NeoStrata chose airless tubes from PKG.

Top Tube Trends

From advanced materials to expanded decorating techniques, tubes continue to meet beauty brands’ needs on many levels. Here’s a look at some of the market’s leading trends.

Written by Leah Genuario, Contributing Editor

The next three years are projected to be a solid time for the cosmetic and toiletry tube market, predicts Cleveland-based industry market research firm The Freedonia Group, Inc. Demand for tube and stick packaging is forecasted to expand 4.7% annually to $985 million by 2014. The fastest growth is anticipated in lip and skin care products.

Increased cosmetic and toiletry production is one driver contributing to positive tube market reports, says Freedonia, as is economical cost structure and portability of tube packages. The market group also notes innovations in tube and tube decorating technologies as a key component to the tube market’s continued success.

Suppliers have seen a number of specific trends related to tube packaging used within the beauty and personal care industries. Tubes know few boundaries, crossing all beauty categories and providing housing for prestige and mass-market products alike. Whether chosen for cost, durability, usability or looks, tubes offer something for every brand. Here, Beauty Packaging examines the top trends related to the beauty tube industry today.

Trend No. 1: Goodbye to Rigid

Many tube suppliers report that customers have moved away from rigid packaging designs in favor of tubes.

Such was the case for Swiss-brand Rausch and its Body Lotion Sensitive packaging, part of its Herbaderm body care range. The product was originally housed in a bottle, but the brand transitioned into a polyfoil tube with soft-touch finish from Neopac.The polyfoil technology provided 100% protection from light, and the texture resembled the feel of soft skin.

This trend in favor of tube packaging is seen among small and large brands, alike.

“We have seen many popular, global brands moving from rigid packaging to flexible extruded tube packaging, reaping the benefits of excellent barrier properties, increase in product shelf life, ease of use, and ability of the package to retain smoothness, flexibility and softness,” comments Ted Sojourner, vice president-Tubes & Laminates Americas, Essel Propack.

Aside from its other benefits, the economics of tube packaging is also a reason why brands switch from rigid containers to tubes. “The main reason is that it’s a lot lower cost,” says Lou Della Pesca, president of 3C. He has especially noted the trend within certain beauty categories. “We have seen more and more [skin] treatment products that have been in other containers, now going toward tubes.”

“Skin care is becoming a very large part of the plastic tube industry,” agrees Jeff Hayet, executive vice president global sales, World Wide Packaging LLC. “Makers of lotions, creams, and skin treatment formulas are packaging their products in plastic tubes more frequently these days, as opposed to the traditional bottles or pumps you typically see on store shelves.”

Trend No. 2:Loving Layers

Along with the proliferation of natural and sophisticated formulations comes an increasing need for packaging protection. Multi-layered laminate tubes with barrier layers provide sensitive formulas with much needed protection, and are an ever-popular choice for brand owners. Barrier layers in a multi-layered tube structure include ones made with ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) plastic resin or aluminum.

World Wide Packaging offers a foil polymer tube (FPT), which it says has grown dramatically in popularity with customers. In addition to creating a “high-end, sophisticated look,” says Hayet, “the foil polymer tubing eliminates creasing and provides the ability to offer flexo, rotary or process printing, in addition to traditional printing methods.” The foil polymer tube offers both beauty and brains, as the foil layer additionally provides barrier protection.

PKG Group, in partnership with Yonwoo Korea, offers two variations of its multi-layer airless pump tubes, as well as its patented LuxeFoil version, which is a multi-layer PE design with an incorporated aluminum barrier layer. “The LuxeFoil tube offers multiple benefits,” says Benny Calderone Jr., director of sales and marketing for PKG, “It is a non-metal-contact, low-profile pump combined with a tube that offers increased barrier protection of the marketer’s formula contained within the tube structure. The Luxe-Foil tube also provides a high aesthetic impact and luxury feel, as well as the ability to achieve full metallic effects and a variety of decoration and customization options.”

Aside from aluminum layers, EVOH is an alternative barrier layer. “We are seeing a trend toward the use of plastic-based laminate material, which uses EVOH as a barrier, as compared to aluminum in traditional laminate tubes,” says Sojourner. He adds that because of the benefit to bounce back to its original shape, this is a good option for brands that don’t wish to use a carton.

Trend No. 3:Dress in Green

Like everywhere else in the packaging world, the need to offer more eco-friendly packaging alternatives has also impacted the tube industry. Brand owners meet this challenge by choosing designs with less packaging heft, more eco-friendly materials, and through the use of post-consumer recycled resins.

Many suppliers now offer tubes made with post-consumer recycled resins, which are recycled and also recyclable. Global Packaging, Inc., for example, is offering post-consumer recycled resin (PCR) tubes where up to 68% of the material is PCR. “We are seeing a tremendous rise in interest in post-consumer resin tubes,” comments Steven Gallo, vice president, sales and marketing, Global Packaging, Inc. Gallo adds that PCR material can be isolated into the tube’s middle layer, accommodating brands that would like a green alternative but need virgin material to touch the product formulation.

Montebello Packaging has also seen a “definite shift toward the use of more sustainable packaging,” says Meghann Wicki, marketing and sales coordinator. The company has developed a patent-pending peel seal neckless tube that was awarded Tube of the Year by the North American Tube Council. The tube does not require a closure, which reduces the package weight by 50%.

