Plastic cosmetic tubes are used to pack a variety of beauty products including sunscreens, moisturizers, foundations, lip glosses, and much more. This is the reason why the current market size of the cosmetic tube industry is US$ 2,719.4 million and is expected to reach US$ 4288 million in 10 years as stated in Future Market Insights.
Even with a huge demand for plastic tubes, there are concerns about the safety of usage of these tubes and their impact on the environment. A carefully guided plastic tube manufacturing process can ensure both the safety and quality of cosmetic tubes while making them sustainable.
So, let us learn a step-by-step guide to manufacturing plastic tubes for cosmetics here.
What are Plastic Cosmetic Tubes?
Plastic tubes are one of the most-used types of cosmetic packaging made of any of the 9 types of plastic material. For any cosmetic container, portability, storage, weight, size range, and user-friendliness is important. Plastic cosmetic tubes have almost all the characteristics of an optimal cosmetic bottle.
Thus, plastic cosmetic tubes are lightweight, travel-friendly, and practical squeezable bottles of different sizes that are used to pack skincare and makeup products including,
- Hair conditioner
- Primer
- Foundation
- BB or CC creams
- Hand and foot creams
- Face creams
- Lotions
- Scrubs
- Sunscreens
Common Types of Plastic Cosmetic Tubes
Considering the wide range of products plastic cosmetic tubes are used for, there are mainly three types of tubes to ensure that they make the product packaging user-friendly and contamination-free.
1. Squeeze Tubes
As the name implies, squeeze plastic tubes are flexible cosmetics containers that can be pressed to dispense the products. These are used for dense and creamy products to allow an adequate amount of product dispensing without wasting it.
Flip flops and screw caps are mostly used in this type of tube for packaging products like,
- Body lotions and creams
- Sunblocks
- Hair products like conditioners
- Gels
2. Pump Tubes
Plastic cosmetic tubes can also be used for liquid cosmetic products. Instead of making them flexible, plastic tubes for products with watery consistency are hard and come with airless pumps to dispense the product. The airless pumps prevent the spillage and contamination of the products.
Furthermore, the amount of product dispensing is also accurate in these tubes and they are used for,
- Serums
- Shampoos
- Lightweight foundations
- Lotions
- Skin tints
3. Roll-on Tubes
For the liquid products that need to be evenly dispensed on the skin, roll-on plastic tubes are used. The body of the tubes is made of plastic, and the head has a bead or ball in it that rolls on the skin to dispense the product. Depending upon the product the size of the bead and roll-on plastic tube is variable. Some examples of products that are packed in roll-on plastic tubes include,
- Perfumes
- Deodorants
- Eye serums
- Lip and cheek tints
Benefits of Plastic Cosmetic Tubes
Here are the reasons why plastic cosmetic tubes are one of the most preferred packaging containers for cosmetics.
1. Ease of Use
Plastic bottles have an ergonomic design that not only prevents the leakage of the products and resistant impact from the environment but also allows adequate and precise dispensing of the product. Whether you want to squeeze your hand lotion on the go or dispense your serum with airless pumps, cosmetic plastic tubes offer seamless usage of the product.
The ease of use of plastic tubes is one of the reasons why consumers prefer buying products packed in plastic bottles instead of heavy glass jars.
2. Product Protection
The melting and manufacturing process of plastic tubes removes the impurities from the raw materials, if any, and makes a sturdy container for packaging skincare and beauty products. Additionally, the cap of the plastic tubes is tightly sealed on the head along with the secure dispensing mechanism.
This ensures that no impurities from the environment or microbes like bacteria, air, and moisture enter the product. Moreover, the opaque and UV-treated cosmetic plastic tubes also prevent the entry of UV rays into the product. Consequently, the product remains contamination-free and its longevity is improved.
3. Versatility
Plastic tubes come in different designs with different dispensing mechanisms. This allows plastic bottles to be used for almost every type of cosmetic product. From liquid serums to thick creams, the use of plastic bottles is versatile.
Moreover, the options to customize the shape, color, opacity, design, and size of the plastic tubes are also endless. Therefore, cosmetic brands can use plastic to make innovative tubes that are unique to your brand.
The versatility of plastic tubes allows you to experiment and create eye-catching product packaging designs.
4. Portability
With the glass cosmetic packaging, there are always concerns about breaking the bottle by external impact. In cases where metal jars are used, there is risk of putting dents on the jar that result in leakage of the product.
However, cosmetic plastic tubes are travel-friendly. Neither do they break by impact, nor is there any risk of molding the container shape. Furthermore, the tight closure mechanism prevents spillage of the product during transport. Not to mention, plastic is a lightweight material and you can make compact-sized portable plastic tubes to carry with you 24/7.
All of these characteristics of plastic bottles and tubes make them easy to carry.
Step-by-Step Guide to Manufacturing Plastic Tubes
Cosmetic plastic tubes are easily available and their effortless manufacturing process makes them inexpensive as well. However, the manufacturing procedures for plastic tubes determine their quality.
Thus, here are the details of all the steps involved in the production of plastic cosmetic tubes.
