Tubes are often more travel-friendly than a bottle or dropper—and, depending on construction, they often boast many eco-friendly features.

The global tube packaging market is projected to reach $17.9 billion by 2031, rising by a 6.1% CAGR, according to Allied Market Research. Regionally, the cosmetic tube market in North America is projected to expand at a 3.9% CAGR through 2031. Analysts say the rising number of cosmetic and personal care products in tubes is fueling market growth. The study looked at both plastic and aluminum tubes.

Future Market Insights (FMI) reports “soaring demand” for makeup and skincare products in tubes. FMI analysts also note that many packaging manufacturers are collaborating with beauty brands to focus on developing tubes made from biodegradable materials. “This will accelerate the growth of the cosmetic tubes market, the report says.

Talking about aluminum tubes, a report by Business Research Insights says the demand is growing globally as more beauty brands choose aluminum tubes for hair care, skincare, and makeup products. The market is expected to reach $20.3 billion in 2028, growing at a 5.3% CAGR.

Experts Talk About Tubes’ Growing Popularity

Tubes are a popular choice for beauty brands for all types of products, but especially for hair care. “Our tube business keeps growing,” says Bruno Lebeault, marketing director at Viva Healthcare Packaging. “We’re seeing growth in brands choosing smaller tubes and velvet touch finishes—and there is a growing number of hair care brands choosing tubes,” he says.

Sean Kavanaugh, senior account manager at JSN Industries, notes the rising number of hair care products in tubes. “We’re seeing hair care brands move toward tubes and away from bottles, which is surprising,” he says. “Our customers tell us they are easier to fill and ship, and are preferred by their customers,” he says.

Tubes are also becoming a go-to option for brands looking for sustainable packaging, as there are new eco-friendly innovations. Brian Saputo, CTO & president of Seacliff Beauty, says, “Tubes have always been a relatively sustainable choice versus other packs simply due to their lighter weight. New developments have pushed options even further with mono-material choices in PE, PP and aluminum.”

Matthew Rigsby, marketing manager at Prosys, a tube-filling machinery company, says that tubes are having a major moment. “Tubes are very much in demand, especially for skincare,” he says. “Paper tubes seem to be pushing strong. We’ve also seen several beauty brands choosing metal tubes and positioning them as a prestige option, and this may be due to a trend away from plastic,” he says.

Diego Michelato, business development manager at C-Pack, says tubes offer a wide range of customization options that appeal to beauty brands. “The use of color combined with various printing processes can create designs that align with a brand’s identity and pop on shelves.”

Below are several beauty brands that chose tubes for recent launches—followed by more insights from tube suppliers. We included some of the newest innovations in tube packaging. 

On the Market: Indie Brands Love Tubes

Indie and direct-to-consumer brands are choosing tubes to house all types of products, including hair care, makeup, and skincare.

Summer Fridays is one brand that made aluminum tubes popular several years ago with its Jet Lag Mask, a moisturizer that contains hyaluronic acid, glycerin and niacinamide.

Debuting with Insta-famous pictures of its crinkled metal tube, Jet Lag Mask became a bestseller at Sephora in under two weeks when it launched in 2018— then sold out three more times. Beauty Inc called it one of “The Beauty Industry’s Most Beloved Moisturizers” in February 2023, naming it as one of its “Insider’s Icons.” Today, one Jet Lag Mask is sold every two minutes.

Summer Fridays recently created a limited-edition Mom’s Self-Care Set for Mother’s Day 2023, packaged in a faux fur lavender pouch. It included four products, all in tubes—Mini Jet Lag Mask, Mini Summer Silk Nourishing Body Lotion, Lip Butter Balm and Babymoon Belly Balm.

Florence By Mills by actress Millie Bobby Brown uses tubes in lavender hues for many products. Hydrating Hair Mask is in an oval-shaped lavender tube with a purple flip-top cap; Coffee Glow Mask’s lavender tube is decorated with hearts and coffee cups; and the new Sunny Skies Facial Moisturizer SPF 30 is in a slim white tube with a lavender cap featuring squared edges. 

