Take a look at the last ~5+ years and it seems like every brand is latching onto nostalgia. There’s an obvious pointing of the finger to a better time when screens didn’t rule our lives (brick who?), “pic or it didn’t happen” meant nothing, and “phone eats first” was gibberish.
When I think back on the 90s/early 2000s, one of the first things that comes to mind is all the weird formats of food we were eating at the time. Yes, thankfully we’ve learned better than consuming purple ketchup (why?) or Shrek Twinkies (hey, maybe they’ll make a comeback with Shrek 5), but in 2026 I love to see brands taking a page out of the 90s snacking playbook and delivering product innovation in unexpected formats.
While we’ve collectively agreed we should probably steer clear of red dye 40, the heart and soul of a Squeeze-It or Ouch gum is showing up in different ways. Enter: The Rise of the Funky Format.
🎶 To listen to while reading: a funk playlist
Here are 18 of my favorite products & brands I’m eyeing that are delivering some packaging whimsy.
Smoky paloma incense cigs — I hate cigs, but will admit they are a vibe so I love this reframing of them into incense cigs.
Barriere lactose relief patches — As someone who has long awaited for the reimagining of lactaid pills (that doesn’t look like birth control) these are extremely intriguing to me and I will be trying them eventually.
Sofie pavitt face nice ice frozen toner pods — These work great and are extremely satisfying in their own little pods. This is what I imagined skincare would be like by 2026 as a kid.
Muracha matcha — I love Muracha’s take on matcha in a tin. Its feels so different from the versions you see on shelves every day. Lucky for you, I’ve tried it and can report that the matcha is also great.
Sleep or Die sleeping strips — A reimagining of the listerine strip to meet the modern needs of our sleep crisis feat. l-theanine, gaba, 5-htp, and melatonin
Crown Affair dry shampoo powder — Maybe it’s not reinventing the wheel, but it works great and looks like makeup powder…fun!
Cann roadies — Low-dose cannabis in a to-go pouch that you can add to any drink on the go? genius.
Vacation whipped sunscreen — A classic on the funky format leaderboard.
hello whipped sunscreen — Followed by the inevitable whipped toothpaste.
Good Girl Snacks single serve pickle packs — Again, not revolutionary, but so much fun. So convenient. So delicious. All we can really ask for.
Rose los angeles cbd (or thc) delights — Elevated culinary cbd gummies made with chefs and farmers? Yes, absolutely, no brainer.
Heyhae gel nail wrap — I’m so curious about these sun-cured gel nail strips. Sounds genius?
NoNormal coffee paste — This is so smart & I wish more people were paying attention to this. I will be purchasing and testing for my next trip so stay tuned.
Poca sugar-free syrup — Another travel hack I’m curious to try. I don’t usually sweeten my drinks, but these have zero sugar and 3g of fiber so I’m curious to try?
Noon breakfast in a can — Maybe I’m biased here since working with these guys, but NOON’s breakfast in a can is really smart. Delivering 20g protein, 5g of fiber from milk and oats in a world where everyone talks about only having cold brew in their stomachs by noon? Another stroke of genius.
Alleyoop pen pal makeup pen — This is so 90s nostalgic for me. If you didn’t have a pen like this we need to debrief. This format for makeup? Peak fun.
Everist conditioner concentrate — So smart for traveling and a format maybe I’d missed, but hadn’t really seen before (yes, I’ve seen the bars, I think they work poorly). Another one I’m interested in trying.
Experiment’s avant guard reusable mask — So smart and i love the green color. I’ve used this and feel like a cute little alien, it’s great.
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