Moisture Locking Compact
An innovative hermetic seal enhances foundation quality.
By Christina Painton, Editorial AssistantToday's time-crunched consumers want cosmetic products that employ portable, effective packaging and cosmetic companies such as Almay are heeding the challenge. When Almay launched its new Stay Smooth powder foundation line the key ideas were not only to take the foundation out of the bottle, but to do so without sacrificing the product's formula, a concept that required special packaging.
Almay contacted Sussex Plastics, Sussex, WI, to create a unique hermetically sealed compact. "Up until now, too much moisture was lost when companies tried to move from traditional bottle and closure packaging to the convenience of a compact," says Keith Everson, president of Sussex Plastics.
Engineers and research analysts at Sussex were asked to find a solution for this dilemma and two years later they perfected a patented hermetic compact design with a sealing mechanism that prevents the product from drying out. By sizing the sealing mechanism to fit directly inside the compact, Sussex engineers created a seal that maintains close to 100 percent of the product's moisture. The sealing mechanism was also designed to close when the consumer closes the compact to ensure against breakage or damage which would cause the foundation to dry out.
Precision Packaging
Sussex used a special polypropylene to create the sealing mechanism, while the compact's cover and base were manufactured with ABS/SAN and hot stamped for added shelf appeal. Sussex molds the hermetic piece in a four-cavity mold capable of producing 18,000 compacts per day. Tight control is kept on the molding parameters because tolerances need to be held within one thousand of an inch in order for the sealing system to maintain 99 percent of the product's moisture over the typical shelf life test. To the consumer, this translates into a foundation that can be conveniently carried in a purse or pocket for touch-ups throughout the day.
Functional Quality
According to Ray Garofano, director of packaging development for Almay, "Our formula required a compact design that offered a hermetic seal throughout the life of the product. After exhaustive evaluation of the options available, Sussex Plastic's solution worked the best." The compact embodies Almay's packaging philosophy to bring department store quality to the mass market at affordable prices. Garofano deems the compact ideal for Almay because "its combination of affordability and function to contain our unique formula." Because it doesn't need additional parts, costs are kept competitive, while the friction fit seal gives customers a level of quality.