Covey’s cleanser, body lotion, and lip balm are all in tubes— in three calming shades of blue. Model Emily DiDonato co-founded the brand with her friend Christina Garcia, an ex-Google digital marketing executive. DiDonato is Covey’s chief content officer, while Garcia is COO and oversees product development. The duo partnered with dermatologist Dr. Julia Russak to create clean, vegan, fragrance-free formulas that are ideal for super-sensitive skin.

A Pretty Floral Deco for P&G’s Venus Tube

Just in time for summer, P&G’s Gillette Venus brand  partnered with Rifle Paper Co. to create an 8-piece hair removal collection with an Insta-worthy look and elevated aesthetic. Rifle Paper Co.’s hand-illustrated Marguerite floral pattern adorns razor handles, cartons, and the tube that houses Venus Honeyflower Shave Cream.

“We wanted to bring a fresh partnership to Target and considered many designers, from home goods to influencers. Rifle Paper Co. is woman-led, and the brand character aligns well with Venus—vibrant, approachable, and inspired by nature,” explains Olivia Saulnier, senior designer at P&G. “We were deeply inspired by how Rifle’s founder, Anna Bond, elevates everyday moments with gorgeous designs,” she says.

Saulnier says that P&G worked with Rifle Paper Co.’s design team to ensure every detail of the tube’s pattern accurately reflected the design, inspired by a blooming meadow. “As a global company, with many technical limitations and complex production processes, we had to find the right balance of beautiful colors—and we’re very proud of the end result,” she says.

Eye-Catching Designs & Special Features

The consumer’s experience with a package is always a top priority, and tubes with specialized tips offer a more specialized delivery. “It’s all about the consumer experience—dialing in the perfect combination of orifice size with the product’s viscosity. Tip shape can also play a big part for tubes, especially for lip gloss,” says Seacliff Beauty’s Saputo.

Saputo says Seacliff often helps beauty brands with in-house testing that will prevent all types of issues, perfect every detail, and deliver a better user experience. “The goal is to use an orifice size that allows dispensing at a reasonable force. If the orifice is large and the formula is very thin, product flow will be too fast and messy. A thick product with a small orifice requires too much force. It seems intuitive, but I’ve seen these types of problems occur many times,” he explains.

Viva Healthcare’s specialty is decorating capabilities, and it recently produced an airless pump tube for Not Your Mother’s Sleep On It Serum Cream. The injection-molded white polypropylene tube has a custom-color blue pearl polypropylene airless pump with a clear polypropylene overcap. It features a foil barrier in its in-mold label, decorated with blues and greens using flexo-printing and silkscreen accents.

“The tube is topped with a matte varnish and includes a unique nighttime surprise—some elements of the artwork glow in the dark,” says Bruno Lebeault, Viva’s director of marketing. Viva is known for its high-definition in-mold label decoration from the shoulder to the crimp, 360 degrees around a tube. “We also offer mono-material designs compatible with rigid PP recycling streams and the highest PCR content,” says Lebeault. Viva is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. 

The Penthouse Group represents Yoshino, which recently launched several tube innovations. “Yoshino produces approximately 90% of the tubes in the Japanese market and specializes in working with brands on new tube projects that require a highly specialized function or decoration,” says Richard Esterbrook, director of sales at The Penthouse Group. “Luxury cosmetic brands in the U.S. often come to Yoshino looking for a tube with a special shape, decoration, or function,” he says.

Yoshino offers eye-catching decorations for co-extruded tubes, including gradation coatings and a marble effect, created in-mold.

C-Pack says it boasts the most extensive production capacity in Latin America, with an impressive 237 million tubes annually. The company now has a U.S. office in Miami, aimed at expanding the company’s global reach.

