Dispensing Systems: Dispensers Drive Innovation
Remergent’s new pens, supplied by SHL Medical, could indicate a new trend in how skin care products are dispensed.
A dispensing pen, a new product for foam dispensers, and an elegant dip tube are among the newest innovations.
by Marie Redding, Senior EditorUsually, change happens slowly in the area of dispensing systems. Lately, however, there has been a lot of innovation in this area. These innovations have inspired breakthrough packages in three different markets: skin care, dental, and fragrance. Read about how each of these new packages was made possible by an innovative dispensing system.
A New Way to Apply a Skin Treatment
We’ve already seen a few different types of pens used for dispensing cosmetics and personal care products such as lip gloss, teeth whiteners, and cuticle removers. Usually, these pens have a “twist and click” mechanism. Pens are also popular for spot-removing household products. The Tide to Go pen works like a magic marker, and the Clorox Bleach Pen dispenses product when it is squeezed. This spring, AGI Dermatics, under the brand name Remergent, is launching two new skin care products: Clarifying Concentrate Skin Brightener, meant to diminish the appearance of localized discolorations on the face; and Microcirculation Therapy Skin Stimulating Cream, created to relieve the appearance of under-eye fatigue and balance the skin. Instead of choosing a bottle, a tube, or a jar for these products, AGI Dermatics chose a new type of dispensing pen.
This pen is different from all others on the market. It is a new stock package created by SHL Medical (Florham Park, NJ), a division of Scandinavian Health Ltd. This pen is airless and has a built-in metered-dose pump, making it perfect for high-end or clinical skin care treatments. “A major benefit of this pen is that the product is always dispensed in the precise preset amount,” says Frank Francavilla, global development business manager, SHL Medical.
The polypropylene pen is made up of two cylinders: an inner cylinder inside an outer cylinder. The pump is attached to the inner cylinder, which contains the product. To dispense product, the user must press the pump’s actuator button. A sliding action between the two cylinders facilitates dispensing. The product can be applied directly to the area to be treated by holding the pen’s tip against the skin. “This pen offers easy-to-use, one-handed dispensing with no mess or waste of product,” says Jim Slowey, vice president of sales and marketing at Arrowpak (Richmond Hill, NY), the supplier that is distributing the pen. The pen also has a locking mechanism on the actuator button, making it convenient for travel.
Quite a few challenges were overcome in developing this package. “Integrating the pump mechanism required approaching the development of a dispensing system in a new way, using the product chamber as the actuator and allowing for the penlike action,” says David DeSalvo, product development manager, SHL. Also, the molding process for long cylindrical shapes is challenging, requiring specific machinery and expertise. “If the cylinders weren’t perfectly straight, the sliding action would be negatively affected,” explains DeSalvo.
The Remergent brand is sold exclusively through dermatologists’ offices. AGI Dermatics is known for its research in the area of DNA repair technology and its applications for skin care products. The company has also done extensive medical and scientific research in the areas of skin photobiology (the study of biological effects of sunlight on skin), photoaging, and the effect of tanning on the skin.
“We chose these pens because we were looking for a way to deliver our most potent products in a uniform dose,” says Dan Yarosh, president and chairman, AGI Dermatics. “Unlike a tube, the pen seals in the formula and dispenses it in a metered dose, so the consumer uses the right amount every time. It reinforces our message that our products are of the highest quality and utilize the latest technology.”
Foam Formulations
O-Fresh Toothfoam is the first consumer-based dental product to use a foam dispenser.
Skin care isn’t the only category being inspired by an innovative dispenser. A foam dispenser has made it possible to launch a teeth-cleaning foam product called O-Fresh Toothfoam by BCF International. It was first launched in Hong Kong and is now being widely distributed throughout Asia’s leading retail chain stores.
The foam dispenser is supplied by Airspray International (Pompano Beach, FL). “We are always looking for new market segments where foamers can be used,” says Robert Brands, president and CEO, Airspray International.
Previously, Airspray’s one-touch foamers have been used in professional dental care applications such as flouride treatments, but this represents the first consumer-based product to use it in the dental care market. (Airspray technology was initially used for hair styling products, followed by skin care and sun care products and hand soaps.)
“It takes time for consumers to become users of a new type of product, but since the introduction of foaming hand soap, retail sales [for foam products] have doubled in the last 18 months and continue to grow,” reports Brands. Brands sees the launch of O-Fresh Toothfoam as a sure sign of the potential for Airspray to continue expanding the use of its foam dispensers to other markets. “In the past we have said that foam is here to stay, but now we’re convinced,” he says.
A Designer Dip Tube
The dispenser for Dior Homme was engineered with a stainless-steel cylinder that encases the dip tube and hides the crimpless pump.
Fragrance is another category in which package designs are being greatly affected by new dispensing systems. The fragrance Dior Homme by Christian Dior is housed in an innovative bottle that uses its dispensing system as the main focus of its design. Rexam Dispensing Systems (Purchase, NY) created a sleek, stainless-steel cylinder that encases the dip tube and hides the crimpless pump. Dior’s team worked with experts at the Rexam Dispensing Systems lab in France for six months to develop a way for a metal to be immersed in a fragrance without affecting the color of the juice or the olfactory composition of the formula.
“This creation for Christian Dior meets chemical, industrial, technical, style, and quality requirements. It is something completely new in the fragrance market. Rexam is the first pump manufacturer to introduce this feature,” says Eric Desmaris, marketing manager, Rexam Dispensing Systems. A similar design was used for the fragrance Hugo Boss Energise. In the beginning of 2005, Rexam designed and engineered a plastic covering for Energise’s dip tube.
