Chances are big that if you are active in the cosmetic or beauty industry, you have come across the phenomenon of the airless bottle. Although traditionally companies liked to use standard pump bottles for their lotions, the popularity of these so-called airless pump bottles is rising significantly. Airless pump bottles are, at the moment, still relatively unknown, however, this is expected to change rapidly. As of late, we already see a rapid increase in the popularity of airless packaging. To understand why more and more people are moving away from traditional pump bottles towards airless bottles, you’ll first need to understand the difference between the two and, based on this, what benefits the airless version brings along over the traditional lotion pump.
So, what is an airless bottle? Most of us are familiar with the traditional lotion pump, however, we do not know much about its airless alternative yet. The main difference between the traditional lotion pump and an airless bottle lies in its dispensing mechanism. Whereas traditional lotion pumps make use of an internal tube to dispense the product, airless bottles feature a tube-less and vacuum design.
With the traditional lotion pump bottle, a little bit of air is pumped inside the bottle every time a user presses the pump. This inserted air causes the lotion to push down into the bottle and, due to the created pressure, moved upwards through the tube and out of the pump. Technically speaking, this traditional pump mechanism works fine, however, it does bring along some practical disadvantages which we’ll cover later.
An airless bottle differentiates itself from a lotion pump in the way that it does not use the traditional tube design nor does it use the pressure of internal air to press out the lotion. In fact, as the name suggests, airless bottles feature a vacuum and airless design. So, how do they work? Airless bottles come with a non-pressurized vacuum dispensing mechanism that features a little disc at the bottom. Every time you press the pump, this little disc moves up slightly, causing the product to move up along with it resulting it to dispense through the pump. With this unique dispensing mechanism, there is no longer a need for the internal pump tube nor does the lotion inside of the bottle ever get in contact with external air.
Now that we know the main technical difference between how traditional lotion pumps and airless pumps work, it’s easier to understand the benefits that airless bottles bring along. As explained above, the main difference between traditional bottles and airless bottles is the vacuum design. The benefit that this airless and vacuum design brings along is that the product stored inside of the bottle no longer comes in contact with external air. This is important because there are many sensitive products on the market whose quality may be affected when it comes into contact with air. Think for instance about organic lotions or natural serums. When this type of products are stored inside an airless environment, their quality remains better for a much longer period of time. Not only does an airless bottle significantly increase the shelf life of the goods, but they also guarantee that the product quality remains the same from the first pump up until the very last. Thanks to this, customers can always be guaranteed that their lotion is of the same high-quality as the day it was produced, no matter for how long it has been inside of the bottle.
Besides the increased shelf-life, the airless disc dispensing mechanism brings along another major benefit over the traditional tube pump mechanism. If you have used a traditional tube pump before for lotions or shampoo, I am sure that you’re aware of the annoying fact that, once you believe the bottle is empty, plenty of leftover product is still stuck around the sides and bottom. This happens because not all lotion falls down and, the lotion that does fall down, is not always within reach of the pump tube because the tube hoovers slightly above the bottom. As a result, you’ll have to open up the bottle and use a tool to scrape out the remaining product if you do not want to waste it all. This can be a very messy process. Because airless bottles feature a perfectly-fitted disc that moves up inside of the bottle, this issue of left-over product is no longer present. Airless bottles leave no left-over product inside of the bottle at all, were it at the bottom or the sides. When the last bit of lotion comes out with your last pump of an airless bottle, you can be guaranteed that the bottle is completely empty. Not only does this increase the user experience of the client, but it also guarantees that the user can use every last drop of product without it ever getting in contact with external air.
A further added benefit of the vacuum design is that the bottle content is no longer affected by gravity. One rather annoying feature of traditional pump bottles is that they can only be used while standing upright. Airless bottles, on the other hand, can be used in any position imaginable. Whether it’s upright, upside down, sideways, left or right – airless bottles always do their job.
Last but not least, there is the environmental benefit of airless bottles. Because airless bottles no longer use the internal tube structure nor a bulky plastic cap, far less materials are required to produce the bottles. Airless bottles are furthermore often created out of much more durable and high-quality materials. This is done firstly to give the bottles a high-end look and premium appearance, however, it’s also done to make the bottles more durable and this reusable. Whereas traditional tube pump bottles are difficult to clean and reuse, airless bottles can be cleaned very easily after use. All you have to do is press down the disc, give the bottles a quick clean, and they’ll be as good as new. This allows you to reuse the bottles over and over again. By doing so, you’ll be able to work more sustainably through the reduction of packaging waste.
All-in-all, airless bottles bring along a number of benefits in terms of user experience, sustainability, and product preservation. Although they might be a bit more pricy compared to your standard lotion pump, their reusable design gives you the opportunity to refill the bottles and save some cash that would normally be used on purchasing new packagings after each use. If you’re looking for a truly unique pump bottle for your cosmetic lotions or creams, airless pumps are certainly worth giving a try!