New Material Offers Diverse Rewards

A constant stream of new, innovative materials is one of the essential elements in the packaging of products for the cosmetic, fragrance and personal care market.

Eastman Chemical Company, based in King­sport, TN, is actively researching and developing materials such as these. Currently, Eastman’s Eastar copolyester AN001 is branching out in the cosmetics industry, being used as a resin for the injection stretch blow molding of bottles used for upscale makeup and body lotions.

A Better Bottle for Dream Angels

Based in Bardstown, KY, Inoac Packaging Group used AN001 for Victoria’s Secret Dream Angels bottle because, “it allowed us to give them (Victoria’s Secret) a heavy-walled bottle with water clarity,” said Paul Horgan, Inoac’s vice president of sales.

“When Eastman develops a new material, they will give it to us so we can do trials with it,” Horgan explained. “When Victoria’s Secret came to us with the specifications for the bottles, we knew AN001 would work.”

AN001 is now used for the body lotion bottles for Victoria’s Secret Dream Angels and Pink fragrances. Dream Angels’ scents Heavenly, Halo and Divine launched in succession from 1999 to 2000 and Pink reached retail shelves in 2001.

“It (AN001) is more expensive than a regular PET,” Horgan stated, but it’s worth it because, “The product performs as promised.”

A Replacement for Glass

Compared to traditional glass used for such heavy-walled bottles, AN001 offers advantages of shatter resistance, cost and flexibility, according to Scott Rook, business market manager for personal care at Eastman. “Cosmetics companies were looking for a cost-efficient bottle, capable of packaging high-quality products that can deliver the premium look and feel of glass without the associated cost of glass.”

Rook added that using AN001 for injection stretch blow molded bottles allows for much thicker wall sections (up to 10 mm) as compared to using PET (2–3 mm). He said color and clarity are also significantly improved (91 percent light transmission rates) compared to those (81 percent) for PET. “The final bottle looks and feels like glass,” stressed Rook, “allowing brand owners to package their high-quality items in a more economic container.” He added that cosmetics packaging designers will also appreciate AN001 for the design flexibility it affords as compared to the design and cost issues associated with glass.

While AN001 has crystal clarity, it can also be colored easily and for much less cost and in much smaller quantities than glass, according to Rook. The material is also very tough, resulting in a bottle or jar that is essentially unbreakable. Manufacturers that are already familiar with stretch blow molding of PET will find AN001 a comfortable change, Rook emphasized.

The beauty business will have a chance to see Eastar AN001 when it is unveiled along with one other new product at HBA Global Expo in New York, as well as at the Luxepack show in Monaco.