Materials for white cosmetics – pros and cons - POLITECH

Every industry requires a lot from its packaging, but the bar is set extremely high in cosmetics. This is linked to the high aesthetic expectations of customers, as well as to the required functionality, chemical neutrality and physical durability. Packaging manufacturers and materials experts have spent years considering which materials are the best choice for white cosmetics packaging.

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Metal packaging

Metal packaging is most common in the food and chemical industries. Tins intended for individual product groups may contain drinks, food, or even paints and varnishes. The main advantage of metal packaging is its mechanical durability. Moreover, metal is relatively easy to process and to lacquer. Unfortunately, one considerable disadvantage of metals is the high thermal conductivity. Rapid heating or cooling may mean that the product contained inside may quickly lose its properties. Another disadvantage is the possibility of a reaction with the products contained in the packaging.

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Glass packaging

Only a few decades ago, glass packaging dominated among drink and perfume bottles. Glass is good at isolating the product within the packaging from external conditions. One of the most commonly mentioned advantages of glass is its chemical neutrality towards the products. Moreover, glass maintains all its original qualitative parameters after the recycling process.

The disadvantages of glass include its fragility. It is a hard material, but it is susceptible to mechanical damage. This means that glass packaging must be provided with additional protection against breakage. Cardboard packing or other protective measures are particularly necessary during transport. Moreover, glass is a heavy material that is cold to the touch.

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Natural packaging – wood

Similarly to glass packaging, wood was highly popular for many years. However, unlike glass, it is making a return to the packaging market. This is due to the trend for organic products and protection given by natural materials. The primary advantages of wood include its very high mechanical durability, as it is neither a fragile nor high-mass material. Wood is warm to the touch and does not conduct electricity.

The issue with wooden packaging is its requirement for special protection based on lacquers and impregnants, to prevent it from absorbing moisture. This a disadvantage particularly impedes its use as a material in cosmetics, where manufacturers care that the high quality of the product is maintained for as long as possible. Moreover, wood is flammable and transfers natural odours – such as that of resin.

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Plastic packaging

Plastics are highly interesting materials, which have taken the market by storm over the past few decades. Their considerable advantages include their ease of manufacture in various shapes and forms, which means we can achieve unique products. Another advantage of plastics is their sheer multitude, enabling selection of an appropriate material to suit a given project and its requirements. Low densities reduce the packaging weight, to maintain a high durability to mass ratio. Plastic packaging does not conduct electricity and is characterised by high chemical durability. Such products do not require special maintenance and can be used for many years.

Surlyn is a very interesting plastic, one which easily competes with wood, glass and metal. It is chemically neutral, unbreakable, warm to the touch, highly durable and can be produced in interesting forms. Moreover, Surlyn is perfect for the cosmetics industry, where full material transparency is often required. Surlyn maintains its clarity even in coloured versions. In addition, the injection points and split lines formed during production are practically invisible.

The list of the disadvantages of plastics contains very few points. Their fragility may be increased when exposed to variable temperatures, and they are also slightly less mechanically durable than metal packaging. Work is also ongoing to improve the re-use possibilities of these materials.

In summary…

All the presented materials have their pros and cons, but white cosmetics is such a demanding industry that only two of them are used for its products. Glass and plastics appear to be the best choices for the production of cream jars. Thus far, the market has been dominated by glass, but now thanks to the numerous advantages of Surlyn and other artificial components this situation is slowly changing. Customers value safety and product security during transport, as well as lightness. The aesthetics are improved by Surlyn’s transparency, and to the touch this material is very warm and pleasant.

The wide range of standard perfume closures is a blessing for many cosmetic companies who want to differentiate their products. The enormous number of designs, materials, decorations and accessories of the perfect cap requires real brainstorming. In addition, it is also possible to design individual packaging, which makes the horizons extend endlessly. In history, however, perfume closures have changed many times… How does their offer look today?

History of perfume closures

The history of perfume caps goes as far back as the creation of fragrances in liquid form. Fragrance essences always needed a closure if you wanted to keep them fresh and with the full value of the aromas. At the same time, it was noticed that closing the bottle with cloths dipped in one end meant that the smell was transferred by the material outside the bottle and slowly spread around.

