Cebal’s Tandem tube combines an oval shape with a bi-color dispensing cap. Tandem is available in bright color combinations.

The humble tube container is a basic part of everyday life. The average American touches five tubes—aluminum, plastic or laminate—every day containing personal care products from toothpaste to shampoo, hand cream to hair gel, according to Christopher White, president of The Filling Station, a contract filler that works with tubes exclusively.

Tube suppliers continue to look for ways to improve their product, developing new constructions, closures and decorative finishes to provide a better quality container and to help their customers differentiate product on retail shelves.

The Shape of Tubes to Come
Bertrand M. Daru, marketing manager for Cebal Americas, Norwalk, CT, believes there is a strong trend to oval tubes. Cebal’s new Tandem oval is available in a 2” diameter size with a bi-color dispensing cap.

The oval is in demand, agreed, Russell P. Cisek, director of sales for Tubed Products, Easthampton, MA. The company’s line of oval tubes with dispenser closures in translucent or opaque substrates is particularly popular at present, Cisek said, adding, “People like the shape and it’s easier to squeeze for an older population.”

James Alexander offers a one-piece molded plastc tube that is activated by a squeeze for single dose applications.

Specialty Tubes for Special Applications
Tubepack has created a 13.5 mm (1/2” diameter) twist-off tube to meet demand for cosmetic trial size tubes or unit-dose containers. A new 13.5 mm ophthalmic tube featuring a fitted ophthalmic cap is suitable for eye gels, lip balms and concealers. Tubepack North America is based in Montclair, CA.

James Alexander Corp., Blairstown, NJ, has developed a unit-dose system consisting of a one-piece molded polyethylene or propylene unit that remains intact until activated by a squeeze. The system is available in a variety of sizes and styles, ranging from dropper tips and swabs to custom dispensers. The contents are released with a gentle squeeze, which breaks an inner plastic membrane. The contents are dispensed one drop at a time, with nothing to cut, shear or twist.

Now Available in the U.S.
Two European tube innovations are being introduced to North America. Last year, Amcor Plastube North America entered a licensing agreement with Hoffmann Neopac AG of Switzerland that gave Amcor exclusive rights to the Polyfoil high barrier tube making technology. The Polyfoil tubes are made of a layer of aluminum sandwiched between layers of polyethylene in a unique construction in which the seam is almost invisible.

“The Polyfoil tube keeps its shape like a plastic tube and doesn’t collapse like an aluminum tube,” said Jennifer Hackett, Amcor’s marketing manager. “It looks and feels like plastic and can have 360° of decoration. It can also have a metallic look by making the outside layer transparent or translucent to allow the metal to show through.”

Amcor is opening a new plant in Allentown, PA, which will be up and running in December 2002, that will manufacture the company’s proprietary Polyfoil and plastic monolayer tubes.

Ever Corp., a Newport, AR-based supplier of collapsible aluminum tubes, has formed a partnership with H. Obrist & Co. AG of Switzerland to market Obrist’s products in the U.S. Ever is now introducing Obrist’s Softube to the North American market. Based in Manchester, MO, Chris M. Dawson, vice president sales, international products Softube/Obrist & Co, AG, joined Ever to work on the marketing of Softube.

Dawson explained that Obrist developed the Softube in response to a European demand for a product that would generate very little waste to landfill once empty.

The special package is made inline on the Softube plant, which forms, fills and seals the tubes in a continuous operation. The package is created from a roll of laminate that forms the pouch. A tamper-evident cap is attached to the items. The packages are then filled and sealed. Graphics are on the roll goods.

The Softube system is available from Ever Corp.

“Softube eliminates the need to warehouse packaging components,” said Dawson. “You don’t have to store and ship a lot of air and packaging. The Softube construction is compatibility driven, and can be made of PP, PE, PET with or without the aluminum foil layer in various combinations according to project specifications.

Norden AndBro and Handsfree collaborated on this tube with a sponge applicator for application without touching the formula.

Innovative Applicators and Closures
Norden AndBro supplies a variety of tubes from its Pitman, NJ facilities and filling equipment for tubes from its Branchburg, NJ location. Handsfree of Fountain Valley, CA, partnered with Norden to create a delivery system for tubed lotions and gels that allows the application of products such as sunscreen, sunless tanning products and topical analgesics without touching the formula with one’s hands, according to Deborah Spaeth, Norden sales. Norden’s tube is squeezed and a small amount of product comes though the top of the Handsfree sponge pad applicator.

Other recent developments from Norden include the Elliptical MDPE/HDPE tube that is available in a 1 1/2” and 2” diameters and and several unit dose containers.

