• Login
    • Join
  • Subscribe Free
    • Magazine
    • eNewsletter
    Checkout
    • Magazine
    • News
    • Formulary
    • Exclusives
    • Top Companies
    • Raw Materials
    • End-User
    • Packaging
    • Directories
    • Events
    • Jobs
    • More
  • Magazine
  • News
  • Formulary
  • Exclusives
  • Top Companies
  • Raw Materials
  • End-User
  • Packaging
  • Directories
  • Events
  • Jobs
  • Current / Back Issues
    Features
    Columns
    Editorial
    Digital Edition
    eNewsletter Archive
    Our Team
    Editorial Guidelines
    Subscribe Now
    Advertise Now
    Top Features
    In Full Bloom

    All Inclusive

    Make It Yours

    The Making of a Beauty Entrepreneur

    A Stellar Lineup of Speakers Is Set For Happi’s Anti-Aging Conference
    Online Exclusives
    Association News
    Breaking News
    Financial News
    Industry News
    International
    Marketing News
    New Products
    News Front
    Packaging News
    Patents
    Personnel
    Regulations
    Snapshots
    Top News
    Live From Shows
    Top News
    Coty Blends AR and Real Products at Retail

    Milk Rolls Out CBD-Enhanced Mascara

    Sephora Adds Volition To Roster

    Expanded Qii Oral Care Drink Delivers 52% Plaque Reduction

    New Regulations for Nail Salons
    International Top 30 Report
    Top 50 Report
    Top Companies
    16. Church & Dwight Co.

    2. L’Oréal

    6. L Brands

    27. Mandom

    18. Guthy-Renker
    Actives
    Functional Ingredients
    Pigments
    Polymers
    Preservatives
    Surfactants

    ACI Meets the Chemists of Tomorrow...Today

    LAPD Seizes Contaminated, Counterfeit Cosmetics

    Silab Celebrates 10 Years in China

    A Gentle Approach to Acne

    #superherobeauty from Grant Industries
    Air Care/Environmental Fragrance
    AP/Deo
    Color Cosmetics
    Disinfectants
    Fine Fragrance
    Hair Care
    Household Cleaning
    I&I Marketplace
    Laundry Care
    Oral Care
    OTC/Medicated
    Packaging
    Personal Cleansers
    Skin Care
    Sun Care
    Testing

    Coty Blends AR and Real Products at Retail

    Expanded Qii Oral Care Drink Delivers 52% Plaque Reduction

    From Amsterdam to New Amsterdam

    BET and Beautycon Launch Beauty-Focused Content

    Colgate and Phelps Continue Water Conservation Program
    Lab Equipment
    Mixing
    Packaging
    Testing

    Overnight Labels Unveils Updated Website

    Eliminating the Idea of 'Waste'

    Hallu Puts New Spin on Bath Bomb

    A Pure Pair of Pampers?

    Cosmetic Must-Haves from Qosmedix
    Contract Manufacturing / Private Label Directory
    Buyer's Guide
    Add New Company
    Corporate Profiles
    Corporate Capabilities
    International Buyers Guide Companies
    BASF Corporation

    Lubrizol

    Jeen International

    Lipotec USA, Inc.

    Vertellus
    Brand Building Seminar
    Live From Shows
    Meetings
    Webinars
    Snapshots
    • Magazine
      • Current / Back Issues
      • Features
      • Editorial
      • Columns
      • Digital Edition
      • eNewsletter Archive
      • Subscribe Now
      • Advertise Now
    • Breaking News
    • Formulary
    • Directories
      • Buyer's Guide
      • Contract Manufacturing / Private Label Directory
      • Corporate Profiles
      • Add Your Company
      • Corporate Capabilities
    • Raw Materials
      • Actives
      • Functional Ingredients
      • Pigments
      • Polymers
      • Preservatives
      • Surfactants
    • End-User
      • Air Care/Environmental Fragrance
      • AP/Deo
      • Color Cosmetics
      • Disinfectants
      • Fine Fragrance
      • Hair Care
      • Household Cleaning
      • I&I Marketplace
      • Laundry Care
      • Oral Care
      • OTC/Medicated
      • Packaging
      • Personal Cleansers
      • Skin Care
      • Sun Care
      • Testing
    • Packaging
      • Lab Equipment
      • Mixing
      • Packaging
      • Testing
    • Top Companies
      • International Top 30 Report
      • Top 50 Report
    • Online Exclusives
    • Experts Opinion
    • Slideshows
    • Videos
    • Podcasts
    • Infographics
    • Blog
    • Whitepapers
    • Surveys
      • R & D Salary Survey
      • Sales & Marketing Salary Survey
    • Job Banks
    • Anti-Aging Conference
    • Events
      • Industry Events
      • Live from show Events
      • Webinars
    • About Us
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Advertise With Us
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms of Use
    Features

