Will plastic replace glass in the future cosmetic packaging market?
Will plastic replace glass in the future cosmetic packaging market?
Although there are many types of cosmetics with different functions, in terms of their external form and packaging adaptability, most of them are liquids, emulsions or pastes, which do not have a distinctive appearance and must be expressed through exquisite and unique packaging designs. Due to its own characteristics, cosmetics generally rely on packaging to achieve good sales. In addition to metal, plastic and glass are currently the main materials used for cosmetic packaging containers.
1. Glass as cosmetic packaging material
As a traditional packaging material, glass is characterized by: bright and transparent, good chemical stability, airtight, and easy to form. However, it has the disadvantages of being heavy and easily broken. 80% to 90% of glass packaging containers are glass bottles and cans. Usually, the density of soda-lime glass bottles is 2.5~2.6g/cm3, which is highly brittle and has low thermal conductivity. Glass with various colors such as emerald green, dark green, light cyan, amber, etc. can be made by using metal ion colorants.
1.1 Advantages of glass packaging containers
It has good chemical stability, is non-toxic and tasteless, hygienic and clean, and has no adverse effects on the packaging. It has good barrier properties and can provide good shelf life conditions. It has good transparency and the contents are clearly visible. It has good rigidity. Not easy to deform; good molding and processability, can be processed into a variety of shapes; good temperature tolerance, can be sterilized at high temperatures and stored at low temperatures; rich in raw materials, recyclable and reusable, no pollution to the environment.
1.2 Disadvantages and usage limitations of glass packaging containers
It is brittle and easily broken; it has high mass and high transportation costs; it consumes a lot of energy during processing and causes serious environmental pollution; and its printing performance is poor.
Limitation of use: Although the chemical stability of glass bottles is good, it is not easy to react with the contents and has high transparency. Iron, cobalt, and chromium colorants can be added to the raw materials to produce glass bottles of various colors; it has good heat resistance and is not easy to Deformation, high compression strength, internal pressure resistance, high density and weight (suitable for packaging of higher-end cosmetics), good barrier properties, hygiene and preservation, easy to seal, can be re-sealed after opening, etc., but at the same time, Glass bottles have poor impact resistance, are fragile, have high filling costs, and have complex molding processing, which limits the application of glass bottles. Glass bottles are often used for the packaging of high-end cosmetics or cosmetics with special requirements.
In the past, cosmetics were generally packaged in glass bottles. However, due to the single variety of glass containers, even if there is a good design concept, it is often not possible to realize it due to technical and material limitations.
1.3 Widely used
In terms of cosmetic packaging, glass still plays a very important role. Especially in the packaging of high-end cosmetics, such as high-end perfume packaging, glass bottles still have great advantages. Using lightweight technology to reduce the wall thickness of the glass, reduce the mass, increase transparency and surface finish, and perform frosting, painting, color printing, engraving, etc. on the glass surface can increase the added value of the glass bottle, making it possible to use this type of technology for glass bottle packaging Cosmetics, perfumes, etc. not only have the function of beauty, but also have the function of craft decoration, are elegant and luxurious, and play a role in beautifying life. This is unmatched by plastic bottles.
2 Plastics as cosmetic packaging materials
2.1 Advantages of plastic packaging containers
It has good mechanical properties, light weight, convenient storage and transportation, and is easy to carry and use; it has good barrier properties, good sealing performance, and high transparency; it has good processing performance and can be manufactured into bottles, caps, films, bags, and composite packaging materials of various sizes; Good decorative coloring and printing properties. Product logos, instructions, labels, and barcodes can be directly ink-jet or printed on plastic materials and will not fall off; they have good chemical stability, weak toxicity, and are hygienic and safe.
2.2 Disadvantages and usage limitations of plastic packaging containers
Easily charged with static electricity; the surface is easily contaminated; discarded items can cause environmental pollution; recycling is difficult.
Usage restrictions: For general cosmetics, if plastic materials or composite materials can be used instead of glass containers for packaging, plastic containers and composite containers are often used for packaging. However, for high-end cosmetics or cosmetics that are easy to evaporate and lose fragrance, such as perfumes, they are generally still used. Packed in glass bottles.
2.3 Widely used
For different types of cosmetics, the packaging materials used are very different. Plastic bottles are mainly used for oil products: such as hair oil, hair wax, sunscreen oil, bath oil, massage oil, etc.; emulsion products: such as cleansing cream, cleansing milk, moisturizer, nutritional cream, snow cream, cold cream, Hair lotion, etc.; surfactant solution products: such as shampoo, body wash, etc.; their consumption accounts for 40% of the total consumption of cosmetic packaging. With the development of the cosmetics market, the market prospects of plastic flexible packaging, skin care and hair care cosmetics are promising, and small-capacity flexible packaging of cosmetics will develop rapidly.
3 Analysis, discussion and prediction of the application status of cosmetic packaging at home and abroad
3.1 The development trend of glass bottle packaging in the future cosmetics market
Cosmetic packaging materials are mainly composed of three materials: glass, plastic, and metal. Recently, countries around the world have conducted new research and development on cosmetic packaging container material processing technology and other aspects in order to pursue new shapes. This highlights the novelty and elegance of the product. Currently, glass occupies a greater advantage in the packaging field of high-end cosmetics. Its transparency and smoothness are unmatched by plastics. After several years of difficult and slow growth and competition from other materials, the glass packaging industry is now coming out of the trough and regaining its former prosperity. In recent years, the growth rate of the glass packaging industry in the cosmetics market has been only 2%. The reason for its slow growth is competition from other materials and slow global economic growth. On the positive side, glass manufacturers have benefited from the fast-growing premium skin care category and high demand for glass products. In addition, glass manufacturers are seeking development opportunities from emerging markets and constantly updating new product production processes. On the whole, although there are competing materials in the professional line and perfume markets, glass manufacturers are still very optimistic about the prospects of the glass packaging industry and do not seem to be showing any shortcomings.
3.2 Plastic bottles may become the main trend in cosmetic packaging in the future
The cosmetics packaging market has always been dominated by glass, but the diversity and plasticity of plastics have made plastics an increasingly popular packaging material, and market demand will increase significantly. For multinational cosmetics companies, packaging is an integral part of product design, and plastic packaging is gaining favor. Relevant data also show that in recent years, plastic packaging has occupied more than 80% of the cosmetics packaging market share and has become the most important packaging container for cosmetics. The packaging of medium and low-end ordinary cosmetics is mostly replaced by plastic bottles, plastic bags or plastic tubes. The proportion of glass bottles in cosmetic packaging containers does not exceed 8%.
Plastics are favored because of their advantages over glass for a range of bath products and their versatility to support the increasing diversity of end-user products.
4 Summary
From the development trend of cosmetic packaging materials and taking into account the respective advantages and disadvantages of glass bottles and plastic bottles, it can be concluded that although plastic containers are prone to static electricity, easy surface contamination, discarded materials will cause environmental pollution, and recycling is difficult, etc. , but with the development of science and technology and continuous innovation of technology, these shortcomings have been gradually overcome, and the transparency and gloss of plastic products have become comparable to those of glass products. In addition, there are many types of plastic products with different shapes and functions, which can meet the consumption needs of people of different grades and greatly enrich people's lives. Its material selection, performance and advantages in various aspects are unmatched by glass products. It is believed that as the market matures, replacing glass products with plastic will surely become the development path of the cosmetic packaging market in the future.