Cebal launched an airless tube in September 2001 featuring a special nozzle inserted in the head to keep air from going back into the tube.

Europack, a U.S. company based in Medfield, MA, which represents several European suppliers, is getting more requests for special applicators and closures for its tubes, according to Mike Meyer, company president. “They (customers) want more dispensing control. For instance, a hair care product might need precise dispensing for a thin liquid formula. Flip-top caps that can be oriented to the front panel of the tube are also in demand,” Meyer said. “Traditionally, the cap opened in any direction, but now marketers realize that if it is oriented to the front of the package, the consumer will look at the front of the label and the brand’s image every time they open the tube.”

Jim Cooper, vice president of sales and marketing for CCL Plastic Packaging, Oakridge, NJ, said the company is in the midst of developing several new head and closure styles. It recently created the Round to Oval (RTO) closure for the exclusive use of Cosmetic Essence Inc. It’s an oval closure that will work on a round tube.

Zeller Plastik, Libertyville, IL, creates closures for tubes, such as flip-top caps and other specialty systems that are stock or custom. The stock closures can be customized with finishing options such as soft touch or matte, according to Nancy Kane, marketing coordinator. She noted that recently, Zeller has rounded the edges on its closures and improved the thumb depression for easier use. A new cap prevents water from infiltrating the tube in wet environments like the shower.

Tubepack New Zealand with headquarters in Auckland, NZ, is introducing several tube designs. A joint venture with Cormack Packaging of Australia has resulted in a tamper-evident cap and tube system that features a flip-top cap design by Zeller Plastik. The cap features a tear-off strip on the cap that must be removed to reach the contents.

Europack represents aluminum tubes from Pressta that are finding demand for cosmetic applications.

New Cosmetic Use for Aluminum Tubes
For cosmetic products such as lip color, blush and eyeshadow, “There is definitely a trend toward small, aluminum tubes similar to those used by artists for water color and oil paint,” said Europack’s Meyer. Europack distributes collapsible aluminum tubes made by Pressta in Switzerland and plastic tubes made by Lindhardt in Germany. Meyer noted, “The (aluminum) tubes feel good in the hand are easier to control when dispensing product.”

Co-Ex Tubes: Two or More Layers
Cebal is now manufacturing high density co-extruded tubes in five layers for a better barrier as is CCL which also offers two-layer co-extruded tubes for an enhanced finish or soft touch effects.

Linhardt’s plastic tubes are available from Europack with a variety of decorations including offset, silk sreening and hot stamping.

Linhardt, represented in the U.S. by Europack, manufactures some 225 million tubes a year at its four factories in Germany. The company offers a co-extruded tube made of five layers for a “better barrier” with a 0.5 mm wall thickness.

For a pearlescent look, Tubed Products offers a dual layer tube featuring a white layer on the inside with a pearlescent layer on top for a more luminous effect.

Decoration Can Make the Tube
For innovative decorating, Cebal has developed two new families of inks for special printed effects. The Shimmer Colors create a sparkle effect with tiny particles and the Opal Shades produce a pearlescent effect. New equipment makes five-color silk screening possible in one pass, which “makes it affordable,” stressed Daru.

Meyer noted that to meet the ongoing demand for better graphics, Europack can offer up to eight colors for offset and four colors for silk screening. “We can also do hot stamping on the tube and on the cap,” he said.

Tubed Products has developed the Design-r tube, which features an attention-getting band of color between the sleeve and cap. The band can compliment or contrast with other elements of the tube or can be used to color code different products in a single line. Tubed Products also provides a full menu of decorating services including offset printing, silk screening, hot stamping and labeling. The company makes many of the caps used with its tubes as well.

CCL’s Cooper said, “We are seeing a lot of development in the label area in conjunction with our sister company, CCL Label. There are new technologies such as the use of liquid foil to replace hot stamping.”

JSN Offers Smaller Runs
JSN Industries Inc., a tube manufacturer located in Irvine, CA, began as a cap manufacturer more than 35 years ago, according to John Ulibarri, company sales manager. In the 1980s, JSN was approached to supply tubes as well and started a small operation manufacturing boutique type tubes. The company has since grown its tube business, making low, medium and high density mono-layer plastic tubes. JSN runs smaller quantities, with a 10,000 minimum.

It offers decorating including silkscreening, two-color and six-color offset hot stamping and any combination thereof. “We offer a turnkey operation,” Ulibarri said. Current trends are to the use of color and tints as well as high-end decorating looks with foils and printing for a more elaborately decorated tube. “Tubes are a growth part of our business,” he added. “There’s a lot coming from the spa industry and skin care.”