Beijing-based market research firm ePanel Co. Ltd. has revealed some interesting trends about cosmetic packaging consumption after conducting a recent online survey of 1,492 young women in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

The survey, targeting white-collar women in the age group of 25-35 and with monthly income higher than 2,500 yuan (US$366.11), shows that 59.5 percent of the subjects keep the container after they use up the skincare or makeup or fragrance. About half of these consumers simply collect cosmetic containers as a hobby, while the other half said they repurpose the containers for, say, storage or home décor.

According to the findings, 78.3 percent of the respondents said glass is their favorite material for cosmetic packaging.

However, respondents in Guangzhou report a higher appreciation for plastic packaging, with 17.9 percent of them preferring plastic packaging to other materials. The rate is 8.6 percent among respondents from Beijing and 7.4 percent for Shanghai.

The survey respondents also said they are most attracted by packaging material (48.5 percent), followed by the volume (43.5 percent), color (37.6 percent) and shape (28.3 percent) of the packaging.