Dispensing Seals the Deal

Mary Kay’s new Timewise treatment product has a locking actuator and collar, eliminating the need for an over cap.

Airless and environmentally friendly dispensing systems are increasingly in demand and the packaging industry has answered with
high-tech advancements that are continually improving.

Eco-Conscious and Practical

As with most market segments, sustainability is one of the biggest trends, explains Craig Sawicki, executive vice president, TricorBraun Design & Engineering. “Almost every marketer wants to use recycled material, compostable or biodegradable resins and/or light weight their packaging. Whether it’s the bottle or closure or both, light weighting is a large trend,” he says.

Companies like TricorBraun offer sustainable solutions while balancing the long-term effects of the packaging modification.

“Although every marketer knows that shelf impact is imperative to a sale, what many forget is when that same consumer is making a decision on repurchase. That decision point comes when the package has been used and abused for months—and perhaps stored in a wet, steamy soggy environment such as a shower. This is pertinent with light weight containers or closures,” says Sawicki. “The environmental concerns need to be balanced with the need for a package to be robust enough to still function and look good at the end of the product life, again when that consumer decides whether to re-buy or try something else.”

The Hawaiian Tropic bottle uses a low profile closure inset into the shoulder so that the bottle shoulder helps support the package on shelf while minimizing the closure size and weight.

The solution is often a compromise. For example, the recent Hawaiian Tropic sunscreen bottle uses just such a low profile closure inset into the shoulder so that the bottle shoulder helps support the package on shelf while minimizing the closure size and weight, Sawicki says.

Innovative packaging solutions are in demand, agrees Nathalie Nowak, director of marketing and innovation, Rexam Personal Care Division. “We see how eco-consciousness combines with economic factors to reduce, over time, the appeal and use of secondary packaging and, at the same time, heightens the demand for innovative primary packaging that delivers ROI and

The TRUSPRAYR aerosol system dispenses small portions of makeup, creams, lotions and gels—and it is hygienic.

communicates brand attributes,” she says.


Philip Brand, director, global marketing, Lindal Dispenser GmbH adds that because sustainability is on everyone’s mind, that also means carefully metering the product. “Customers are increasingly eco-focused. They wish to reduce the use of the propellant and solvent,” he says. “Additionally, customers are looking to make their creams and lotions sprayable for added consumer appeal.”
One advancement Lindal recently introduced is the TRUSPRAYR aerosol system, which allows the application of difficult to disperse products, such as waxes, lotions, gels and other highly concentrated media for flow rates of 1g/10 sec. upwards. “With this packaging system, the consumer can dispense small portions of makeup, creams, lotions and gels—and it is very hygienic,” he adds.

Airless Advances

Euromonitor International predicts that pump dispensing systems, in particular lotion pumps that have one-handed application but also provide product dosage, are on the rise in these value-heavy and eco-conscious times. As such, the firm expects pump closure use in this category to grow steadily to reach 86 million units in 2014.

Promens Packaging’s ECOsolution airless bottles and dispensers, now offered in the U.S. by ABA Packaging, come in a variety of sizes from 50- to 500ml.

Pump closures already have high penetration in the core categories of fragrances and liquid soap, where they account for 80% and 79% of all closures, respectively, says Dr. Benjamin Punchard, head of global packaging research for Euromonitor. He notes the $88 billion global skin care market with its sensitive product formulas is also pushing the beauty industry toward airtight dispensing packages.

The airless pump container is the biggest trend that has come along in a long time and is still going strong, agrees Lou Della Pesca, president of 3C Inc. As a result, the technology keeps getting better, he says, with new dispensing advances including pumps that are stronger and that are available in more sizes.

“An airless pump is constructed where air is pushed through a cylinder and the cylinder rises in the container and dispenses the product. This technology started off with smaller size containers and now airless pumps are available in sizes up to 100- and 120ml and there is the possibility of going higher than that,” he explains. “The strength of these pumps is becoming stronger in order to pump out higher viscosity product as well, and that combination for airless is satisfying more and more customers.”

The actuator and/or collar that hold the pump has also undergone design improvements. “The design is easier to use and also the amount of product to be dispensed has been improving and is changeable. There is an increased ability to customize the amount of dosage that is required. It is no longer one pump fits everything,” Della Pesca says.

