In today’s cosmetic, fragrance and personal care industry, all that glitters is definitely not gold. Technologies that give a metallic glow to glass and plastic now make it possible to mimic the look of gold, silver, and virtually any metallic shade imaginable.

But there are times when nothing but the genuine material will do. The use of metals—usually aluminum or tinplate steel—in beauty and personal care packaging falls into two broad categories. Metal is chosen for either a fashion look or its functional features.

The new Fubu fragrances, Plush for men and women, incorporate an aluminum sleeve.

A Fashionable Glow
A survey of most prestige counters will reveal numerous examples of packaging that uses true metallics for a luxury look. Annette Green, president of The Fragrance Foundation, predicted, “The use of aluminum as packaging in fine fragrance is not a one-time phenomena. Everyone’s looking for a new visual experience. We are on the cusp of seeing more new materials and combinations of materials.”

Inter Parfums USA wanted just such a unique effect for Plush for men and Plush The Ladies Fragrance, the first fragrances in its licensed FUBU Collection that is launching this spring and summer. The fragrance bottles, finished in brushed silver for the men’s scent and brushed gold for the women’s, have a sleek, contemporary look. Each consists of a connected bi-cylinder of heavy glass, half of which is covered by an extruded aluminum shell colored either gold or silver.

“We chose aluminum because we wanted the added prestige that metal communicates,” said Andy Clarke, national sales director of Inter Parfums. “The bottle has an architectural, structured look that our target audience of 15 -to 28-year-old men finds appealing.”

The dip tube is invisible on the aluminum side of bottle. A matte black plastic cap and base contrast with the glass and metal forms, while the pump actuator is a soft touch device flush with the cap.

The packaging was designed by Federico Restrepo, based in Paris. Fubu’s Plush is the first packaging project by the Ileos Group that brings together the expertise of Niob for plastics and its sister company, Chapon for extruded metal. The top and bottom caps are made of black PP and are fitted together between the glass and the metal sleeve on the right side. The metal sleeve is extruded aluminum (1.5 mm thick), anodized, sliced, stamped and silk screened. The actuator cover is a special mix of Sanoprene for a soft touch that is fixed to the actuator. Saint-Gobain Desjonqueres made the glass container and Risdon-AMS provided the pump. IFF created the juice.

The current fashion trend to the use of aluminum for prestige fragrance products probably started with the original CK One moisturizer bottle. Originally, it was contained in an aluminum bottle made by Youngstown, OH-based Exal, according to Ron Shaw, Exal vice president of sales and marketing. The CK Contradiction fragrance bottle features an aluminum cap supplied by Chapon that covers most of the bottle.

Jeanne Perkins, vice president of sales and marketing for Chapon USA, based in New York City, agreed that packaging which incorporates different types of materials such as the glass, aluminum and plastic of Fubu’s Plush are attracting attention.

Chapon, an Ileos company, makes the aluminum caps for these CK Contradiction products.

Chapon also worked with Coty to develop the packaging for American Original. “At first, they thought they would have to use metallicised plastic for the shell, but because Chapon is part of Ileos and can draw on the expertise of the other divisions, we were able to give them an aluminum shell with a Surlyn top piece for a very high end look for a good price,” said Perkins.

Perkins pointed out that aluminum tooling has a shorter lead time and is less expensive that that of plastic tooling. “The cost of plastic versus aluminum for fragrance packaging really depends on the project,” Perkins said. “Sometimes, aluminum can be more cost effective.”

Several companies that offer contract manufacturing, design and/or packaging services to the HBA market are especially known for their expertise with metal containers. Cosmopak, founded in Melbourne, Australia over 20 years ago, is now based in New York City. Walter Dwyer, company president, explained that the company is a comprehensive outsourcing solution for cosmetic marketers. “We own technologies, machinery and design capabilities. We are about innovation and flexibility. We don’t have a manufacturing facility but do have strategic partners in Japan, Australia, Europe and South Africa.”

While Cosmopak supplies packaging in all types of materials, the company is especially well known for its metal creations. “The consumer still has the perception that something made of metal has a higher value,” Dwyer said. “Our positioning is from the middle to the top of the market and metal is used there.”

INCA created this aluminum lipstick case and finished it in gold tones.

Some recent projects include a metal version of a flow-through pan that was first made in plastic and a lipstick case in copper, which “hasn’t been done before,” Dwyer said.

New York-based Préface Deux represents three French companies: G. Pivaudran, Solev and Dec Plus. Aviva Himoff, president of Préface Deux, explained that Pivaudran is a major metal component manufacturer that was established in 1948. Solev, which provides finishing for plastics, was founded in 1984, and Dec Plus offers offset, silk screening, pad printing, hot stamping and lacquering.