Over the centuries, things that we would call today a perfume caps, has evolved from simple lids to corks like in trapper wineskins… Such clogged bottles were sometimes secured with ribbons or put in the special cases. The most popular solution, however, and which gives additional protection of the cork, was waxing. The cork and the bottle neck were soaked in hot, liquid wax so as to seal even the smallest gaps and hold the cork. The more exclusive brands applied their stamp logo to the wax.

Ancient perfume containers

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This method of sealing perfume bottles survived even the era of changing the closures themselves. When wooden and leather stoppers began to be replaced with glass, the fashion of pouring liquid wax over the whole thing continued for some more time. At one point, metal perfume caps also appeared on the market, but these never became the leading solution. For decades, the glass was a priority, but it had some disadvantages. It was still difficult to close enough to allow the bottle to be tight and then stored in any position. Even trying to create glass threaded caps didn’t help.

Conical glass plugs – still popular in carafes – have become a popular solution. Well fitted, they ensured the tightness, and the string tied between the cap and the neck of the bottle effectively supported the closure during transport. Such a solution has been implemented, for example, in the iconic Chanel no. 5. It is worth noting, however, that the Coco Chanel product appeared on the market in 1921, so already several years after the world began to know bakelite, the first plastic used on a mass scale. At that time, however, no one thought that plastics would completely change the cosmetics and perfumery market.

Glass containers

Perfume coloured caps

Today’s perfume caps are mostly made of various types of plastics. Such closures have dominated both the mass and luxury segment. The only variable here is the type of material used, color, decorations and accessories.

One of the most popular methods of distinguishing perfume closures is mass dyeing. It consists in adding an appropriate amount of dye to the material used and in this way producing colored products in the entire mass of the material. This solution is most often used with perfume closures made of polypropylene or other materials whose natural color is not very attractive. Colored PP caps are very popular products in Politech’s offer.

Mass dyeing, however, does not always cause the caps to lose their transparency. It is only an option chosen by some Customers. Partial mass dyeing is also known, which makes only a slight colour shade on the transparent materials.

Transparent perfume caps

The cap is fully transparent thanks to Surlyn, which is a transparent material. However, with the addition of a properly selected amount of dye, it can become a partialy coloured or completely coloured. A tinted solution that maintains transparency is especially popular in perfume packaging. It is not uncommon then that the color of the transparent cap is matched to the color of the liquid in the bottle.

Additional advantages of the Surlyn transparent caps are their high durability, almost crystal reflection and light scattering, as well as consistency in appearance with a glass bottle. Surlyn, however, has several advantages over glass – it is warm and pleasant to the touch, and in addition it does not break.

Metallized perfume caps

Metallization of perfume caps and cosmetic packaging at Politech is in fact the process of applying a layer of aluminum to products. In order to get to the metallization process itself, the products must first go through the lacquering line, which will apply a base coat of varnish on them. Only then the details go to the metallizer. There, as a result of the vacuum, the products are evenly coated with a thin layer of aluminum introduced into the metallizer in the form of a small spiral wire. After this process, the details are returned to the lacquering line, where they are covered with another layer of varnish. The process arranged in this way provides the final products with the highest durability and the best visual effect.

In recent years, jars with metallized lids, or perfume caps decorated in the same way, are the most popular standard products ordered at Politech. Interestingly, a huge percentage of orders for individual products, created with the client’s project, are also prepared with metallization in mind. This mirror-like, metallic effect stole the hearts of customers due to its durability and an quiet combination of minimalism with a glamour effect.

Multi-component sockets

Another method of diversifying plastic cosmetic packaging is adding additional elements to it. One of the most popular solutions of this type in recent years is attaching a weight part inside. It is placed between elements of the product, which makes it completely invisible. However, you can feel its presence by holding it in hand. The heavier detail gives the impression of solid and more luxurious.

In addition, in individual projects, there are more and more concepts of attaching leather elements, ribbons, applying patterns from hot-stamping or creating tags with the brand’s logo to perfume caps. Politech is able to meet all such Customer requirements.

So, what product decoration will be best for your product? It all depends on what effect you expect. However, you can be sure that with the help of our consultants we will choose the best solutions together and create a product perfectly fitted to your brand and your Customers.

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