03.09.11
Aptar’s Irresistible dispenser represents a culmination of six years of research. |
From a humble start, airless packaging continues to grow, mature and thrive. And with so many suppliers eager to accommodate demand, a mark of certification may be just around the corner.
Toothpaste: It isn’t the first product that comes to mind when one thinks of the airless packaging industry, but maybe it should be. Approximately 30 years ago, toothpaste was filled inside a rigid tube, and fashioned with a pump that made the bottom rise as the product was evacuated. Aside from its being a novel idea, this packaging creation also signaled the birth of the airless package, eventually spurring what would be one of the largest packaging trends within the beauty industry today.
This first airless technology, called the piston system, “still exists” and is the most-used solution for “lower price range products,” explains Jean-Philippe Taberlet, CEO of Lablabo and co-founder of the Airless Pack Association, a global group of five manufacturers of airless dispensers. It wasn’t until 1995, says Taberlet, that Lablabo introduced a new airless technology to the scene:“A rigid bottle containing a flexible pouch, which collapses on itself when the product is used.”
Both piston and pouch systems remain in use today and are the backbone of all current airless systems. “The technology remains the same. The innovation comes from decoration capabilities and from the ability of the company to accommodate its offering to the market demand,” explains Terry Sweeney, director of sales, Mega Pumps.He lists enhancements such as new sizes and new actuator designs as examples.
Airless packaging has also expanded its scope since the early days, quickly muscling its way into a plethora of beauty and personal care applications. Following toothpaste, “the hair market showed great interest for this kind of package, especially the high-viscosity styling products. Following hair care, skin care found ways to take advantage of the benefits of airless dispensers. Lately, natural, paraben-free, and anti-aging categories need this ultimate protection in order to keep the active intact,” explains Sweeney. He concludes, “Today, oral care, hair care, and skin care remain major categories that take advantage of airless dispensing.”
“The [airless] pump systems started growing in popularity in the 1990s and still continue to be one of the best systems of choice for dispensing products,” adds Vonda Simon, president of Seacliff Packaging.
Due to its many benefits—offering such features as formula protection, precision dosing and aesthetic advantages—airless systems continue to flourish within the beauty packaging industry. With the growth, however, there is also a learning curve, and reputable suppliers seek to educate their buyers on airless packaging definitions, expectations, and potential imposters.
Air Time
Despite its lengthy history and the growth the market has enjoyed, there is still some confusion among brand marketers as to the definition of an airless package.
The official definition of an airless system provided by the Airless Pack Association is: “A non-pressurized system which associates a mechanical actioning pump and a container that, after filling and sealing, dispenses the product air-tightly and without any air return. The container can be deformable or rigid, with a piston or a pouch.”
A question arises, however, as far as tolerances go. Not all airless packages are indeed 100% airless. “Piston systems are the most widely used, and because plastic is somewhat porous it may allow very limited amounts of air in,” explains Des McEttrick, market development director, beauty North America, Aptar. “Pouch systems provide a higher level of formula protection, letting no air into the package, and depending on the material, no light.”
McEttrick also reminds that there are different ways to fill an airless package. Filling under vacuum, she says, is the most protective.
Walter Dwyer, president of Cosmopak, urges clients to pay attention to the details when specifying a job. “Often a client’s expectations and a supplier’s capabilities do not align. It’s critical for the client to define what they want a package to do and thereby assign a set of tests it must pass to be acceptable,” he says.
Brand owners must also be aware of unscrupulous suppliers selling components that aren’t airless at all. Sweeney says that some companies have attempted to use screw-on, dip tube pumps paired with a piston and container in an attempt to capture market demand for airless. “These systems are not true airless, and have performance issues such as self-priming issues, pump failures, and no tamper-proof features,” he says.
In an attempt to curb second-rate imposters that have come onto the scene, the Airless Pack Association is developing a certification process for airless systems. “One important question asked to the customer today is: How can you recognize if the pack in your hands is an airless dispenser, and if it is one, how do you know it is reliable?” says Taberlet.
The Airless Pack Association plans to utilize several technical tests to determine airlessness and reliability. Packages that meet the association’s standards will carry a mark of certification.
Trends Drive New Designs
Suppliers noted a number of market and packaging trends impacting airless designs. As it has in so many areas of packaging, the cultural shift to environmentally conscious products has also reached airless packaging.