The group has special expertise in aluminum. Himoff said that aluminum’s greatest asset as a packaging material is its decorative flexibility. Anodizing can create a wide range of colors and finishes from matte to high gloss. Lazer technology can be used for engraving, cutting and the creation of reverse patterns.

Préface Deux is now offering the use of magnets placed in the cap and on/in the bottle, which draw the cap on and can even orient the cap into a set position, according to Himoff. The technology was used in the creation of the packaging for Brazilian fragrance O Bóticario for Women. “We’ve also developed a compact with a magnetized lid that can be opened to 90o. The lid can be totally separated from the base or not,” Himoff explained.

INCA, headquartered near Milan, Italy, with offices in New York City and Paris, France, is a contract manufacturer of cosmetics and packaging. Specializing in the use of aluminum for over 60 years, INCA offers compacts, mascara wands and lipstick packaging as well as formulations. Erin Dutton, sales manager in New York, said that “Aluminum packaging is consistent with Inca’s approach because it conveys a sense of elegance. We are consistently being challenged to make/mold aluminum in new ways.”

Seidel offers various stock lines of metallic components such as these lipsticks.

Seidel GmbH and Company supplies metal caps and containers from its facilities in Germany. Boris Schafer, director of customer relations at Seidels New York City offices, said that marketers are asking for more complex caps and containers. “High end companies are looking to do something unique. Often they want to mix plastic and aluminum components. For the Lancôme Miracle fragrance package, Seidel manufactured an aluminum ring that is then covered in Surlyn plastic.”

Aluminum on the Rise
The use of aluminum in cosmetics and fragrances ranges from metal tubes for sensitive formulas, to metal compacts and lipstick tubes, to over shells and caps for fragrance packaging, according to Lou Della Pesca, president of 3C Inc., a packaging distributor based in Hawthorne, NJ. Della Pesca sees the use of such metal packaging increasing. “Five years ago, I would have offered five or six styles of metal lipstick tubes. Now I have three times that many. Sales have improved. There’s not too much new in packaging and with aluminum, you can do a lot of decorative embellishments. You can engrave, do reverse coloring, embossing and debossing.”

Benoit Ramet, assistant manager for O. Berk International, agreed that the demand for aluminum packaging is increasing from its customers. Noting that the Calvin Klein line may well have started the trend with its CK One bottle, Ramet said, “The bottom line is that for the past several years companies have embraced this new trend. It offers a good alternative to glass and plastic that people have been using for years and, if a customer is willing to commit to a certain minimum, decorating possibilities are endless.”

O. Berk’s Aluminum collection is in demand from marketers that want the sleek look of metal in smaller quantities.

The role of a distributor like O. Berk, Union, NJ, comes in when smaller quantities are needed. Ramet stressed, “Even if a company only needs a couple hundred bottles, it can have them silk screened or just use a label. Distributors are a big part of the democratization of aluminum bottles. Thanks to them, a marketer doesn’t have to buy thousands and thousands of bottles anymore. This is why today we can see them all around us.”

O. Berk International Inc. offers the Aluminum Collection, a complete line of five brushed aluminum bottles topped off with a choice of aluminum screw caps, aluminum lotion pumps or aluminum spray pumps. “You can use them with cream, perfumes, essential oils, you name it,” said Ramet.

Jennifer Brady, vice president of sales and marketing for distributor Brad-Pak, said, “Our customers seem to gravitate toward aluminum packaging when looking to differentiate their lines from their competitors, who use the typical glass and plastic bottles and jars. Aluminum bottles can be silk screened or labeled just like the glass and plastic.”

Brad-Pak, based in Garwood, NJ, also offering glass and plastic, supplies aluminum containers in two constructions, a thin-walled type made in Ohio and a heavy-walled industrial category made in Switzerland. Gloria Schlesinger, Brad-Pak’s customer service manager, added, “We find the customers feel the aluminum has a fresh, cool, clean look, which attracts a large portion of the teen market. Also some marketers like to duplicate successful packages in the past years. After CK introduced their aluminum package, others wanted to follow suit.”

All About Aluminum
Aluminum offers certain characteristics that make it especially attractive for HBA packaging. It is easy to mold, lightweight, rust-proof and recyclable, making it a good choice for functional as well as aesthetic reasons.

CCL Container, headquartered in Toronto, Canada, with facilities in Pennsylvania, Canada and Mexico, is a leading international supplier of specialty packaging products, including aluminum aerosol cans, aluminum bottles, barrier systems, collapsible aluminum, tin tubes and an assortment of plastic packaging.

