Introduction
Cosmetic Tubes: A Versatile and Affordable Packaging Solution
Cosmetic tubes are widely used in various industries worldwide due to their non-toxic and hygienic nature, bright and attractive surface colors, and affordable prices. These tubes are ideal for packaging cosmetics, medicine, food, detergent, and other daily necessities.
Their economic and portable design makes them popular among cosmetic companies to store lotions and gums. In recent years, tube packaging has gained even more popularity due to the modern packaging industry’s rapid growth and the ongoing improvement of plastic tube packaging.
If you’re interested in learning more about tube packaging, you’ve come to the right place. This blog will provide all the necessary information about the benefits, usage, and types of cosmetic tubes. We’ll also recommend reliable tube packaging suppliers to ensure you get the best quality for your products.
Join us to discover the advantages of using cosmetic tubes for your packaging needs.
Cosmetic Tubes: A Versatile Packaging Solution For Australian Businesses
Plastic laminated tubes have become a popular packaging choice for cosmetics, medicines, and food due to their affordability and hygiene. The growth of skin care and bath products has also driven the demand for tube packaging. Unlike other packaging options, tubes offer numerous advantages, making them an essential part of the packaging industry.
Cosmetic companies are significant customers of tube packaging, accounting for 60% to 70% of the market. Plastic composite tubes are commonly used for cleaning creams, facial washes, shower gels, shampoos, conditioners, hair dyes, hair removal creams, toothpaste, and other personal care products.
In the pharmaceutical industry, tubes are primarily used for topical creams and pastes. Around 15% to 20% of drugs are packaged in tubes.
With their versatility and convenience, tubes have become an indispensable form of packaging. They provide protection against air, light, and moisture, ensuring the longevity and effectiveness of products. Tubes also offer easy dispensing, allowing for precise dosing and minimizing waste.
As consumers become increasingly environmentally conscious, there has been a rise in the demand for sustainable packaging options. Fortunately, tubes can be made from eco-friendly materials such as sugarcane or recycled plastics. They are also lightweight, reducing transportation emissions.
In conclusion, cosmetic tubes are an excellent packaging solution for a range of products. They offer affordability, hygiene, and versatility while also being eco-friendly. With the growing demand for sustainable packaging, tubes will continue to play a vital role in the packaging industry.
Classification of Plastic Tube
cosmetic tubes are classified based on their material into single-layer and multi-layer tubes. Single-layer tubes are further categorized into metal and plastic extruded tubes, while multi-layer tubes are classified as aluminum composite tubes, plastic composite tubes, and plastic co-extruded tubes.
Another way to classify cosmetic tubes is based on their processing. They can be divided into seamless and seamed tubes. The seamless tubes are formed using cold press, roll forming, and extrusion processes. On the other hand, seamed tubes involve additional processes such as high-frequency welding, ultrasonic welding, heat welding, and other forming methods.
Extrusion molding is a common process for both single and multi-layer plastic tubes.
Cosmetic tubes are widely used in the beauty industry to store and dispense various personal care products such as creams, lotions, gels, and serums. The type of tube used depends on the product’s specific requirements and the manufacturer’s preferences.
Single-layer plastic tubes are commonly used for products that do not require high barrier protection. These tubes are made of materials such as LDPE, HDPE, and PP, which are flexible, lightweight, and cost-effective.
Multi-layer tubes are preferred for products that require high barrier protection against oxygen, moisture, and UV light. These tubes are made of multiple layers of different materials such as aluminum, EVOH, and nylon, which provide superior protection to the contents.
Seamless tubes are preferred for their smooth appearance and uniform thickness. They are commonly used for high-end products that require an aesthetically pleasing appearance.
Seamed tubes are preferred for their strength and durability. Also the advantage of the sheet tube is that it can be printed with color, pure PE(extruded rube) can only be used for simple printing with color limitation.
To sum up, the classification of cosmetic tubes is based on their material and processing. Understanding these classifications is crucial for manufacturers to choose.
Feel free to contact us to provide you with suitable soft customer packaging solutions.
1. Aluminum barrier laminated tube（ABL Tube）
Aluminum Barrier Tubes: Ideal Packaging for Sensitive Products
Aluminum Barrier Tubes, also known as ABL tubes, are a type of packaging that uses an aluminum barrier layer to prevent moisture and oxygen from entering the product. They are made by co-extruding aluminum foil and plastic film.
Due to their excellent barrier properties, ABL tubes are commonly used for products that are sensitive to oxidation or moisture, such as cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Their typical structure is PE/PE+EAA/AL/PE+EAA/PE.
The aluminum barrier layer in ABL tubes is generally made of aluminum foil and acts as a barrier against external factors that may compromise the product’s quality. The barrier’s effectiveness depends on the pinhole size of the aluminum foil layer.