Cosmogen, for example, is offering a refillable cartridge option. “With more attention being given to environmental concerns as it is related to the consumer products and cosmetics industries, Cosmogen has created an airless system that allows for eco-responsibility with a refillable cartridge,” says Serene Seebol, North American sales director, Cosmogen. The company has additionally announced its Pump’n Tint package for controlled and even application of delicate formulas, as well as the Pump’n Triball, which distributes bulk from two independent balls, while allowing the top ball to be used for spot treatment.
Cosmopak, among several of its new products, has also launched a refillable item. The Airless Fountain Pen is a refillable cartridge pen that dispenses with a push of a button. Other products recently launched include a Pop-Up Pump that twists to open and reveal the actuator, an I-Pump enabling large, consistent dosages, and the RF10 Airless Twist Pen.
And currently in testing with several clients, Lablabo launched its Brio line, featuring a completely redesigned pump that utilizes 20% less plastic material. The system is combined with the company’s EasyFoil technology, an award-winning, cylinder-shaped pouch formed from multi-layer aluminum foil to provide barrier protection.
In a similar vein, preservative-free formulations are on the rise, say suppliers, further spurring the growth of airless packaging. “We have seen and responded to a trend toward preservative-free products or products using fewer preservatives,” notes Aptar’s McEttrick.
Aptar’s Irresistible dispenser specifically addresses this challenge, guaranteeing the safety and integrity of preservative-free cosmetics.A culmination of six years of research, the dispenser uses Ultragate technology, combining two levels of barriers—a sterilizing filter and a tip seal—to protect against bacteria.The pump is currently available in two versions—an atmospheric version and an airless version.
Airless dispensers in general lend themselves to the less-preservative trend, says Taberlet. “At the moment, Lablabo is working with a lot of clients from the bio-cosmetic industry. Thanks to the high protection allowed by airless dispensers, it can decrease the need for aggressive preservatives and increase the use of less active, more natural ingredients.”
A couple of other trends are surfacing as well. Sweeney of Mega Pumps sees an increase in ‘swirl filling’. He explains: “Produced by only a small group of fillers, swirl filling provides customers the possibility to mix multiple actives in the same formula. Appearing either layered on top of each other or in a suspended helix, the ingredients remain inactive and unmingled until dispensed. Swirl filling is only effective when used within an airless dispenser.”
McEttrick notes an evolution in airless packaging shapes, specifically the use of tubes and jars. Aptar has completed its Eden range of airless systems with two compact jars. “Eden is an all-plastic, airless system with a very soft actuation. We offer a standard dispenser as well as a new dispenser with an ergonomic well that mimics the gesture of a jar.”
Aptar also teamed with Albéa to develop the Precitube line of airless tubes. The line represents a large range of tubes available in medium and small diameters, with various airless pump designs. With an integrated airless pump system in the design, Precitube models prevent sensitive formulas from drying or discoloring when in contact with oxygen, and guarantee freshness throughout the life span of the product.
Why Go Airless?
With the massive growth of airless packaging as a category, some brand owners might be wondering if it is the best option for their respective brands. Though the complexity of an airless system generally means a higher price tag than a traditional, atmospheric pump, suppliers have seen costs drop recently and additionally remind brand owners of the many benefits tied to going airless.
“I think [airless packaging] is here to stay,” asserts Dwyer of Cosmopak. “I think the cost is coming to a commercially acceptable level for many brands to consider and I believe it works.”
Sweeney of Mega Pumps sees three main advantages of utilizing an airless package, instead of more traditional options. First, he cites enhanced consumer experience. Airless dispensers increase the evacuation rate, eliminate product waste, and can be dispensed from any position, even upside down, says Sweeney.
Secondly, an airless pump promises precise and repeatable doses, a unique feature to airless that cannot be accomplished with traditional packaging such as a squeeze tube or a jar.
Finally, airless pumps offer excellent product protection, an important benefit, especially considering the proliferation of natural and more sophisticated formulas. Sweeney adds: “Since there is no air intake with airless dispensers, the formula is not exposed to air, and it is protected from oxidation, and contaminants from the exterior environment. It also helps to extend the shelf life of the product.”
