What are commonly used materials in cosmetic packaging?
Unsustainable or unrenewable materials
Plastic
Plastic has various types. Polypropylene(PP), polyethylene terephthalate(PET), polyethylene(PE), and polystyrene(PS) are widely used in cosmetic packaging.
PP is usually used to make lids of cream jars, tonner, and nail polishers. PP can be semi-transparent, it’s soft with corruption resistance. PP is hard to degrade in the natural environment, its chain degradation needs exposure to above 100°C, long time UV exposure only makes it fragile.
PS/AS is used to make vacuum bottles, easy to shape with good transparency.
ABS is food-grade safe plastic. It sounds crisp with a solid shape. Can be made into perfume outer caps or lids of cream jars.
PE is used in seals on jars and bottles, droppers, and pump cores.
Acrylic plastic can be used to make covers, but not to store cosmetic fluid.
Generally, the recycling rate of plastic is low. The trend of plastic recycling rate is even falling in the United States. It fell from 8.7% in 2018 to 5-6% in 2021.
Sustainable or renewable materials
- Glass
Glass is more sustainable than plastic alternatives. Due to the relatively high recycling rate and recycling technique, making new glass from recycled glasses requires less energy than melting raw materials. Engineers and scientists are developing new techniques to reduce CO2 emissions during recycling.
Widely used as serum bottles, perfume bottles, and food jars.
- Bamboo / Wood
Bamboo grows in about 2 years. Growing wood costs a longer period of time. Bamboo and wood are all natural renewable materials. They can be grown and harvested over and over again while carefully planned. During the growth of bamboo and wood, they absorb tons of CO2 from the atmosphere and can relieve global climate change.
Widely used as lids for food jars, essential oil bottles, and cream jars.
Conclusion
You can choose sustainable materials as a priority. The thing you need to be careful about is whether it causes chemical reactions with cosmetic fluid. Packaging printing can be done on most material surfaces. Hope you enjoy and find ideal packaging for your cosmetic products.
Reference:
- How is the growing plastic waste problem impacting America? (//www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/05/plastic-waste-generation-new-highs-us-report/)
- Wood benefits eco-material home (//www.housebeautiful.com/uk/decorate/a21614875/wood-benefits-eco-material-home/)