C-Pack offers customized packaging solutions, along with high-definition flexographic printing, for visually striking tubes designed to make an impact on shelf. “Our Flex Technology provides exceptional decoration that enhances a tube’s visual appeal. Brands can also create a cohesive look with custom cap colors,” says Diego Michelato, business development manager at C-Pack USA.

Innovative Eco-Friendly Paper Tubes

Paper tubes are the latest buzz-worthy sustainable packaging innovation—and Albéa achieved a “global first” in 2020 when the supplier collaborated with L’Oréal Group.

L’Oréal launched several products in Albéa’s Metamorphosis, the first-ever carton-based cosmetic tube, including La Roche Posay’s Lipikar AP+M Triple Repair Body Moisturizer. It contains La Roche-Posay’s prebiotic thermal water, ceramide-3, shea butter, and niacinamide to reduce dry, rough skin and provide 48-hour hydration.

“La Roche Posay’s tube is a breakthrough design that maximizes plastic reduction,” says Caroline Hughes, marketing manager, Albéa Tubes.

It combines a paper-based sleeve, Albéa’s ultra-light EcoFusion Top, and a two-in-one HDPE cap. “Weight is reduced by over 80% compared to standard head and cap solutions. And, the tube uses 60% less plastic than the brand’s previous lightweight plastic tube,” says Hughes.

Albéa’s EcoFusion Top is a breakthrough open-and-close system that is the most advanced packaging solution in weight reduction on the market, the supplier says. Albéa recently expanded its range, and the EcoFusion Top is now available in 35mm diameters for new personal care applications.

Albéa expanded its range of paper tubes in late 2022 with its new white paper tube. “It contains a minimum of 50% FSC certified paper and is a unique structure that will help to reduce the amount of plastic in the package, thus reducing a brand’s carbon footprint and improving its environmental impact,” says Hughes. Albéa’s new white paper tube can be embossed, debossed, hot-stamped, and decorated using other processes.

Hoffman Neopac recently introduced its Paper X Tube Series, a thin-walled 300- micron fiber-based laminate tube. It is made from 80% paper to reduce both plastic material use and overall carbon footprint. The tube contains 46% less plastic than conventional tubes, which leads to a 24% drop in CO2 emissions, the company says.
 
The tube’s paper construction features a soft texture and tactile qualities. “Paper X Tubes deliver an ultra-sensory packaging experience while conveying an ultra-sustainable image to showcase a brand’s corporate responsibility to eco-conscious consumers,” says Mark Aegler, CEO of Hoffman Neopac Group Switzerland.

Hoffman Neopac’s Paper X Tube is easily filled and sealed on standard machinery. The package is ideal for sun care lotions, body and face creams, and toothpaste.

More Eco-Conscious Advances for Tubes

Mono-material constructions for plastic tubes help ensure the package is recycled correctly. Seacliff Beauty’s Mono-Material Airless tube collection features a Pump UD Airless system to preserve the integrity of micro-encapsulated formulas up to 110 microns. The airless system preserves the product’s properties until skin contact, preventing air from returning inside the package. It can be produced in 100% PE or PE derived from sugar cane.

“We also offer tubes made using up to 100% Ocean Bound Plastic through our partnership with #tide,” says Saputo. “We’ve had great success with sleeve extrusion and injection molded caps,” he says.
   
During development, the team at Seacliff Beauty conducts performance tests. “Results have shown that #tide’s mechanical upcycling formula can fully regenerate the components of ocean-bound plastic waste to a virgin level,” says Saputo.

Yoshino’s eco-friendly options include tubes that reduce plastic and are available with co-extruded or aluminum laminate sleeves. “Yoshino also offers a Wood Pulp layer tube,” says The Penthouse Group’s Esterbrook. “It has wood pulp in the middle layer and reduces plastic by 9 to 14%,” he says.

