Puig chooses Eastman glass polymer for on-the-go fragrances

The 'pocket spray' has been designed to hold a number of the fashion and beauty house's leading fragrance brands, including XS Ligne, Paco Rabanne pour Homme, Ultraviolet and Eau - while also addressing the issue of allowing fragrance users to perfume on-the-go.

Described as a thin, flat and rectangular-shaped packaging, the pocket spray has been designed to fit into a jacket pocket and comprises a container with a spray cap and two outer shells made from Eastman's Glass Polymer resin.

The polymer-based shells are chromium plated on one side of the packaging and given a soft skin touch on the other half to improve the look and feel of the flacon. Likewise hot print decoration is used on the back shell to highlight the product name.

"For the outer shells we needed a material that would not only help us to achieve a high-quality look and finish to the flacon, but which would primarily offer the mechanical and chemical properties to facilitate production and deliver a functional end-product,"​ said Xavier Leboucher, packaging development team director for Puig Prestige Beauté.

"The resin provided us with the perfect solution from both a design and processing standpoint,"​ added Leboucher. "It was the only material we encountered able to survive the plating treatment and still achieve a metallic layer with a stretched, smooth finish. Plus, thanks to the decorative flexibility offered by the resin, we were able to use a variety of treatments, such as lacquering and hot print, to create the desired final result."​

Because the flacon is aimed at the on-the-go market, finding a material that would be light but hard-wearing was a primary concern. As glass did not really fit this bill, the fact that Eastman's Glass Polymer resin is light, difficult to break and tough made it a viable option for Puig.

Manufactured by France-based Lisi Cosmetics, the resin's high elongation at break made it easier to snap-fit the shells to one another using built-in elements. According to the companies, this simplified the assembly process, made the join invisible and proved to be cost-effective.

An important issue for many cosmetic companies is that the clarity and sheen of glass polymer is as good as, if not better than, glass. Eastman says that this is what it has managed with its glass polymer, alongside the added advantage of increased design flexibility.

A combination of these qualities will also give the resin added appeal for the growing on-the-go market. Experts have pointed out that, although the market for on-the-go personal care products is still relatively small, the fact that individuals now spend so much time away from home - whether it be holidaying, working or in leisure - is now driving a considerable market for smaller and more convenient personal care formats.