    Getting Better All The Time

    packaging for wipes is getting smarter, providing customers with convenience, portability, cost efficiencies and ecofriendly options

    Sandra Levy, associate editor09.14.10
    Wipes makers are jockeying to have their products stand apart in an environment where competition is intensifying and they are employing some new packaging tricks that razzle and dazzle.

    From soft pack delivery systems to stand-up pouch packs to convenient “on the go” travel packs to pop-up dispensers to one-push button to touchless dispensers, there are a slew of awesome innovations for packing wipes that are ecofriendly and offer consumers convenience, portability and value.

    Soft Pack

    One of the hottest ideas in wipes packaging is Nice-Pak Products Inc.’s Eco-Pak, a portable, soft pack delivery system that holds high-efficacy surface disinfecting wet wipes. This resealable package, which has soft sides is able to stand on one of its sides, maximizing store shelf impact and minimizing storage space under a kitchen sink. The package also provides a more compact footprint than traditional canisters for more efficient storage and transportation, as well as a more comfortable fit in the consumer’s hand, according to Ruth Levy, vice president of strategic product development at Nice-Pak Products.

    “As we go for more efficient packaging and less packaging per product, we wanted something that consumers could handle. The whole concept was how can we make this easier for consumers to use? Historically, canisters are a wonderful delivery system for wipes. Over time, more products have been moving to a more manageable soft pack that’s easier to hold and easier for the consumer to store.We wanted to make a product that historically couldn’t be made into a soft pack convenient and portable for consumers. It’s all about the consumer benefit and consumer value. Not only is Eco-Pak easier to store and easier to handle, the dispensing is easier,” said Ms. Levy.

    Consumers don’t have to thread a canister lid and they don’t have to take the lid apart and rethread it every time there’s a drop back, Ms. Levy said. “With Eco-Pak it’s always easy to reach that first wipe because the package compresses to the height of the actual stack. It’s easy for consumers to dispense and it maintains better moisture all the way through.”

    Solar Lids Are A Fave

    The Solar Lid is one of the latest innovations in packaging that is becoming increasingly popular. Noting that Nice-Pak designed and patented the solar lid in 1981, Ms. Levy described the device as “putting a dispenser on top of a soft pack,” allowing users to dispense one wipe at a time and then seal the pack tokeep the moisture in. The idea has exploded. The patents have run out and even Huggies and Pampers offer wipes with solo-type lids. There has been a movement from canisters to tubs to solo lids, which allows you to have a pack of wipes anywhere you go whether for face, hands or baby. Now with Eco-Pak for household surface disinfection, you can have them in your car or in different rooms of the house and you can take them when you travel. It has changed people’s ability to have portable cleaning products,” said Ms. Levy.

    Hot Trends

    Nice-Pak is busy pioneering other hot trends so don’t be surprised if you see more wipes packaged in cups that fit in car cup holders.

    Nice-Pak offers Sani Hands for Kids in a cup and the company is expanding distribution under various brand name labels. People are more concerned about hand hygiene. Our goal is not just to provide people with product that they can carry around—these wipes have full hand sanitization properties. This was specially designed to give consumers a product that met their needs when they are out for a soccer game or ice cream so you can sanitize those hands in your back seat,” said Ms. Levy.

    Individual packets for wipes are not new but their popularity is growing as consumers’ awareness about germs and viruses has increased. “Not only do you get the microbial kill from the alcohol but you also get the mechanical friction that the wipe provides,” said Ms. Levy. Independent university- and pathogen-sponsored studies show wiping hands with hand sanitizing wipes is more effective than gels, said Ms. Levy.

    Belt dispensing packs are the latest thing to hit restaurants. Nice-Pak’s sister company, PDI specializes in hospital and restaurant business and designed the patented wet wipe belt dispensing pack to offer a convenient alternative to cleaning tables with a rag and a bucket. “The wipe can be used and thrown away. The Table Turner wipe packages fit into a belt dispense pack,” said Ms. Levy.