JSN says it strives to be a leader in sustainable options in tubes. “We were one of the first to offer plant-based resins as an option for tubes,” says Kavanaugh. “We now offer PCR for both tubes and closures. We perform extensive product and stability testing to achieve a brand’s targets. Dependent upon their art, some deco changes also become necessary to accommodate even the best of available PCR,” he says.

New in Aluminum Tubes

When a brand is looking for aluminum tubes, Montebello Packaging offers many size options and neck variations. “We offer diameters that vary from a half inch to one and a half inches,” says Steven MacPhail, vice president of sales and marketing at Montebello Packaging.

Another supplier, Alltub Group, specializes in aluminum barrier tubes for beauty brands, including Benefit Cosmetics. “We launched our ‘green’ tube made of 95% post-consumer recycled aluminum in 2020—and our latest innovation is our aluminum cap,” says Leria Kacel, marketing manager of Alltub Group. 

Advances in Tube Machinery

Tube packaging requires specialized machinery, such as high-speed fillers. Prosys has over 35 years of experience filling and sealing metal tubes with various closing options. Prosys has a new machine in the works that will allow an operator to load new boxes without interrupting the machine’s workflow.

“We are working on a new high-speed tube filler with an automatic robot tube load,” explains Matthew Rigsby, marketing manager at Prosys. “It allows the user to load multiple tube boxes. The robot will pick up each, unload the tubes, and return the empty box before grabbing the next one. We are looking at speeds up to 100 per minute,” he explains.

Prosys manufactures its tube-filling systems and parts in Webb City, Missouri. “We finished our expansion last year and now have a massive new clean production floor. We also have five service techs dedicated to responding quickly to service requests, Rigsby says.

Ensuring a Product Evacuates from a Tube

Beauty brands often prefer tubes over bottles for certain products, such as thick creams. When paired with the right dispensing cap, evacuating the product is usually easy, but some products require extra help to flow more easily.

Liquiglide EveryDrop is a coating applied to the inside of a tube during filling to ensure complete evacuation for various products, including water-based creams, lotions, gels, hair conditioners, and more. The company demonstrated how well its coating works using two identical tubes produced by Hoffman Neopac. One tube contained LiquiGlide EveryDrop, and one didn’t—and a tester evacuated both to compare the product flow.

LiquiGlide EveryDrop doesn’t mix with the product or affect its ingredient list. “It’s considered a processing aid, and it’s made using many of the same ingredients in many products but mixed differently. It makes the inside of the pack slippery‚ but stays on the outside of the product if that makes sense,” explains Brian Jordan, vice president of engineering, LiquiGlide.

What’s Next?

Tubes will no doubt continue to be a popular and convenient option in beauty packaging, so we asked packaging suppliers what changes may lie ahead.

The Penthouse Group’s Esterbrook says preventing counterfeiting will be a growing focus for beauty brands. The Penthouse Group offers its trademarked BrandMark, an icon that can be printed on tubes in-line during production.

Eco-friendly innovations will continue, suppliers say. Albéa recently launched its Timeless PCR PBL solution for personal care products, which reduces weight by 24% compared to a traditional plastic barrier laminate tube.

Timeless integrates 25% PCR in the tube, overall—with 30% PCR in the web and up to 70% PCR in the tube shoulder. “We will continue pushing for eco-responsible solutions and soon offer a full PCR tube with PCR caps,” says Albéa’s Hughes.

Hoffman Neopac’s Aegler says the supplier is committed to building a sustainable future by developing new innovative eco-friendly solutions for tubes and advancing the use of renewable energy for production. “We are also developing low-profile caps and shoulderless concepts for Paper X Tubes,” says Aegler.

Over the past year, the team at JSN has developed several innovations that it is not yet ready to describe. Sandy Nagel, president of JSN, says, “We have been overwhelmingly devoted to investigating and experimenting with new materials, additives, and light weighting components. Some of our newest developments are not ready for production—yet. But our investment in sustainability is remarkable, so stay tuned.”