CCL is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of aluminum containers by impact extrusion. The company offers a variety of sizes, profiles and finishes in virtually any color of the rainbow.

The process of changing an aluminum slug into a container—impact extrusion—is a continuous process in which the container is formed, cleaned, lined with any of a number of coatings, baked, given an external coating, baked again, printed with as many as seven colors, over-varnished for scuff resistance and then baked again, explained Ed Martin, vice president of sales and marketing for CCL.

Martin observed that marketers such as Avon and Coty have stepped up the use of aluminum to create added-value packaging with a luxe look. CCL has also seen a lot of interest lately in terms of hair care. “As brands compete for market share in a mature business, the use of an aluminum package adds a point of difference to a product on the shelf. There’s been an increase in the use of the metallic/brushed aluminum look in the past 18 months,” he said.

There’s also current interest in different shapes, Martin said. CCL’s Comfort Hold features an inward curve in the top third of the container, giving it a graceful look and making it easier to hold, especially in wet environments like the shower. A flat shoulder style is also generating interest in the beauty market.

For the personal care and cosmetics markets, “shapes are hot,” agreed Exal’s Shaw. Exal has developed a pinched waist bottle that presents a different silhouette on the shelf.

Shaw noted that a major part of the personal care aluminum business for Exal is in aerosol containers. ‘There are also a multitude of threaded necks now that are very successful,” he said.

Based in Arkansas, Ever Corp. manufactures collapsible aluminum containers through impact extrusion, according to Wayne Brown, vice president of sales for North and South America.

AromaLand Choses Aluminum for Function and Fashion AromaLand, a 15-year-old marketer of essential oils, aromatherapeutic blends and a variety of scent diffusers, personal care products, gifts, candles and more, chose aluminum to hold many of its products, including Spa ZenSation, its latest body care line. The line consists of Aloe Body Lotion, Bath and Shower Gel, and Massage and Body Oil, each available in Bamboo Forest, Cherry Blossom or Tansu Wood fragrance. Rosie Warda, vice president, sales and marketing for AromaLand, said aluminum is the best choice for the company’s products because, “Essential oils, which are extracts from aromatic or healing plants, are major ingredients in Spa ZenSation and can be very strong. They often react with plastics, so our choices were glass or aluminum. We asked our consumers and their preference was unbreakable aluminum. It is completely shatter-proof and is perceived as very clean and high tech.” AromaLand’s only concern, that the aluminum not come in direct contact with the formula, was answered with the use of a lacquer liner that is approved by the FDA for food containers. “Ultimately, aluminum’s advantages are (that) it’s safe against breakage, it keeps the product fresh and (it) protects against light damage. The response was overwhelmingly positive from consumers,” Warda explained, adding, “Another consumer issue was recyclability and aluminum is recyclable. It’s important to us to be part of the solution.”

Brown said that the use of aluminum tubes has been flat but is beginning to pick up. “The consumer can squeeze product out of an aluminum tube more completely than she can a plastic tube. And plastic tubes tend to suck product back inside, which can cause contamination,” he noted. “We are seeing new opportunities with different styled caps and better printing technologies as well.” Currently, hand creams are the largest category of personal care products for Ever’s tubes. “We can put a flip top cap on the tubes now for one-hand opening.”

Through a joint venture with Obrest in Switzerland, Ever can supply six-color process, while it has four-color process in its Arkansas plant. “We also have some interesting products in development through the joint venture,” Brown said. “We have a soft pouch that is made up of as many as four to six layers of aluminum and laminate. The pouch can be printed with magazine quality graphics,” he stressed.

Aluminum is still growing in the cosmetic and personal care markets in the U.K. for London-based Roberts Metal Packaging, which derives 80 percent of its sales from its beauty customers, according to Linda Wilson, business development manager. In the HBA market, hair care is dominant for Roberts, which manufactures specialist closures, small two-piece containers, specialty three-piece containers, pressed and fabricated components, and offers assembly and filling services as well.

Fashion-wise, Wilson noted that clear lacquered or brushed aluminum is popular at present. “And, the pre-threaded aluminum screw cap market is extremely buoyant,” said Wilson, because there is such a wide range of glass and plastic containers now available that can be given an upscale look with an aluminum cap. Wilson explained, “These screw caps can be anodized to match the color of the product in the bottle, and embossing is becoming extremely popular.”

Wilson is introducing Light Relief, a finish for aluminum in which a light embossed pattern is produced all over a component. Roberts offers four stock finishes and can also reproduce custom patterns on two- and three-piece aluminum tins and any aluminum screw cap.