    More Innovations

    Tarry Paul Zielinski, vice president of sales at Guy & O’Neill, who recently spoke at the WOW conference in Chicago, discussed a number of packaging trends shaping the wipes market. For example, recent consumer research has revealed that consumers like wet wipe products with a pop-up feature, which means that when an individual wipe is dispensed from a package, the tail of the next wipe pops up through the dispensing orifice. “They’ve been conditioned based on the Kleenex facial tissue wipe dispensing device that continually pops up one tissue at a time. These products look good and consumers will leave them out (in sight) for home use,” said Mr. Zielinski.

    PDI designed the patented wet wipe belt dispensing pack.

    Ms. Levy agreed that the pop-up feature is convenient. It provides one-hand dispensing, but she emphasized that this feature is application specific. “There are some products where the pop-up feature is important and some products where it is not important. It really depends on the specific application whether it’s more appropriate for it to pop up or not,” said Ms. Levy.

    One hand or touchless operation is another trend that is taking hold, according to Mr. Zielinski, who provided the example of a consumer product—Lysol’s hand sanitizing soap dispenser. “It’s something that is important to customers. If you have one touch or no touch there are no germs left over or transferred to the next person who is using it,” said Mr. Zielinski.

    Joseph Hotchkiss director, School of Packaging, Center for Packaging Innovation and Sustainability at Michigan State University agreed that touchless operation is a positive trend with benefits for the consumer. “If you touch the container and the next person touches it, they may have the contamination. If the container has a way of dispensing a wipe you break that kind of communication,” he said.

    When it comes to canisters there are many awesome improvements that are noteworthy. “There have been many improvements in canisters in the form of large and unique shapes such as oval, flex pack sizes and the latest innovation, which are large domed- shaped canisters. There’s also flexible style canisters that use post consumer materials, polylactic acid materials,” said Mr. Zielinski.

    Higher Counts

    Catering to institutional centers, wipes makers are making larger count canister-style packages. Nice Pak recently launched a 300-count canister targeting healthcare and restaurant settings.

    “There are a lot of products where the canister design is well suited to maintaining the efficacy of the formula. For surface disinfectants and hand antisepsis the canister really is technically a wonderful design. The higher counts are perfect for institutional settings, such as schools, hospitals and restaurants. In industry, people are certainly going to higher and higher counts because you want to have the minimum amount of plastic and the minimum amount of packaging per product and it allows for high traffic in hospitals and restaurants. We’re the market leader in surface disinfecting wipes in hospitals and hand antisepsis wipes in the hospital and food industry. Those are areas where we produce large canisters. We have special brackets to be mounted on walls and general areas,” said Ms. Levy.

    Tamper Evident

    These days consumers are increasingly demanding tamper evident features on packaging. According to Mr. Hotchkiss packaging tampering is a problem for all manufacturers including wipes makers. “This is a major problem for every industry.We are looking at new technologies that might indicate that a package has been in some way violated or may be a knockoff. It is a brand protection activity.The thing is to make it too expensive to knock off a product so that if someone wanted to duplicate your packaging system it would cost them more money than they could make on ripping off your product. Whenever you have a product that if tampered with could injure a consumer you are prudent to consider ways to protect your product,” he said.

    Sustainability

    When it comes to packing wipes, sustainability continues to be a trend that is showing no signs of dissipating.

    “We absolutely recognize the opportunity to use less packaging material—to minimize the environmental impact and to have more product per shipping pallet for retailer shipping and storage efficiencies, as well as a smaller footprint for consumer storage convenience.Products that have disinfectant sanitization efficacy are technically challenging to put in soft packs so we came around some great hurdles for that. We had a consumer benefit that was good for the environment and it had all sorts of benefits for retailers in shipping and transportation. We aren’t just looking at less packaging. It isn’t just the material you put in that you can reduce, it’s all of the handling of that material before it even gets to you. We went all the way upstream to recognize how we were going to be better for the environment,” said Ms. Levy.

    Mr. Hotchkiss agreed. “Anybody who produces a product designed to clean something has to pay attention to having more sustainable packaging. The changes will reduce the product’s carbon footprint, which means it uses fewer petrochemical-derived polymers and using more bio-derived polymers. It will mean using less material not only in the primary package but also in the distribution system, the secondary cartons and the tertiary palletizing systems will become much more efficient.”

    Emphasizing that for most consumer products, the packaging and packaging process costs exceed the cost of ingredients, Mr. Hotchkiss said, “Nano cellulose is simply very small particles of cellulosic materials—cellulose being derived from plant sources. It is also biodegradable, readily available and typically cheaper than most polymers. If you added 20% nano cellulose to a standard polymer, you would reduce the carbon footprint of that package by 20%. You are very likely to decrease the cost of that package and you might have the same or better performance from that package. If you really look at this carefully and do the right kind of changes, you reduce the carbon footprint, you have a greener package and by the way, save some money.”