Thanks to continuous advancements in technology, the thickness of the aluminum foil barrier layer has been significantly reduced from the traditional 40μm to as low as 12μm or even 9μm, leading to considerable resource savings.
ABL tubes are ideal for products that require high hygiene and barrier protection, such as cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. They provide airtight and moisture-proof packaging, ensuring product integrity and longevity.
In conclusion, Aluminum Barrier Tubes are an excellent choice for packaging products that require high barrier protection. They are cost-effective and offer reliable protection against oxidation and moisture, ensuring the product’s quality and shelf-life. With continuous technological improvements, ABL tubes will continue to be a popular packaging option for sensitive products in various industries.
ABL tube in the use of the process has the following advantages.
- excellence barrier performance
Aluminum foil has a light barrier, oxygen barrier, and water barrier properties, on the one hand, it can prevent the intrusion of external substances into the packaging, prevent oxidation and deterioration of cosmetics, also prevent cosmetic moisture or fragrance and other ingredients through the hose diffusion to the outside world, so as to ensure the quality of cosmetics.
- Low cost.
To achieve the same barrier performance, the ABL tube can achieve the same barrier performance with less material when compared to the all-plastic laminated tube and plastic co-extruded tube.
- Lightweight
One of the benefits of using aluminum is that it’s much lighter than other metals. This makes ABL tubes easy to transport and helps to reduce shipping costs.
- Durable
Aluminum is also known for being a very strong and durable metal. This means that ABL tubes can withstand a lot of wear and tear, making them ideal for products that will be shipped or stored for long periods of time.
- Customizable
ABL tubes can be customized to meet your specific needs. For example, they can be printed with your company’s logo or branding.
3. All-plastic laminate tube（PBL）
The all-plastic laminate tube is made of all plastic components. It can be divided into all-plastic non-barrier laminated tubes and all-plastic barrier laminated tubes.
The all-plastic non-barrier laminated tube is generally used for low-grade fast-consuming cosmetics packaging;
PBL laminated tube, due to the existence of side seams, is usually used in low-grade cosmetics packaging, a barrier layer can be a multi-layer composite material containing EVOH, PVDC, oxide coated PET, etc.
The typical structure of the PBL tube is PE/PE/EVOH/PE/PE.
The advantages of the PBL tube are as follows.
Compared with the ABL tube, the PBL tube uses an economical, easy-to-recycle all-plastic sheet, which can reduce the pollution of the environment
recycled all-plastic laminated tubes after reprocessing can be produced relatively low-grade products.
- Rich color
According to the characteristics of cosmetics and different consumer demands, the all-plastic laminated tubes can be made into different colors, such as colorless transparency, color transparency, color opaque, etc., to bring consumers a strong visual enjoyment.
Especially the transparent PBL tube, the color of the contents can be clearly seen, giving a strong visual impact, and greatly promoting the consumer’s desire to buy.
- Good resilience
Compared to aluminum-plastic laminated tubes, the PBL tube has better resilience to ensure that after squeezing, the tube can quickly return to its original form, maintaining a beautiful, regular appearance. This is crucial for cosmetic packaging.
Plastic co-extrusion tube
Plastic co-extrusion tube uses co-extrusion technology to co-extrude types of raw materials together in a single process.
Plastic co-extruded tube is divided into single-layer extruded tube and multi-layer co-extruded tube.
The former is mainly used for the packaging of fast-consuming cosmetics (such as hand creams, etc.) with high requirements for appearance and low requirements for actual use performance, while the latter is mainly used for the packaging of high-end cosmetics.
The main advantages of plastic co-extruded hose are as follows.
- better appearance
Since there is no side seal, the appearance is better than that of a laminated tub, which is necessary for high-grade cosmetic tube packaging.
- Rich choice of shape
According to the different extrusion, various shapes of the extruded tubes can be produced, such as oval, square, etc., to meet the needs of different consumers.
Analysis of the disadvantages of various plastic tubes
The above-mentioned three kinds of plastic tubes for cosmetic packaging have their own disadvantages.
(1) aluminum-plastic laminated tubes due to the use of aluminum foil, there are many drawbacks, such as invisible contents, poor environmental protection, poor resilience, compound strength lower than the full plastic laminated tubes, and easy delamination, etc.
(2) full plastic laminated tube’s barrier mainly depends on the type of barrier layer material, thickness, etc.,
Take the all plastic laminated tube with EVOH as barrier layer material as an example
to achieve the same barrier and stiffness, its cost is about 20% to 30% higher than the aluminum ABL tubes.
