Stora Enso introduces robust folding boxboard for beauty and personal care packaging

FINLAND – Paper-based packaging manufacturer Stora Enso has expanded its Performa portfolio with the launch of Performa Lumi, a lightweight folding boxboard (FBB) designed to meet the durability, visual and performance demands of beauty, personal care and healthcare packaging.

Performa Lumi is produced using Stora Enso’s FiberLight technology, which enables lightweight structures without compromising strength.

According to the company, the new grade is aimed at brand owners seeking a premium appearance with simplified material selection across multiple end-use applications.

“Performa Lumi is designed for brands that want a premium appearance without unnecessary complexity,” said Kati Ekman, head of product line FBB at Stora Enso.

“For brand owners, that means one board solution that can cover multiple end-uses, from beauty to personal care and beyond, with reliable results.”

The board is chemi-thermomechanical pulp (CTMP) coated on both sides, delivering a smooth, white surface with strong printing performance.

Stora Enso notes that this makes the material suitable for high-quality graphics and finishing techniques that are increasingly important in competitive beauty and personal care categories, where shelf appeal plays a critical role.

Performa Lumi has been developed to withstand stresses during printing and conversion, supporting applications that involve heavier products such as creams, lotions and fragrance bottles.

The company says this robustness helps maintain pack integrity throughout the supply chain, from production and transport to retail display and consumer handling.

The new FBB grade is produced on Stora Enso’s recently commissioned packaging board line in Oulu, Finland, and complements the existing Performa Nova offering.

Together, the products strengthen Stora Enso’s position in premium paperboard packaging as brand owners continue to shift away from plastics towards fibre-based solutions with strong performance credentials.

Packaging for beauty, personal care and healthcare products increasingly needs to balance protection, aesthetics and sustainability, while also supporting a distinctive unboxing experience.

Lightweighting, material efficiency and recyclability are becoming key considerations, particularly as regulations and consumer expectations evolve.

Recent industry developments reflect this broader trend. France-based Act Beauty has introduced an on-the-go, refillable perfume spray bottle range made from glass and metal, targeting durability and reuse in luxury fragrance applications.

Meanwhile, Saica Group has supplied Unilever with a paper-based grouping band for Axe deodorant multipacks, using high-performance paper engineered for mechanical strength during transport.

With Performa Lumi, Stora Enso is positioning fibre-based folding boxboard as a versatile solution capable of meeting both premium brand requirements and practical performance needs, reinforcing paperboard’s role in the next generation of personal care and beauty packaging.

Subscribe to our email newsletters that provide busy executives like you with the latest news insights and trends from Africa and the World. SUBSCRIBE HERE