Visiting a store this week, I saw the first real sign of spring in FMCG: BBQ displays are back.
But something specific here caught my attention.
We are witnessing a shift from family-size formats to single-occasion packaging.
Think about a typical BBQ setup:
- paper plates, cutlery
- sauces
- a large jar of mayonnaise, mustard and a bottle of ketchup, a BBQ, barbecue sauce, Thousand Island dressing…
Imagine the last point. All those jars and bottles.
It is heavy to carry it. It is expensive one-time-cost – inflating the bill of BBQ.
After party is over the question come- who takes the leftovers home? No one wants it, no one feels comofrtable to put it into trash.
500g ketchup suddenly becomes a problem, not a solution. It’s inefficient, wasteful. This is where pouches come in.
UX is quietly winning
Traditional rigid bottles are a design from another era.
We all know the moment: the ketchup is “finished”… but not really.
You shake, you hit, you squeeze — and still leave 10–15% inside.
Pouches solve this perfectly:
- full evacuation of product
- intuitive usage (like toothpaste)
- no frustration at the end
It’s not just packaging.
It’s experience design.
And in FMCG — UX is becoming king again.
BBQ is just the beginning
Single-use or single-occasion pouches make perfect sense for:
- ketchup, mayo, sauces
- marinades
- oils & dressings
They remove friction:
- no leftovers
- easy cost-sharing
- less waste
- light to carry
- spoon not needed
This is not just convenience.
This is context-based packaging — designed for the moment of use.
Asia already figured it out
Travel a bit, and you’ll see how far this can go.
In many Asian markets, pouches are not a niche — they are a default format, especially in cosmetics.
And this is where it gets really interesting.
My personal favorite example: SPF cream in a pouch.
Why it works:
- zero leakage risk
- lightweight
- flexible — fits anywhere
- perfect for daily carry
It removes the biggest barrier to usage: inconvenience.
With such product something annoying (carrying heavy bottle of SPF protection) becomes less friction act (small product that I can always have with myself and protect skin).
And that’s the real job of packaging.
Poland: strong in food, early in beauty
Poland is already quite advanced in food pouches:
- kids snacks & fruit mousses
- dessert-inspired products (i.e. Tiramisu, Pavlova)
- “zero” calorie snacks
- protein products
- oatmeals, skyr, yoghurts
- even soup bases (a very smart replacement for stock cubes)
But in beauty & personal care?
We are still at the very early stage.
The real opportunity
The first brands that move into pouches in cosmetics will win disproportionately.
Why?
Because the format delivers on all modern consumer tensions:
- mobility
- convenience
- waste reduction
- portion control
- emotional ease (no mess, no risk)
Low cost of entry.
High perceived innovation.
So… what else can you pack in a pouch?
Almost everything that:
- is used on-the-go
- creates leftovers
- suffers from poor dispensing
From sauces…
to skincare, makeup…
to functional nutrition.
The format is ready.
Now it’s about who moves first.