In the future for a considerable period of time, this will become the main factor limiting the full plastic laminated tube to replace the aluminum-plastic laminated tube
(3) Plastic co-extrusion hoses are generally made first and then printed. For the printing process, the efficiency is low, the process is complex and difficult.
The development trend of the composite tube sheet
Aluminum foil has become thinner than ever
A composite tube sheet is usually composed of white polyethylene, acid copolymer, aluminum foil, transparent polyethylene, etc..
The traditional sheet is very thick, in which the aluminum foil is generally 40μ or 30μ. With the continuous improvement of technology, aluminum foil is getting thinner and thinner, and the proportion of its content in the sheet is getting smaller and smaller, from 29.44% in 1980 to the current 12.21%.
Thinner aluminum foils are now only 12μ, which brings the barrier layer closer to the contents.
Sheet transparency
More and more colored creams and gel-based ointments are gaining popularity with consumers.
When these products are packed in transparent laminated tubes, their attractive colors and good texture make people love them, and the clear tube packaging undoubtedly serves as the icing on the cake.
But the use of a transparent hose, the contents of the tube are vulnerable to ultraviolet radiation and degradation. At present, companies have developed “UV-blocking” product formulations, that can effectively protect the filled product from UV damage.
Environmental friendliness is emphasized
When the thickness of the aluminum foil barrier layer in the hose is reduced from the traditional 40μ to 12μ, it can save a lot of resources;
Environmental friendliness is not only the disposal of packaging waste but also should include the pollution of the environment and its consumption of resources in the production process.
The use of EVOH (ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer) and other high barrier materials enables manufacturers to completely replace the aluminum foil, so the composite tube can be fully recycled and conducive to biodegradation.
Whether it is cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, or food, the first thing to consider in packaging is hygiene performance, followed by barrier performance, print adaptability, and chemical resistance. Of course, the economy and ease of use must also be considered.
Basic, streamlined, simple – these words were used in the past to describe cosmetic packaging, especially tubes, These words are outdated now. In a flash, the trend has shifted in another direction.
“You are seeing the industry itself move away from the basic style of packaging,” said the industry’s tube packaging experts.
This shift is certainly from the simple white packaging to more colorful tubes.
And some stores such as Wal-Mart, have a big influence on this trend, as their shelves also feature a multitude of colored tubes; experts stressed that this is the need for visual effect.
Today’s consumers care about the packaging of their products, and many prefer to buy things that are uniquely packaged. Indeed, to stand out among the hundreds of products in the supermarket, and immediately attract the attention of customers, without some effort on the packaging is not possible.
Those who look new, easy to use, safe, and look like high-technology packaging will inevitably be more eye-catching. And the stores are deeply interested in this trend, and the shelves also feature a large number of colorful hoses.
Many large cosmetic companies are already using the tube after a subtle design. But the market is becoming more demanding for tube packaging, they require tube packaging with more beautiful patterns, softer touch, and the ability to place the picture on the composite tube.
Recently, the trend of the metallic appearance of tube packaging is still very hot. Interest in pearl and rainbow color effects is also continuing, these effects are achieved by adding color to the tube material.
Low cost
In the quest to reduce packaging costs, cosmetic companies are pushing tube manufacturers to lower production costs of composite tubes. To achieve this, manufacturers are exploring various options, such as using thinner aluminum foil and more compact interlayer structures.
Over the years, the thickness of aluminum foil used in composite tubes has decreased from 40μ to the current range of 20μ to 30μ, with some types as thin as 12μ. However, reducing foil thickness is not a simple task of subtraction. It requires process innovation, equipment improvement, and the use of other materials to ensure the product’s performance remains uncompromised.
Each reduction in thickness is only possible through process improvements and material enhancements.
Reduce the loss in the production process.
To minimize loss during the production of aluminum-plastic composite tubes, consider utilizing wider gravure printing processes and double or multi-head co-extrusion technology. By improving these processes, production speed can be increased, resulting in enhanced efficiency and reduced losses.
The production process of the cosmetic tube
Extrusion
The production process of plastic cosmetic tubes begins with extrusion. This first phase involves the use of plastic extruders to create high-volume, single-use tubes that can be customized with various colors and shapes to match a brand’s aesthetic, such as lipstick or eye shadow containers.
To start, raw materials, including resins, pellets, granules, powder, and flakes, are fed into the barrel alongside any necessary color concentrates. These materials are heated by specialized machinery inside the device, which helps them melt together into a smooth flowing mixture, preventing clogging. However, too much heat can cause distortion, while too little results in globbing, as different materials respond differently. Therefore, precise temperature control is crucial and has a significant impact on the following process.
Cutting
During the second stage of production, plastic cosmetic tubes of various shapes and sizes undergo cutting. The tubes are exposed to high temperatures before being fed into a water-cooled sleeve.