    In terms of mechanical or bulk properties, Mr. Hotchkiss explained that by adding solid materials like nano cellulose or micro cellulose you may improve some of the strength properties of the polymer. If you improve the strength property, you use less material.

    “If I can double the strength of a polymer, then in essence that allows me to reduce the amount of polymer used to make a package. I’ve replaced part of the polymer with a renewable material. I may have improved the properties to the point where I can actually use less material and get the same performance and I’ve reduced the carbon footprint so I’ve done some good things for that package,” said Mr. Hotchkiss.

    Labels

    There’s good news when it comes to labels on wipes packaging. “Labels are increasingly being done better—application labels allows for recyclability and better graphics are available,” said Mr. Zielinski.

    Mike Rekitzke president N.E.W. Plastics Corp., which specializes in injection blow molding, extrusion blow molding and plastic profile extrusion took Mr. Zielinski’s sentiments one step further. “Packaging is becoming not just a means of holding the wipe and liquid, many customers are finding it a great way to advertise and market their productS on the store shelf as well. New labeling options like shrink sleeves allow for some very unique and attractive visuals for on-shelf displays rather than just silk screening or front and rear labels. This change in labeling alone offers more options for product marketing techniques to the consumer goods manufacturers,” he said.

    Reducing Costs

    Lighter weight canisters are increasingly being used to help reduce costs associated with wipes packaging. “We are seeing trends to move to lighter weight canisters in an effort to remove some of the costs. Unfortunately, the cost of petroleum-based plastic resins can be quite volatile. Reducing the grammageof the canister is one way for a customer to decrease the cost of their package. Our expertise is in designing the mold to make sure the reduced weight means we can still meet the critical side wall thickness and bottom for strength against drop,” said Mr. Rekitzke.

    Customers are also starting to source more recycled content in their products as a means of controlling raw material costs, but Mr. Rekitzke cautioned that too much can cause manufacturing issues. “The consistency in the material can pose problems in the actual molding process. Inconsistency in the material due to melt index can cause streaking, holes, poor neck formation and poor cycle times. Potential levels of increased dirt particles that are generally found in recycled materials, which challenge dirt specifications, can cause holes in canisters. Because of potential contamination of recycled resin, a number of these options are not available due to FDA and other facility standards.

    Peering in the Crystal Ball

    Where is wipes packaging headed in the future?

    Mr. Zielinski said consumers desire upscale attractive designer packaging to match different home and bathroom décors that they can leave out on counter top dispensers. They are also interested in tamper-evident, tear-away inner seals, pop-up dispensers for next towel dispensing and one-touch operation. He foresees use of task specific prints available on plastic tubs to match specific cleaning applications.

    Meanwhile, Mr. Hotchkiss foresees the use of square wipes packaged flat in a square container and dispensed from the side rather than the top. “That would probably use less material per given number of wipes. Maybe you’d save 10-15% of the polymer used in the container. That would be an absolutely huge savings. To a large manufacturer that would be worth millions of dollars a year,” he said.

    Finally Mr. Zielinski summed up the importance of continued innovation in wipes packaging in these words: “Getting creative with the packaging allows for better opportunity in trade and toward the consumers themselves. The net result is to gain market share by coming up with innovation which fuels differentiation, protection and profitability of your brand. The trade wants package differentiation. Make the product new again and different from the competition,” he said.
    Related Searches
    • bath
    • features
    • care
    • polymer

    Related Features

    • Actives | Skin Care

      The Power of Bio-Inspiration

      Silab takes a deep dive into Metschnikowia reukaufii and through its “microbiota platform” create a new active.
      David Boudier, Scientific Communication Manager, Silab 04.02.18

    • Color Cosmetics | Skin Care
      In Full Bloom

      In Full Bloom

      Florals are at the forefront of Spring 2018 fine fragrance launches.
      Melissa Meisel , Associate Editor 04.02.18

    • Color Cosmetics | Hair Care | Skin Care
      All Inclusive

      All Inclusive

      The breakout success of a new high-profile color line leads to market expansion by way of extended shade ranges and more ski
      Christine Esposito, Associate Editor 04.02.18


    • Color Cosmetics | Hair Care | Personal Cleansers | Skin Care
      Make It Yours