Many of these new capabilities have been spurred in part by the popularity of skin treatment products, which have varying requirements based on viscosity and sensitive ingredients. “The treatment industry is creating the need for a lot of different functions and types of pumps,” he adds.

Airless packaging also allows for product developers, formulators and marketers to reduce the amount of preservatives required by eliminating the air in the package as the contents are dispensed, explains Benny Calderone, director sales and marketing at PKG Group, LLC. An exciting new twist on this technology is the airless jar.

The Panache system allows brands to control the size and dispersion of formula particles. Delivering with Panache Spray technology continues to evolve and the evolution is necessary to product success. "Innovation continues to be a driver and, in personal care product packaging, our customers continue their search for product differentiation by exploring what we call ‘the art of spray' and reducing particulate size,” says Nathalie Nowak, director of marketing and innovation, Rexam Personal Care Division. “The lightest, most long-lasting, deepest spray creates an end-user experience that really sells the product and keeps consumers coming back for more.” As a result, Rexam launched the Panache experience, which enables brands to successfully control the size and dispersion of formula particles—and communicate purity, opulence and sensuality to the consumer, she says. Compared to regular sprays, Panache is designed to have a droplet average size that is 33% lighter, up to 40% drier, and six times longer lasting and twice as deep.Because it is designed to target different markets, Panache spray can handle alcohol, water and oil-based formulations, with long smooth actuation and a whisper-quiet sound. Because it is propellant free, it is a sustainable alternative to aerosols.

With a typical day or night cream formula contained in a jar with a removable lid, the product is constantly exposed to contaminants from both the air and cross contamination introduced during consumer application. “We have a range of airless jars with a pump mechanism on top and because it is airless, it not only eliminates direct contact with the formula, but also cross contamination from the consumer’s hands,” Calderone explains. “Instead, only the needed application is dispensed through the innovative pump dispensing system preserving the integrity of the formula.”

For application, the cap of the jar is removed, revealing a pump, which the user presses down on the curved actuator surface. Then the product is dispensed through the center and is scooped off from the well of the actuator. “There has been a lot of interest for this dispensing system from skin care companies,” Calderone adds.

ABA Packaging Corp. recently signed an exclusive agreement to represent the Promens ECOsolution AirFree “bag-in-bottle” airless dispensing system in the U.S. This system offers five stock capacities from 50- to 500ml and provides barrier protection for the formulas from oxygen and other contaminants. Its four-piece all-plastic dispenser can handle a wide range of product viscosities. In addition, the outer bottle portion of the system can be made with high percentages of PCR because only the collapsible inner bag or “pouch” has contact with the product. Complete decorating support is also available.

Dispensing Pens

Another segment of the dispensing market that has undergone high-tech advancements is versatile airtight dispensing pens. “3C offers a combination of 16 different applicators for our airtight automatic pens and they can be used for everything from a basic lipgloss brush to silicone applicators for treatments and pharmaceutical products,” Della Pesca says. The 3C automatic pen comes in different sizes and both a twist-up dispensing system and a pushbutton dispensing system.

“In the dispensing category, we have seen an increased demand for airless packaging and an increased demand for packages that function in a more efficient way in terms of delivering the product quickly and keeping the product in a hermetic environment for longer,” says Walter Dwyer, CEO, Cosmopak, a company that specializes in airtight packaging dispensing systems.

Dispensing brush or “click” pens were typically used for lipgloss or concealer formula because these are quite stable and viscous products and did not necessarily need a 100% airtight environment, according to Dwyer. However, he says the segment is now opening up because of the innovative airtight designs and more wide-reaching applications. For example, Cosmopak recently launched the RF10 airtight click pen with a valve system inside the cap and applicator that keeps the product fresh. “The airtight click pen has been the biggest breakthrough in this category since we launched the product ten years ago and the design opens the category to a myriad of formulations that were previously not able to be put into those packages before,” says Dwyer. “Now beauty serums, liquid eye shadows, teeth whitening products, anti-aging wrinkle creams, or any formulation that is low viscosity or requires an airtight package can be put into a click pen. We have just launched with Anastasia Beverly Hills for the company’s brow serum.”

Airless for Cosmetics, Too

“We continuously see a growing need and requests for airless dispensing in the beauty/skin care market, but have specifically seen a growing demand in the cosmetic segment,” says Lesley Gadomski, vice president of sales, at Fusion Packaging. “Airless is no longer just for sensitive formulas in skin care, but cosmetic products such as foundations and primers.”

