According to the Airless Packaging Market, it is estimated that the market size of airless packaging will reach a valuation of US $9.5 billion by 2033. This highlights an increased preference for airless tubes due to their efficacy and ability to preserve the product’s integrity.
Traditional tubes, on the other hand, are convenient for the users and are cost-effective for cosmetic packaging brands. Are you also unable to decide which one to use for your products? Here’s a detailed comparison!
What is an Airless Pump Tube?
An airless pump tube is an innovative product dispensing system that restricts the product’s exposure to the air and maintains its quality for longer. By preventing air exposure, the pump saves products from contamination thus maintaining the cleanliness and efficacy of the formulation.
Such tubes are mostly used in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries to dispense products precisely and reduce wastage.
How Does an Airless Pump Work?
An airless pump works by creating a vacuum between the piston and the product, unlike a traditional pump tube. When the pump of the container is pushed down, it creates a pressure difference inside the bottle. To compensate for this, the piston inside the bottle moves up thus pushing the product up and facilitating its dispensing.
To prevent any air from getting entrapped into the container and contaminating the product, the base allows a controlled intake of air and maintains the vacuum effect.
Parts of an Airless Pump Packaging
1. Base
Starting from the bottom of an airless pump packaging, it consists of a base that serves as a foundation for the piston and pump. There is a small opening inside the base that allows passage of air throughout the container. Thus, it is a crucial component that maintains the vacuum effect of the airless pump tube.
2. Piston
Just above the base lies the piston. It helps in the dispensing of the product out of the container smoothly. As the actuator of the packaging is pushed, the piston moves up thus pushing the product out of the tube ensuring that all the product is evacuated without leaving any waste behind.
3. Pump
Lastly, there comes the pump which triggers the piston to move up by creating a vacuum effect. As the pump is pushed down, the piston moves up and dispenses the product inside.
What is a Traditional Pump Tube?
A traditional pump tube is what you usually see in conventional lotion pumps. It relies on a simple mechanism to dispense the product out of the container. You can see this dispensing system commonly in various cosmetic packaging containers like lotions, creams, shampoo bottles, or other liquid products.
Such tubes are mostly used for their cost-effectiveness and ease of use.
How Does a Traditional Pump Work?
A traditional pump tube relies on air pressure to dispense a product out of the container. As the actuator of the tube is pushed down, the piston moves downward. This movement of the piston pushes the spring and causes the product to move up into the dip tube.
When the actuator is released, the piston and spring move back to their original position thus stopping the further dispensing of the product onto the user’s hand.
Parts of a Traditional Pump Packaging
Just like an airless pump, a traditional pump packaging mainly consists of three parts. Let’s understand them one by one.
1. Actuator
An actuator is the head of a pump tube that is pressed down to draw the product out of the container. This part of the tube controls the flow of the product and prevents any excessive dispensing of the product and reduces any wastage
It is mostly made of PP plastic or steel in a few cases. These pumps can be of different designs but they all have either a lock-up or lock-down mechanism. This locking mechanism reduces the spillage of product after use.
2. Housing
Housing acts as a connection between the actuator and the dip tube. It provides stability to all the internal parts of a pump tube and allows safe transport of product between each part. It is mostly made of polypropylene plastic but the design and size can vary depending on the size of the container.
3. Dip Tube
At last, there is a dip tube. It is a long plastic tube through which the product flows from the bottom of the container to its opening. It mostly extends from the bottom of the packaging to all the way up but the length may differ depending on the size of the cosmetic bottle.
Choosing the right size of a dip tube is necessary to minimize the clogging and wastage of the product.
Differences Between Airless Pump and Traditional Lotion Pump
Confused between an airless and traditional lotion pump to use for your cosmetic packaging containers? Here is a detailed comparison between both to help you choose the more efficient one!
1. Mechanism
A traditional pump tube relies on air pressure to dispense the product out of the container, an airless pump depends upon the vacuum created in the container. As for the airless pump, when you press down the actuator, a vacuum is created inside the bottle causing the product to rise up and move out of the dispenser.
On the other hand, when you depress the actuator of a traditional pump tube, air enters the container and the product moves up. This air replaces the product drawn out of the container.
Moreover, in pump tubes, the product moves out through a dip tube while in airless pumps, there is no dip tube and it moves out with the movement of the piston.
2. Preservation
If we talk about the preservation of product quality, airless pumps surely take the lead. As there is minimum or no interaction of the air with the product in an airless pump, it remains in its original quality for a long time. This also reduces the need to use preservatives in the product which can be irritating for sensitive skin.
On the other hand, the product is exposed to air in a pump tube. This contaminates the product and causes its oxidation thus reducing the product quality. In addition, the shelf-life of the product is also reduced.
3. 360° Use
Airless pumps are also more versatile in terms of their usage. Since they do not have any dip tubes in them therefore you can use them at any angle to draw out the product. This makes it more convenient for the users to get access to even the last drop of product easily.
In contrast, traditional pump tubes feature dip tubes so you must use them at the right angle carefully to dispense the product. You need to hold the container in an upright position so that the dip tube does not get displaced and hinder the product’s upward movement.
4. Precise Application
The precision point also goes to the airless pump. Although both the tubes aim to deliver a controlled amount of product, airless pumps are more accurate. They dispense a consistent amount of product every time you press the actuator.
On the contrary, the product that comes out of a traditional pump tube depends on how hard you press the actuator. The harder you press, the more the product comes out leading to overuse. So, you will not precisely know whether to use one pump or two pumps as the product amount is inconsistent.
5. Dispensing
Product dispensing with an airless pump is smoother as compared to that of the traditional tube pump. Its vacuum mechanism activates the piston and lets the product dispense without air contact. This ensures a clean and smooth delivery.
In dip tubes, the dispensing may be inconsistent if you are not pressing the actuator with the right force. There can also be clogs in the tube, which can frustrate users.
6. Product Evacuation
No matter how much of the product is present inside the bottle, an airless cosmetic packaging bottle will draw it all out without leaving any product in the container. It reduces waste and maximizes value for the customers.
Contrary to this, when only a little product is left in the container, the dip tube might not be able to pump it up easily. It leaves behind a significant amount in the container that later goes to waste.
Conclusion
Having all the latest cosmetic industry insights is important for a brand owner to keep up with the latest trends, gain the interest of the target audience, and know about more the competitors. This allows a company to grow rapidly. One such recent debate is whether airless pumps are better than traditional pump tubes or not.
Airless pump tubes are winning this debate because they are more efficient, convenient to use, maintain product quality, and reduce wastage. Their vacuum system ensures minimum air contact thus preventing oxidation of the product. Traditional pump tubes are preferred by cost-conscious consumers.
With all these points in mind, every brand must consider their choice carefully to meet the requirements of their users. You can also contact Vcpak to find out more about the packaging solutions.
