beauty Expert Used Agile Research to Screen & Refine New Packaging for Cosmetics

A leading beauty brand engaged GutCheck to evaluate multiple new cosmetics packaging line-ups under a tight timeline. The team needed to understand which designs would perform best on key metrics (purchase intent, appeal, uniqueness, fit with brand) and—critically—why those results occurred, so they ran both quantitative and qualitative research simultaneously to avoid the common pitfall of relying solely on surveys.

GutCheck ran a 1,000‑respondent quantitative monadic study alongside two agile online qualitative groups (2×40) to screen and refine options. While the quant results flagged a visually appealing, unique package, the qual work uncovered a fatal usability issue: consumers couldn’t easily find their shade. Actionable recommendations—more visible logo placement, adjustments to lid shapes, and showing more of the product—enabled quick refinements that prevented a potential launch failure and delivered confident, implementable insights.