Another green innovation, from Plasticum, is the CLUBE, a one-piece bi-injection molded tube with integrated closure and in-mold label. It offers up to 40% material savings. Recently tapped by L’Oréal as a solution to dispense two separate formulations simultaneously, CLUBE technology also provides design freedom.

Finally, VPI recently introduced EcoBlendz biodegradable tubes with an EcoPure additive. “This additive reintroduces to the plastic organic nutrients that attract microbes in anaerobic landfill conditions. The microbes break down the plastic into biogases and non-toxic biomass,” says Mike Daum, director of sales and marketing. The EcoBlendz tubes are additionally recyclable, non-toxic and FDA compliant.

Trend No. 4: Go Airless

Global Packaging has seen a surge of interest in its airless tubes.

Another trend seen throughout the packaging industry—the huge popularity of airless packages—also resonates with the tube industry.

Brands choose airless tubes for a number of reasons. For example, NeoStrata skin treatments feature complex formulas containing retinol. The brand was seeking a package that would both protect their formulation while still conveying the upscale image they desired. It selected a LuxeFoil sleeve composition in tandem with an airless pump tube offered by PKG Group.

“The use of airless pumps on tubes provides multiple benefits,” says Ashley Jolly, manager, packaging development, of NeoStrata. “It preserves our complex formulations by keeping air and contaminants out of the package. The formula retains its intended moisture content longer than with a conventional plastic tube. And it is filled in the same manner as a traditional tube and does not require any special filling or sealing equipment.”

Given the number of benefits, “incorporating a pump mechanism to make the tube airless is a hot trend in tube dispensing systems right now,” adds Calderone of PKG.
The introduction of airless pump tubes has been a hit with consumers, especially within the skin care segment. “Many skin care companies are discovering our airless tube to be a much more economical way to gain [airless] benefits compared to other airless containers,” says Gallo of Global Packaging, Inc. “In addition, speed and economy is gained in the filling operation as they can be filled on standard tube filling lines.”

Trend No. 5: Innovations in Closure Designs

Although flip-top closures hold the lion’s share of the tube closure business, “there are people looking beyond the flip-top cap now,” says Bob Almer, director of sales, Intrapac.

The airless pump trend points to this diversification of closures, but there are also subtle ways companies have improved on the traditional flip-top cap. For example, Almer observes that oral care brand Colgate has recently introduced a tamper-evident closure design to market.

World Wide Packaging has combined flip-top closures with unit dose dispensing, offering a cap system that “looks like a basic flip-top, but has a unique, internal closure system that offers controlled dosing.”

Offering custom coloring and closure designs, JSN Cosmetic Packaging has recently introduced two nozzle tip designs, tailored especially for pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications. The company can also transform basic closures into something spectacular by offering decorative options such as metallic hot stamping on the cap sides and top.

Decorative closures are a notable sub-trend. Along with an increase in flip-top closures for the health and beauty industry, observes Wicki of Montebello Packaging, are “more requests for decorative options for closures.”

Trend No. 6: Sophisticated Tube Decorations

JSN’s work with Philip B resulted in a 2011 Tube of the Year award.

“Customers using laminate tubes seem to go one of two ways: either very fancy or very simple,” observes Almer.For brands that want to add pizzazz through decoration, the industry has seen a huge ramp-up in printing and other decorative capabilities.

“Across the beauty industry we are seeing much more complex, high-end printing decoration. The trend is more toward direct decoration as compared to labeled tubes,” says Sojourner of Essel Propack.

“It’s gone from basic, one- or two-pass color in tubes to multi-color designs,” adds Della Pesca of 3C.

Last month, Essel Propack America unveiled a new decoration technology for laminate tubes called High Definition Flexo print. Its high-definition flexo printing enables up to 10 color combination print and lines per inch (LPI) of up to 179. Behind the capability is a cutting-edge prepress process utilizing patented screen angles and special printing plates. Within the extruded plastic tube category, the company offers combination dry offset with screen printing and hot stamp decorations.

Label technologies also continue to push the envelope of innovation. JSN Cosmetic Packaging has introduced a label application process that enables a label to extend all the way through the closure end. This process was leveraged for the Phillip B tube packaging, which was recently chosen as a Tube of the Year winner by the North American Tube Council under the personal care category.

Many other decorating possibilities exist for products housed in tubes. For example, “Some companies have added color and sparkle effects to the product content and showcased it with clear tube material,” says Michael Yankaus, public relations, JSN Cosmetic Packaging.

Likewise, shape can be used as a differentiator. “One of the trends in tubes is switching from a round tube to an oval tube. That changes the look of the shoulder. The advantage is presentation,” says Della Pesca.

No matter what decoration technique offered, suppliers say brands have more creative opportunities than ever before. “Tube manufacturers are offering opportunities to improve product presentation. It’s up to the purchaser to become more creative,” adds Della Pesca. “Brands have always looked to stand out from their competition. What’s changed in the last five or six years, however, are the decoration capabilities that really give them that competitive advantage.”

For more on Tube Trends, from Euromonitor International, go to nitesh_bp.rodpub.com