Step 1: Extrusion
First of all, all the materials that are used in the production of plastic tubes are obtained. These materials include,
- Plastic resins like polyethylene, polypropylenes, polyvinyl chloride, PCR, and more
- Powders
- Granules
- Colors
- Pellets
Once you have the main ingredients of the packaging tubes for skincare, the extrusion process begins. Extrusion is defined as the procedure in which the solid or semi-solid contents of plastic cosmetic packaging are converted into a soft liquid form and then transformed into containers of uniform size and shape with the help of a die.
In extrusion, a temperature-controlled hopper or barrel is used and the raw materials are inserted into it. Then, the temperature is raised to an optimal level to melt all the ingredients. After melting, the malleable material is fed into the die.
The die with soft plastic is put under cool water to harden it and form the desired shape and size. By the end of the extrusion process, you have semi-solid plastic tubes with no contaminants or impurities in them.
Also, note that operators check the sizes and shapes of the cosmetic tubes manually during this process to ensure that all cosmetic tubes are uniform.
Step 2: Printing
The next step is printing, in which the information about the product, including its name, brand, production an,d expiry date, and more, along with artwork, is printed on semi-solid plastic cosmetic tubes.
Two types of printing are mainly used; offset printing and silk screen printing. In offset print, a system of digital prints, aluminum plates, and rubber cylinders is used. First, the design you need to print on the plastic tube is printed through a digital computer.
This design is transferred onto the aluminum plates, and plates are loaded on the rollers. These rollers help apply the ink to the plastic containers and then the ink is allowed to dry.
Silk screen printing is used in cases where the print is of multiple colors. In silk screen printing, a photographically treated screen with ink is used to press the printed design on cosmetic plastic tubes.
Step 3: Cutting
While the size, shape, and diameter of the plastic tubes are already determined in the extrusion process, the length of the tube is variable. To ensure the uniform size of all the plastic tubes produced in a batch, the upper ends of the tubes are cut. Several cutting mechanisms can be used and the commonly used ones include,
- Saw cutting in which saw blades are used. The length of the cosmetic tubes can be customized in this method.
- Shear blades in which scissors-like blades are used to get clean cut tubes.
- Rotatory blades in which high-speed blades are used to cut tubes in motion
Step 4: Capping
Caps are produced separately according to the diameter of the head of the plastic tube and its closing mechanism. Different types of caps include,
- Screw caps
- Flip flops
- Snap-on caps
Made of plastic, metal, or glass, these caps are attached to the heads of the plastic tubes through a capping machine.
Considering the importance of sturdy capping to prevent product leakage, the compatibility of the caps with the bottles is checked afterward, and any plastic tube with an error is discarded.
Step 5: Labeling
Although the basic information about the product can be printed on the cosmetic tubes in the printing process, labeling allows you to add additional yet useful information on the plastic bottles. For example, ingredient lists, how-to instructions, and warnings. FDA has a set of standards for cosmetic product labeling. Labels are made according to these standards and are then applied to the cosmetic tubes.
Additionally, engraving, silk printing, and metal embossing can be used to make no-label labels on cosmetic packaging. Labeling greatly enhances the visual appeal of the products and also makes the product and, thus, the brand more reliable.
Step 6: Sealing
The back end of the cosmetic tubes is opened until the very end. Lastly, this end is sealed by pressing it in between a sealing machine. Furthermore, it is important to note that the capping and sealing process of cosmetic tubes can be done side-by-side in the sealing step of cosmetic tube manufacturing or separately.
After production, labeling, and sealing, the durability, quality, and practicality of cosmetic plastic tubes are tested,
- Pressure tests
- Adhesion tests
- Leakage tests
Applications of Plastic Tubes in the Cosmetics Industry
Here are the common applications of plastic tubes in the cosmetic industry.
Lotion Tubes
Polyethylene resins are used to make lotion tubes. The walls of these tubes are around 0.5mm thick and they can hold lotions in the quantity of 10 ml to 250 ml. Lotion tubes can be squeezable or solid with airless pumps.
Lip Balm Tubes
Lip balm tubes come in solid cylinder shapes with a lower end that twists to roll the lip product upwards. Also, roll-on balls are present on lip oil plastic tubes. Some lip balm tubes have flexible bodies with slanted heads to dispense the product directly on the lips.
The customization options for designing plastic lip product tubes help beauty brands make unique packaging for their lipsticks, lip oils, lip glosses, and lip balms.
Laminated Cosmetic Tubes
Laminated cosmetic tubes are flexible tubes with screw tops. These are made of two types of material: plastic, which forms the body of the tube, and aluminum, which forms a thin layer on the plastic body to laminate it. Such tubes are used to pack oral care products like toothpaste and hair care products like shampoos.
Extruded Cosmetic Tubes
Extruded cosmetic tubes are flexible tubes that recoil back to their original shape after the consumers squeeze them to dispense the product out. These tubes are used in the packaging of skincare products like facemasks and creams and haircare products like shampoos and conditioners.
Conclusion
The manufacturing process of cosmetic tubes is done in 6 steps including extrusion, printing, cutting, capping, labeling, and sealing. Each of these steps is automated and carefully monitored to ensure the quality of the cosmetic tube packaging.
The steps are simple and economical and the plastic tubes formed during the procedure can be customised. Moreover, the benefits of cosmetic plastic tubes are discussed in this article.
Therefore, if you are looking for cosmetic packaging manufacturers who can manufacture high-quality plastic tubes for you, feel free to contact us.