This process, known as cutting, involves the use of color dyes to cut the tubes into specific lengths that vary depending on the product type.
Heading
Benefits of Compression Heading Process in Cosmetic Tube Production.
The compression heading process for cosmetic tubes is a game-changer in the manufacturing industry. Here are some reasons why:
- Superior Strength and Durability: The compression method used in the heading process results in a more robust and durable tube head, making it less prone to breakage and damage during transportation or usage.
- Flexibility in Design: This process allows for greater flexibility in design, enabling manufacturers to create unique and eye-catching cosmetic tube heads that stand out on the shelf.
- Efficient Production: Compression heading is a faster and more efficient heating method, making it ideal for mass production. This translates to reduced production costs and increased profitability for manufacturers.
In summary, the compression heading process for cosmetic tubes is superior to traditional heading methods in terms of strength, design flexibility, and efficiency. Manufacturers who adopt this method will enjoy increased profitability and better product quality.
Printing
After completing the heading process for your cosmetic tube, you can enhance its appearance by printing your preferred design or decoration. You can choose from different printing methods such as screen printing, offset printing, and gravure printing. It’s crucial to select the method that best fits your requirements, as each has its advantages and disadvantages.
Screen printing is one of the most widely used printing techniques for cosmetic tubes. It involves directly printing cosmetics on the surface of plastic products, providing benefits such as high printing speed, low cost, and adaptability. Screen printing is perfect for small batch production and can achieve a printing speed of up to 150m/min. Moreover, post-processing techniques like hot stamping and die cutting can be performed after printing.
To execute screen printing on cosmetic tubes after the heading process, you need essential equipment such as an anilox roll, doctor blade, chamber doctor blade, ink pump, printing cylinder, and die-cutting plate. The anilox roll transfers ink to the die-cutting plate, while the chamber doctor blade eliminates any surplus ink. The ink pump delivers printing ink, and the printing cylinder rotates to transfer the design onto the product’s surface. Finally, the die-cutting plate is used for cutting after printing.
Cosmetic tube suppliers
Looking for reliable cosmetic tube suppliers in Australia? Look no further!
We’ve compiled a list of the most reputable suppliers in the country to help you find the perfect packaging for your products.
Primepac
PrimePac is your go-to partner for innovative packaging solutions. We leverage the expertise of our design and brand innovators to deliver customized packaging and streamlined processes that are both creative and efficient.
Our team of seasoned professionals is equipped with the in-house knowledge and global network necessary to cater to a diverse clientele. From our dedicated sales team and warehouse staff in Australia to the production experts in our Chinese facilities, every employee at PrimePac is guided by our four core values: integrity, innovation, passion, and engagement.
With a commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction, we take pride in offering packaging solutions that cater to every need. Experience the PrimePac difference, and let us help take your brand to new heights.
Weltrade Packaging Solutions
At Weltrade Packaging Solutions (WPS), we aspire to be the ultimate in every aspect of our business. Our mission statement reflects our unwavering dedication to customer satisfaction, honesty, and commitment to sustainable practices within our community.
We strive to exceed your expectations and help you achieve your goals with our exceptional packaging solutions. At WPS, we understand the importance of balancing the needs of our customers with a commitment to environmental responsibility. We are continuously implementing sustainable practices to reduce our carbon footprint and preserve our planet for future generations.
Choose WPS for your packaging needs, and experience the unparalleled level of excellence and commitment to sustainability that sets us apart from the competition.
Auber
Auber has been a trusted leader in the cosmetic tube manufacturing industry since 2004.
Our products are known for their exceptional quality and durability, and can be found across various industries worldwide, including cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and artisanal painting tools. With a decade of experience, Auber is dedicated to providing our customers with products that meet the highest standards.
Our manufacturing process is fully certified with ISO 9001, ensuring that every product we produce undergoes rigorous quality control from start to finish. You can trust that when you purchase from Auber, you are receiving the very best in quality and reliability.
Mpack
For 15 years, our family-owned business has been dedicated to delivering high-quality standards.
We specialize in producing and packaging for companies within the cosmetics, para-pharmaceuticals, food, and household chemicals industries. Our reputation as a reliable supplier is built on our commitment to the environment.
We offer eco-friendly options such as sugarcane tubes made from ecological polyethylene (SUGARCANE), containing recycled material (PCR).
Choose us as your supplier and partner with us in creating sustainable and responsible packaging solutions.
Conclusion
If you’re considering entering the rapidly evolving tube packaging industry, know that cosmetic tube suppliers are consistently seeking ways to enhance their products.
Contact us for more information on this market, and we’ll gladly assist you in exploring the available opportunities.
