Mary Kay selected a tube from World Wide Packaging for its new Time Wise Targeted Action Line Reducer.

Totally Tubes

Marketers are turning to tubes to package a wide array of personal care.

By Christine Esposito
Contributing Editor

Squeezable. Functional. Ubiquitous. A logical packaging choice for a plethora of product types, the tube has become a perennial favorite of the personal care business. Nowadays, customers are as likely to find a hip new skin care product as their favorite toothpaste in a tube.

To answer the market’s demands for more options, tube suppliers continue to expand their offerings, focusing their attention on improved graphics, expanded sizes, applicators and dispensers that can take the everyday tube to the next level.

Taking to Tubes

As tubes increase in sophistication, personal care companies are taking notice, often finding it beneficial to switch to a tube from other packaging.

A tube turned out to be a better option for direct-seller Mary Kay Cosmetics. When the Dallas, TX-based beauty firm sought a new package for its 16mm Time Wise Targeted Action Line Reducer—initially housed in a click-pen unit— it turned to World Wide Packaging.  Switching to World Wide Packaging’s tube—which consists of seven molded parts, including the tube, the tube head and the polypropylene sprayed cap—provided Mary Kay with immediate results.

 “They decided to make the change based on speed to market, mold cost advantages, and unique product dispensability,” Jeffrey Hayet, executive vice president, global sales, World Wide Packaging, said about Mary Kay’s switch.

Despite the advances that have been made in the tube market, there is always room for improvement, especially when it comes to lead time. A new tube or a new tube supplier can help recover precious time in the production schedule, and get finished products to market faster.   

Continental Packaging Solutions offers a fully recyclable PE laminate tube.

Continental Packaging Solutions came to the rescue of one personal care manufacturer faced with extended lead times between 20-24 weeks on a 2.25-oz. tube with a CT closure. The Chicago-based supplier sourced five SKUs with difficult artwork, with just 12 weeks lead time. In addition, the customer’s product was improved by injection molding a flip top closure, according to Robb Zurek, business development manager with Continental Packaging Solutions.

Improving the Tube

With more personal and beauty care companies selecting tubes, suppliers are investing in improved capabilities and expanding their collections. Their goal is to further improve the functionality and visual appeal of the ever-popular tube.

One of the newest additions to Continental Packaging Solutions’ tube stable is a PE laminate tube, available in five diameters and custom lengths. Constructed with alternating layers of PE and other resins for barrier properties greater than LDPE, Continental’s PE laminate tube is fully recyclable. And for even greater barrier properties, the tubes can be lined with ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) copolymer. Decoration options include four-color process printing, PMS spot colors, and gloss or matte coating. Continental contends that recent technology has helped to create a less visible seam on this tube, which adds to its visual appeal.

The increased efficacy of today’s cosmetics has created a need for technologically advanced tubes that can handle more robust formulations.


“Today’s skin care and cosmetic products have become increasingly sophisticated and complex. These innovative formulations often require equally innovative packaging,” notes Hayet of World Wide Packaging.

World Wide Packaging and Alcan both offer tubes that can house two formulations without compromising either product’s integrity.

World Wide Packaging offers a dual chamber tube-within-a-tube featuring a 22mm inner chamber and 30mm outer chamber. The oblong shaped head contains two holes for dispensing product from each chamber simultaneously. The tube, which is fitted with an oval shaped cap, is designed for products containing two different formulations that need to be separated until shortly before application.

Alcan Packaging Beauty features a dual laminate tube designed for two-phase formulations. The 25mm laminate tube within a 35mm laminate tube, features a cloverleaf-shaped orifice that equally dispenses products of the same viscosity, according to the company.

Lageen Tuboplast offers new tactile finishes for its flexible tubes.

Tube suppliers are also adding new sizes that can help a company’s marketing efforts. Along those lines, World Wide Packaging has added a new 13mm plastic tube with a slant tip for lip gloss application. The tube—which is perfect for promotional products—comes with a rounded cap that seamlessly blends with the rest of the tube. The tube sleeve can be produced in monolayer, dual layer and five layer EVOH co-polymers, according to the company.

Making tubes work more effectively has been a goal for Cosmopak, which has added a 40ml tottle brush made of PP and PETG featuring a patented shut-off valve activated by a sliding button. The tottle also features a wide mouth and a closed base, which eases filling. Once filled, the brush applicator and cap snap on lock in place. It takes a 17mm brush or flat spatula, according to the company.

How a tube feels in a user’s hand has also increased in importance, and Lageen Tuboplast has created new tactile finishes for its stable of flexible tubes. The firm is now offering raised surface printing, which adds texture, grip features and light refractive qualities to a tube. According to a company spokesperson, these finishes will appeal to consumers at a new sensory level while performing a functional role, such as increased grip in wet conditions.

Tip of the Tube

As the beauty market forges ahead in terms of efficacy, there’s been increased demand for tubes that can address application issues for a wider range of more sophisticated treatment products. What skin care companies need are tubes that can deliver accurate doses of product to targeted areas.

Along those lines, Seaquist Closures has worked in conjunction with Alcan Packaging Beauty to offer Pinpoint, a new dispensing closure for tubes that delivers precise delivery via a silicone valve. The soft-touch valve allows consumers to apply product directly to specific area —such as the eye zone—without touching the product with her fingers, and offers precision cutoff when she stops squeezing the tube. The closure (which is made of polypropylene) is .750” diameter and the Alcan tube is available in 10ml to 22ml fill capacities.

According to Brenda Chamulak, director of strategic innovation with Seaquist Closures, Pinpoint’s accuracy and soft-touch feel make it well suited for the eye and lip area, as well as acne and skin-specific treatments, such as anti-aging products. In addition it offers beauty companies a means to differentiate their products by combining the user-friendly tube with more sophisticated application. While she wouldn’t reveal the company’s name, Chamulak said a European firm placed the first order for Pinpoint, which debuted earlier this year. 

Rexam has had success with its airless dispenser tubes, which are created in partnership with Tuboplast Hispania and Linhardt GmbH. According to Rexam, Clarins selected its 25mm tube dispenser with an all-metal lotion pump for a new skincare product.  For their latest skin care applications, Ducray Laboratories, Sentiva and Victoria’s Secret Beauty opted for Rexam’s 35mm tube dispenser with an all-plastic pump. The tubes are delivered as an assembled component designed for high-speed modification-free filling on existing machines, according to the company.

A new brush tip tube, which combines the squeezability of a tube with the precision of a brush, is also available from Continental. By squeezing the tube, the product gradually flows into the hairs of the brush, allowing an even amount for application.  For companies looking for a sophisticated metallic look tube, Continental has plastic tubes with metalized finishes. The tubes, which can be customized to any color, feature a graceful curve at the crimped end.