      Make It Yours

      From startup to established, beauty company executives dish on the details that go into developing a formula.
      Tom Branna, Editorial Director 04.02.18

    • Color Cosmetics | Fine Fragrance | Skin Care
      The Making of a Beauty Entrepreneur

      The Making of a Beauty Entrepreneur

      Whether it’s a well-established name heading in a new direction or a newcomer to the world of beauty, entrepreneurialism is largely a labor of love. That love was on display when The Fashion Group International, Inc. introduced a panel of beaut…
      Nancy Jeffries, Contributing Editor 04.02.18

    • Actives | Skin Care
      A Stellar Lineup of Speakers Is Set For Happi’s Anti-Aging Conference

      A Stellar Lineup of Speakers Is Set For Happi’s Anti-Aging Conference

      Our 2018 edition will be held May 15 & 16 at Jacob Javits Center, co-located with NYSCC Suppliers’ Day.
      04.02.18


    • Functional Ingredients | Laundry Care | Polymers | Surfactants

      Unconventional Approaches

      Suppliers show up in force to showcase their solutions at the American Cleaning Institute’s Annual Meeting & Industry Convent
      Tom Branna, Editorial Director 03.01.18

    • Functional Ingredients | Laundry Care | Polymers | Surfactants
      Loads of Work To Do

      Loads of Work To Do

      More than 1000 industry executives from around the world attend the ACI Annual Meeting & Industry Convention.
      Tom Branna, Editorial Director 03.01.18

    • Actives | Functional Ingredients | Polymers | Sun Care
      The Protection Collection

      The Protection Collection

      A few big names dominate, but a raft of smaller brands provide consumers with more choices in sun care.
      Christine Esposito, Associate Editor 03.01.18


    • Color Cosmetics
      A Beauty Revolution

      A Beauty Revolution

      Today’s color cosmetics marketplace is driven by formulation innovation and social media interaction.
      Melissa Meisel, Associate Editor 03.01.18

    • Actives | Functional Ingredients | OTC/Medicated
      Of Pimples & Pains

      Of Pimples & Pains

      A look two of the largest segments in the OTC category—acne treatments and analgesic rubs.
      Tom Branna, Editorial Director 03.01.18

    • Actives | Color Cosmetics | Functional Ingredients | Hair Care | Personal Cleansers | Pigments | Polymers | Preservatives | Skin Care | Sun Care | Surfactants | Testing
      In-Cosmetics Global Is Next Month

      In-Cosmetics Global Is Next Month

      The leading global personal care ingredients event will focus on R&D when chemists head to The Netherlands, April 17-19, 2018
      03.01.18

    • Functional Ingredients | Hair Care | Laundry Care | Personal Cleansers | Skin Care | Surfactants
      Palm-Tastic!

      Palm-Tastic!

      There are many benefits to formulating home and personal care products based on RSPO certified oil palm products
      Rita Koester, BASF Personal Care and Nutrition GmbH 03.01.18

    • Air Care/Environmental Fragrance | AP/Deo | Color Cosmetics | Disinfectants | Fine Fragrance | Hair Care | Household Cleaning | I&I Marketplace | Insect Control | Laundry Care | OTC/Medicated | Packaging | Personal Cleansers | Skin Care | Sun Care | Testing

      Trade Association Directory 2018

      Following are the contact details of trade associations frequently mentioned in the pages of Happi.
      02.01.18

    • Actives | Skin Care | Sun Care | Testing
      Anti-Aging Products Are Not Drugs!

      Anti-Aging Products Are Not Drugs!

      Does the withdrawal of Import Alert 66-38 signal a change of heart at the US Food and Drug Administration?
      Georgia C. Ravitz and Naomi L. Halpern, Arent Fox LLP 02.01.18

    Breaking News
    • Coty Blends AR and Real Products at Retail
    • Milk Rolls Out CBD-Enhanced Mascara
    • BASF Drives Sustainable Palm
    • Sephora Adds Volition To Roster
    • Expanded Qii Oral Care Drink Delivers 52% Plaque Reduction
    View Breaking News >
    CURRENT ISSUE

    April 2018

    • The Power of Bio-Inspiration
    • In Full Bloom
    • All Inclusive
    • Make It Yours
    • The Making of a Beauty Entrepreneur
    • A Stellar Lineup of Speakers Is Set For Happi’s Anti-Aging Conference
    • View More >

    Copyright © 2018 Rodman Media. All rights reserved. Use of this constitutes acceptance of our privacy policy The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Rodman Media.