Choosing packaging
Cosmetic packaging protects the formula, shapes how your customer uses it every day and is the first thing they see on the shelf or in an online shop photo. The choice depends above all on the product’s texture. In this guide we compare tubes, bottles, airless and jars, and look at cartons, kits and minimum quantities.
Choose the container based on three characteristics of the formula:
Then come brand positioning, budget and sales channel. The channel matters more than it seems:
| Container | Best for | Strengths | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tube | Gels, hand and body creams, medium-thick face creams | Hygienic, light, easy to dose, compact | Hard to empty completely |
| Bottle with flip-top cap | Cleansers, fluid gels, body milks | Economical, practical in the shower | Less suited to thick creams |
| Bottle with pump | Cleansers, lotions, fluid gels | Consistent dose, handy in salons and bathrooms | Very thick formulas can block the pump |
| Airless | Creams and serums sensitive to air | Protects the formula, almost complete dispensing | Higher cost per unit |
| Jar | Rich creams, masks, butters | Premium look, easy to use | Fingers go into the product: more attention to hygiene |
For gels, one of our production strengths, the most common choices are tubes and bottles with a flip-top cap or pump. A soothing travel gel suits a tube; a cleansing gel or an intimate gel is easier to use from a bottle. See the private-label cosmetic gels we produce.
A hand or body cream is practical in a tube. A face cream can go in airless packaging if the formula is delicate, or in a jar if you want a more traditional look. Discover our private label face and body creams.
Face, body and intimate cleansers almost always go in bottles. A cylindrical bottle is easy to label and stable on the shelf. You will find the options on our page about custom cylindrical bottles.
Every time the product is opened, air gets in and, with a jar, fingers too. That is why:
Formula and container have to get along. Some ingredients can interact with plastic, a fragrance can alter a material, a container may let air or moisture through. That is why the packaging material in contact with the product is one of the points covered by the safety report in the Product Information File (PIF).
In practice, the following are checked in the final container:
So changing container once a project is under way is never just a design decision.
Packaging sustainability comes down to a few concrete choices:
Several EU countries require environmental labelling on packaging, with information on the material and how to dispose of it, and the rules differ from country to country; the UK has its own requirements too. Check them for each market you sell in. Avoid vague environmental claims such as “eco” or “green” without data to back them up: the same rules of clarity and proof apply as for cosmetic claims.
Secondary packaging is what holds the bottle or tube: a carton, a box, a gift box. It serves to:
Paper and packaging processing is one of our strengths, together with promotional boxes and kits. A kit brings several products together in one pack: useful for corporate gifts, seasonal ranges and launches. You will find examples on our pages about custom cartons and boxes and custom cosmetic kits.
Our minimum is 500 units per SKU, meaning each product in one format. Packaging affects the minimum in two ways:
The same goes for printing tubes and cartons: some processes have fixed costs that weigh less as quantities grow. We cover this in our guide to minimum order quantities.
We work with certified packaging suppliers we have known for years, and our in-house designers create labels and cartons and follow them through to print. Cylindrical bottles and tubes are the formats we know best: see our custom cosmetic tubes.
For hand and body creams, a tube is practical and hygienic. A bottle with a pump works for fluid creams and lotions; for thicker creams a tube or airless is better.
When the formula is sensitive to air or you want precise, almost complete dispensing. It costs more than a standard tube or bottle.
A jar exposes the product to contact with fingers. It can be used, but the formula needs a suitable preservative system and the choice must be considered in the safety assessment.
Yes, but if the material in contact with the product changes, new compatibility checks and an update to the documentation are needed. It is best to plan it in advance.
No. It becomes useful when the container is small and there isn’t room for all the label information, or when you want to protect and enhance the product.
Our minimum stays at 500 units per SKU. Containers in custom colours or shapes may, however, have higher minimums at the packaging supplier.
Send us your product idea: we will suggest suitable containers, cartons and artwork, with samples to approve before you order.
Free checklist
Choices, mandatory documents, realistic timelines and mistakes to avoid, in a 4-page PDF. What's inside
