A thick-walled, custom-colored, translucent cream jar, produced in a distinguishing square shape by G. Candiani Srl of Italy, can be easily molded with DuPont™ Surlyn® due to the material's compatibility with the polypropylene inner cup, inserted as an additional protective layer, and ease of processing. (Click on image for larger version.)

Broadening its scope of application, DuPont™ Surlyn® is now lending its creative freedom to the production of cosmetic jars, bottles and tubs, building on proven benefits in perfume caps and closures. The compatibility of Surlyn® with many of today's cosmetic products opens up new design potential in their packaging. Surlyn® offers the transparency of glass, without the weight and fragility, It can also be frosted, faceted or finished to obtain special effects, or easily colored to create elegant translucency.

Its warm, sensual touch, coupled with functional benefits such as toughness, freedom from chipping and breaking and chemical resistance, is helping Surlyn® gain recognition as a material of choice for the rigid and flexible packaging of cosmetic and luxury goods.

Manufacturers traditionally have used injection molding to produce perfectly transparent jars and tubs with centimetre-thick walls. Now, coextrusion is generating interest among packaging designers looking to create transparent, flexible tubes for body-care or make up products, such as hair gel or lip gloss. In flexible applications, Surlyn® provides perfect product visibility, a soft handle and squeezability.

The ‘bag in the bottle’ is an innovative and intelligent packaging concept for cosmetics and pharmacy products, developed by the German company Gaplast GmbH and using DuPont packaging resins. The outer-bottle, made from a stiff thermoplastic, such as PET, encloses a flexible bag of DuPont™ Surlyn®. (Click on image for larger version.)

Recent technological advances in processing have enabled more sophisticated forms of transparent packaging that combine shapely elegance with functionality. One such variant is overmolding, where the chemical inertness a glass inner structure is comined with the design freedom of the overmolded Surlyn®.

"Overmolding and coextrusion with Surlyn® enable intricate shapes and decorative effects, such as sophisticated colors, metallic and fantasy coatings, frosted and unusual tactile properties - most of which would be impossible or extremely difficult to achieve in glass," explains Michel Decodts, global development program manager, DuPont Cosmetic Solutions.

Another way of combining the benefits of Surlyn® and glass is reflected in an innovative glass/resin hybrid cosmetic packaging concept for the growing market of 'nomadic' products, often carried in handbags or luggage. The hybrid can be produced in two forms: in the form of a "monoblock," where a glass container for the fragrance is permanently fixed within a protective exterior casing of Surlyn®; or in the form of a replaceable glass dispenser for refilling purposes. In both cases, the inner glass container offers long-term chemical resistance to the fragrance's formulation, while a tough, lightweight, clear casing of Surlyn® adds protection and creates the appearance of a thick walled part.

This 12-centimetre-square perfume powder jar, from Japanese cosmetics company Menard, is a prime example of the benefits of DuPont™ Surlyn® for such applications: creating a luxury image comparable to that of glass, without its weight or fragility, the naturally highly-transparent resin has been easily molded to produce a thick-walled jar, of varying thicknesses, which is both lightweight and not liable to chipping. (Click on image for larger version.)

Another innovative packaging concept, particularly suited for sensitive cosmetic products such as natural cosmetics or active formulas, consists of a flexible bag of Surlyn® attached inside a stiff thermoplastic bottle for dispensing the product. During product dispensing, the inner bag of Surlyn® contracts and separates evenly from exterior bottle wall, creating an air gap and reducing air contact with the sensitive inner bag content. Patented by the German company, Gaplast, the bottle can be designed to convey the brand image and maintain its shape despite the contraction of the inner bag.

A further development from DuPont offering designers greater creative potential, and opening further market opportunities for producers of luxury packaging, is the company's Thick-Wall-Bottle technology: a functional inner layer compatible with the contents is combined with a thick-walled outer layer which optimizes properties such as safety-in-use and appearance. Suitable candidates for the barrier layer include various grades of Surlyn® and combinations with other materials, such as polypropylene, polyethylene, and ethyl vinyl alcohol (EVOH). This technology allows a packaging designer to combine transparency with translucency, opacity and different colored layers, as well as frosted surfaces.