UV Coatings: Unsung Heroes in Beauty Packaging

By Janet Herlihy, Editor

he average beauty customer doesn’t stop to wonder how that pretty pearlized finish was created on her perfume box, or what it is that gives her favorite bottle of shampoo that frosty look, or her mascara wand that high gloss shine. But those finishes and effects can make the sale, and in each instance and many more, it’s a UV coating and/or ink that is imparting a special finish as well as a protective layer against scuffs and scratches.

In the cosmetics, fragrance and personal care categories, where packaging is as much about fashion as function, products must standout on retail shelves and UV coatings play a significant role in creating the look that does just that.

From the Outside In

In the eternal quest to create more attractive packaging, UV coatings are playing a dual role, according to Dennis Bacchetta, marketing manager, Dia­mond Packaging. The Rochester, NY-based manufacturer of printed, folded cartons, worked on graphic development with several customers for new products and Christmas 2004 lines that used UV products for pearlized finishes and glitter effects in inks and coatings. Bacchetta noted, “The UV products are currently the best in creating those effects. These specialty UV inks and coatings are highly decorative and they also function by providing abrasion and scratch resistance.”

Increased requests from the beauty market for specialty papers or stocks such as holographic foilboard, laminated paper, transfer metallization paper and textured paperboard have also increased the use of UV coatings, which are used to coat the surface in preparation for printing.

Diamond also uses UV coatings on plastic cartons for a variety of effects. It developed a PVC carton for New Dana Perfumes for the launch of Secrets by Dana perfume. Dana wanted a presentation that reads elegant and upscale.

“The graphics (on the carton) combine attractive text and colors, including Process Blue and PMS 877 Metallic Silver, Bacchetta explained. “Two hits of opaque white help the colors and text stand out against the clear background, while the UV coating imparts a hard, scratch-resistant surface to the plastic substrate.”

Most UV coatings are categorized as acrylic epoxy-based compounds, according to David Rydell, director of technology and quality at Diamond. The formulas are custom made to meet the special needs of various applications, but, “They are all 100% reactive and contain fewer solvents,” Rydell noted. “When they are exposed to UV lights, these coatings and inks, which all contain a photo initiator, are 100% cured and give off few VOCs.” In contrast, other aqueous coatings and inks dry rather than cure and, as they dry, give off more VOCs.

Color Optics Inc., based in Saddle Brook, NJ, offers pre-press services as well as commercial printing and packaging. The company formulates its own UV coatings and inks that are used for a variety of its beauty industry projects, according to C. Stuart Howell, company president and chief executive.

Howell noted that “The UV coatings and inks are significantly more expensive, but are also used to satisfy the needs of a particular substrate such a foil sheets, which do not accept traditional inks or coatings.”

Glossy or Matte, There’s A UV Coating for Labels

At Prestige Label’s North Carolina plant, presses are equipped with UV lamps, which are used to cure the UV varnishes and UV inks that are specified by its clients, according to Tim Keegan, vice president of plant operations. Keegan noted that the actual compounds of the UV coatings vary depending on the specs and desired results. Some are designed to add a high gloss look to the label, which would call for a coating that had more silicone and waxes.

“Most are proprietary formulas,” Keegan said. “In the beauty business, the coatings can serve to give the label either a gloss or matte look as well as provide some protection from damage by materials such as alcohol or other contents that might stain or degrade the label.”
UV Coatings for Bottles and Wands and Compacts, Oh My!

UV coatings also have a role in finishing the actual container for many beauty products. Mascara containers, lipstick tubes and compacts as well as bottles and jars, are all sometimes finished with a UV coating.

“Overall UV coatings play an important role in protecting the parts we mold so that they look better, feel better and maintain structural integrity,” said Carl Lombardi president of Lombardi Design and Manufacturing, a Freeport, NY-based supplier of injection molded packages and components for the cosmetic and fragrance industries. “Many of the plastic materials used in molding cosmetic components are susceptible to scratching, abrasion and product compatibility issues, so by treating these parts with UV coatings the packages become more adept at surviving the rigors of day-to-day use without showing it,” Lombardi explained.

Lombardi uses UV coatings often, especially for cosmetic components such as compacts and cosmetic cases. “These types of parts tend to take a lot of abuse in pocketbooks and cosmetic kits where they are carried around and bang into other sharp objects such as keys and cell phones. This causes the surfaces to become scratched and the decoration to wear off,” Lombardi added. “With a sprayed-on UV coating, the compact will look newer longer, which is a necessity especially for premium cosmetics”.

UV coatings are also important for protecting metallized plastic parts. “Metallized parts have a lacquer coating that is susceptible to chemicals that can eat away at the finish. So here we overspray the metallized parts with a UV coating, making them more resistent to chemical abrasion, as well as scratching,” said Lombardi.

Other uses for UV involve the use of UV ink for decoration. A UV cured ink is harder and more resistant to damage from chemicals such as fragrance oils. Lombardi noted, “We use UV inks for decorating fragrance caps because fragrance oil can be particularly harsh on non-UV inks.”
Alcan Packaging Techpack, based inNew York, uses UV coatings on many of the mascara wands made by its Henlopen division. The coatings provide scratch and scuff resistance, confirmed Cathy Alex, director of sales for Techpack/Henlopen. “It’s a high-end finish that can also achieve special effects such as pearl or metal. It’s an added operation and cost, but is less expensive than making the wand out of metal. UV coatings can also cover some ‘sins’ of molding such as streaks or scratches. The finishes can be high gloss or matte,” Alex noted.

Inoac, Bardstown, KY, is an injection molder that specializes in jars and bottles. “We use UV coatings to protect the bottles from scratches and scuffs as well as to give a frosted look. The bottles are molded, sprayed with the UV coating and then cured,” said Paul Horgan, company vice president of sales. “The biggest advantage is that the process is faster than conventional coatings that must be heat cured. Horgan added that the company also tints UV coatings to create color effects.

Crown Risdon, Watertown, CT, ap­plies UV coatings to some of its plastic beauty components at its Barre, Ontario plant. Recently, the company was faced with the challenge of developing a UV coating that would work on polypropylene parts and impart a fine, glossy, metallic finish. Plus the finish had to be durable enough toprotect the piece, but not so hard that it would not accept hot foil stamping. “The actual material is a hybrid. After the UV curing, it’s best if the components can air dry for 24 hours,” said Todd Cham­berlain, product engineer at the Barre facility, “but the finish does everything we wanted it to do.”