Clariant Masterbatches (Booth No. 1541) has introduced Enigma Fade Special Effects that enable designers to introduce color at the top of a polyethylene bottle and diminish it gradually until it disappears almost entirely near the bottom or in reverse, where the outer color is absent at the neck but fades in toward the base. According to Clariant Masterbatches, the effect is reminiscent of air brushing, but the color shift is accomplished entirely in the blowmolding process, so it can be dramatic and cost effective.

Two types of Fade Effects bottles are on display at HBA. The Total Gradation effect is being shown in a two-layer bottle. The base layer is natural polyethylene and the surface layer incorporates a bronze-copper “color travel” pigment. The color is strongest at the base of the bottle, where it is almost opaque, and then fades away almost entirely at the top.

The other example, Light Refraction, demonstrates how changing the color of any of the three layers can create an entirely different look. For example, two bottles show the same combination of a gold-orange color-travel base and the copper-bronze color-travel fade layer on the surface. The only difference is that the middle layer of one bottle is black and the other is white—a difference that changes the way light interacts with the other colors. The darker bronze is more evident in the bottle with the black interior and the gold-orange dominates in combination with the white interior.

Clariant Masterbatches is working on using post-consumer recycled plastics on the interior layer. It would enable personal care companies to meet recycled material content objectives while still delivering a package that stands out on store shelves.

More info: www.clariant.masterbatches.com