Recently Mary Kay launched a new treatment product, Timewise, in an airless package designed by Fusion Packaging.“The dispensing for this package is unique because of its locking actuator and collar, eliminating the need for an overcap.This prevents spills and or leaks when in its closed and locked position,” she notes.

The package was designed to have a metal-free fluid path so that it does not come into contact with the formula. This maintains the integrity of the product. “This dispensing package also provides 99% evacuation of the product inside making it a smart choice for the brand and the consumer,” Gadomski adds.

Dispensing tubes offer formulation protection coupled with high-output capabilities.

High Output Tubes

Annual worldwide growth of airless packaging tops 15%, in part because the newest formulations in the body care market segment demand enhanced protection and high-output, explains Virginie Lemeunier, product manager-Lotion, Rexam Personal Care Division.

“Beauty customers enjoy the feel of high-viscosity products, which offer great advantages but can be prone to discoloration and drying with old-generation packaging solutions,” she says. “With the rapid transition to very sophisticated ingredients, our body care customers need dispensing systems that protect the formula, run on high-speed filling lines with existing machines, shorten supply chains, handle large dosages of viscous product—and have superior consumer appeal. With its aesthetic and ergonomic appeal, and 500µl dosage capacity, our LX 500 dispenser tube is a popular choice.”

The product ships pre-assembled as a single pump-tube combination, and it is available in diverse decorating options including offset, silk screening and hot stamping.Monolayer, coextruded or laminated tubes are additional options.“In body care, we see exponential demand for the true airless pump,” says Lemeunier.“A perfect example is in the sun care segment, where consumers have embraced the need for advanced protection and are now happy to have their favorite products packed with dispenser tube solutions that offer a mess-free, easy, clean and ergonomically superior end-user experience.”

Versatile plastic ampoules are used to dispense tooth whiteners, anti-aging applications, acne creams and more.

Integrity and Ease of Use

Frequently customers request a “regimen” kit, which contains several ampoules meant to be applied or taken on a daily or weekly basis, says Carol Gamsby, director of sales for James Alexander Corporation.“The kits, we feel, speak to the growing trend of portability and the constant desire for ease-of-use. A single-dose package can be taken on a plane, stashed in a purse or briefcase or added to a diaper bag. The unit-dose packaging also preserves the integrity of the product,” she says.

The company’s versatile, patented plastic ampoules are now being used in the beauty industry to dispense tooth whiteners, anti-aging applications, acne creams, spot tanning solution and facial peels. “Our products have a broad range of functions for the beauty and healthcare industries,” she says. “For example, our 5ml dropper-tipped plastic ampoule is perfect for oral dosing; put a swab tip on the tube and you have a topical application. All of the tubes can be customized by fill, print, color and tip. People today are constantly on the go and looking for anything that will make their life easier, and our packages do this.”

The flexible beauty serum dropper tube offers a high level of protection, particularly against light.

A flexible high-barrier polyfoil dropper tube, like the one Neopac recently introduced at the Luxe Pack trade show in Monaco, is another ideal solution for sensitive beauty products. “The flexible beauty serum dropper tube offers a high level of protection, particularly against light, moisture, oxygen, and organic and chemical substances, as well as resistance to corrosion,” explains Boris Schaefer, U.S. sales manager for Neopac.

Applying pressure to the beauty serum dropper tube generates easily controlled individual drops, which can be applied directly to the skin or added to another substance by metered dosing.The polyfoil tube can be printed or hot-stamped and rounded off with a variety of possible caps.

“The new dropper tube for beauty serums offers a factor of particular importance to our cosmetics customers—and that factor is appearance,” he explains. “Its attractive presentation and precise dispensing capabilities make it an ideal marriage of form and function.”

Prime Time

Today consumers want to be able to prime and dispense their favorite product faster than ever. “They want the product to come out of the package immediately; however because of the inherent package design it can normally take a few pumps to prime the package,” explains Cosmopak’s Dwyer.

“A lot of the manufacturers—Cosmopak included—are working on systems whereby you can dispense faster, so that has led to reengineering and timing in terms of the pumps so they will deliver the product as quickly as possible,” he says. “The whole world of airtight packaging and dispensing is becoming very interesting, and manufacturers are really working on solutions for formulas that were not typically allowed to be put in those devices or to increase the performance of the packaging that is in the marketplace.”