Tinplate Offers Double Duty
Tinplate steel also brings unique characteristics to the HBA market.

Tinplate is aluminum’s main competition in true metal packaging for the HBA market. Its major limitation is that it is susceptible to rust, and so is not recommended for water-based products.

J.L. Clark is a 98-year-old company with a long tradition as a manufacturer of tinplate and steel containers. For the health and beauty markets, J.L. Clark supplies primary containers for products such as talcum powder and lip balm, and secondary containers for gift sets. Todd Waxgiser, national accounts manager for the health and beauty segment, noted that the company’s strength as a state-of-the-art lithographer enables it to enhance its products for both initial sale and continued use.

Many of the the tinplate packages manufactured by J.L. Clark are reused by consumers.

“We make tinplate containers from as small as a lip balm tin to the size of the large popcorn gift cans. Depending on the size and look of the tin, many are not thrown away when they are empty, but instead are used for a variety of storage around the house or office. The tin can become a mini-billboard for a product, a constant reminder of the brand,” Waxgiser explained.

Because the graphic aspect is so important, J.L. Clark puts great care into its decorative process. “Designing for tinplate has special requirements,” Waxgiser said. “We’ll send the customer a diagram of the proposed can’s printable areas. A great deal of the design process can be expedited through our website, www.jlclark.com. Once a design has been submitted, we go through a proofing process, supplying either a paper or steel proof so they can see what it will look like. The steel process provides a “proof” that is exactly what the finished can will look like,” he stated.

Tinplate is actually steel with a tin coating. Depending on the ultimate use and manufacturing process, different types of steel and tinplate are used. A tin-free steel has a duller finish, while tinplate is shiny. The material arrives at J.L. Clark’s plants in Lancaster, PA, and Rockford, IL, on huge coils/rolls, from which the appropriate sheet size is cut.

Waxgiser explained the tinplate process. Once a proof has been approved and while the prepress department is making the necessary plates and separations to print the sheet, a white base coat is usually applied to the sheet and dried in an oven. If the finished container is to have a metallic look, it will not be given a base coat. The sheet is printed, dried, varnished and dried. Then the sheet is slitted (cut into strips) or into individual body pieces. The strips or individual pieces are then fed into a “body maker,” machinery where the tins are formed. Usually, the bodies are then flanged and then the bottoms are seamed on. Once the parts are formed, they are packed in boxes and send to the customer. While J.L. Clark does not fill the tins, the company does offer co-packing or assembly of gift pack items into a tin.

Styling for tinplate containers often has an old-fashioned look, created deliberately to go with aromatherapy or all-natural products. Rounds have been favored for balm products, but squares and rectangles are also available from J.L. Clark.

Innovations include a square tin that is offered with a sliding lid for one-hand use. And, because J.L. Clark also has plastics operations, it has developed a container that consists of tinplate top and bottom with a plastic hinge ring. Currently, the jar is available in a rectangle.

Roberts Metal supplies tinplate and aluminum containers.

Waxgiser expects the use of tinplate to grow in the cosmetic and personal care industry, because, he said, consumers like value-added products and are attracted to the metal containers because they can be re-used for storage and decoration. J.L. Clark is now offering design services to its customers to help them create the most effective package possible.

London-based Roberts Metal offers two-piece tinplate containers, as well as aluminum and tinplate pans for products such as eye shadow, rouge, lip glosses, loose and pressed powder.

Brad Willick, marketing development manager for U.S. Can, Baltimore, MD, said the company has an aerosol division which supplies tinplate containers for such personal care products as hair spray and deodorants, as well as an operation for other beauty packaging is mainly for balms and lip glosses. The company provides custom litho services, by printing directly on the sheet metal.

Exal supplies a range of aluminum bottles for the HBA market with interesting shapes and various threaded necks. Exal Expands for Future Growth The future for aluminum containers looks so bright to Exal Corp., a manufacturer with facilities in Youngstown, OH, and Pilar, Buenos Aires, Argentina, that it is expanding its capacity to produce cans and bottles through impact extrusion. A 75,000 square foot addition has been recently completed in Youngstown that will allow the company to add three more production lines to the five already running. The Argentina plant, built in 1997, is a clone of the Ohio facility with three lines operational and room for two more, according Ron Shaw, Exal vice president of sales and marketing., who stated, “We build for the future.” Exal is working on a new technology that Shaw says will make aluminum costs more competitive with tinplate by increasing production. The technology, which will be housed in the new addition in Ohio, is expected to be operational in 2003.