The experts at Rexam had several challenges to overcome before this design could be manufactured in metal to achieve the look that the team at Dior wanted. “The customer had to give us part of the juice’s formula, which is always secret, to help us specify the right type of stainless steel,” says Desmaris. The team at Rexam checked for any color change in the juice and on the metal. Dior’s team conducted scent tests to ensure that the juice wasn’t changed by being in contact with the metal. “After testing approximately seven or eight different kinds of steel, we were finally able to choose one,” says Desmaris.
The next step was to overcome several manufacturing challenges. Rexam had to be assured from its steel supplier that it would always be shipped the same steel, without any contamination. “During the manufacturing process, cleaning and cutting the steel was a huge challenge because there was the potential for contamination from the cutting blade,” says Desmaris.
The pump used in this package is Rexam’s SP8 Crystal pump. It is a “pure” pump, meaning that it doesn’t have any metal components that come into contact with the juice. The ball of the pump is made of glass rather than steel, and its spring is located outside, in the chamber. (Rexam first launched its first “pure” SP5 pumps for fragrances in 1999 and new versions, SP7 and SP8, in 2001. It launched a “pure” SP9 pump for lotions in 2002.)
As a final touch, the name “Dior” is engraved on the exterior metal collar.
Inspiring Future Packaging and Products
The three packages and dispensing systems just described will surely inspire more innovation in years to come. The dispensing pen has the potential to be used for many other applications, including products in the pharmaceutical market. Different tips have been created for the dispensing pen, including a roller-ball and a sterile dabber. It could contain a lip treatment or a wound-healing product, and tips could be changed to ensure sterility. It could also be filled in a completely sterile environment.
Counting on the continued popularity of foaming products, Airspray is launching a new platform of foam pumps this year, based on new technology, which could open up additional market segments, according to Brands. Airspray plans on showing these new pumps at the Cosmoprof trade show, to be held in Bologna, Italy, in April.
Arminak & Associates (Duarte, CA) is another company that is predicting the popularity of foam formulations. This spring, the company will launch a foaming sprayer. The package has a trigger dispenser. “It delivers a rich, thick foam,” says Helga Arminak, president, Arminak & Associates. She also feels there will soon be a greater demand for all types of foaming products.
In the fragrance category, Dior Homme is proof that many new design possibilities now exist. We can credit Dior’s creative team for inspiring this design, and the experts at Rexam Dispensing Systems, who were able to overcome all of the challenges in making Dior’s design concept a reality. Soon other designers and marketers might be inspired to think of more ways to “dress up” a dip tube or hide a dispensing system.
New Designs for Dispensing
The latest developments from several suppliers address three industry needs: the popularity of portable, miniature packages; more-stylish designs for pumps; and a greater variety of child-resistant dispensing closures.
“Portability is one trend we expect to see continue,” says Des McEttrick, global development business manager at Emsar (Stratford, CT). Squeeze Mist is Emsar’s unique, 3-ml miniature spray package with a locking mechanism. When it is squeezed by the user, air mixes with the product to deliver a very fine mist.
The package hasn’t been used for a product that has launched yet, although it resembles the type of package used for Listerine PocketMist breath spray. According to McEttrick, there are many possible applications it can be used for besides a breath spray, such as a portable fragrance package. Another idea is a portable hair-styling product, small enough to be carried at all times in case the need arises for a quick touch-up.
Emsar’s Swivel Up Mini dispenser features a swiveling top.
Emsar has also introduced another appealing package with many possible applications: the Swivel Up Mini. It is an all-in-one PET bottle and pump combination. The top swivels up to open when touched, making the dispenser easy to use with one hand. Either a treatment lotion dispenser or a fine-mist sprayer can be built into the package.
The continuing growth of the men’s market is creating the need for more diverse packaging options for men’s products, especially in skin care. Cospack of America (Edison, NJ) is one supplier thinking about the functionality and practical aspects of packaging for men. The company has launched an airless pump for men combined with a stock bottle named Roma. This pump is designed to complement the size of a man’s fingers. The actuator’s top surface is wider than usual, making it more comfortable for larger hands. The pump’s opening is also wider, allowing it to accommodate thicker or creamier formulas. “When men are using a regular-sized pump, it is easy for their fingers to slip off the actuator,” says David Hou, marketing director, Cospack of America. (For more information on the Roma line, please see our article on Stock Packaging in this issue.)
Both Pfeiffer (Princeton, NJ) and Valois (Congers, NY) have launched stylish new high-end dispensers. These dispensers are meant to accommodate a variety of personal care products in gel or lotion form.
Pfeiffer enlisted the help of DieterBakicDesign to launch Cremosa, which it describes as “the crème de la crème of design.” The elegantly shaped bottle, collar, and pump have a matte white finish. The actuator is a conical shape and rotates 90° to lock. It is also an ergonomic design, with a recess in the shape of a finger on top, making it very comfortable to press down on. “Now was the right time to launch something new, and Dieter Bakic is a great designer to partner with,” says Andrea Vollmer, marketing director at Pfeiffer’s headquarters in Germany.
Valois has given its Evolution pump technology (known for its soft actuation force) a stylish new look. The new dispenser is called Evocation, and it was created in men’s and women’s versions. Valois partnered with Bormioli Rocco to create a men’s bottle and Pochet to create a women’s bottle. Both are designed to complement the new pumps and collars. They were shown at the Luxe Pack Monaco trade show in November 2005.
Emsar and MAC Closures (Waterloo, QC, Canada) are addressing the need for more child-resistant dispensers and closures. Emsar has created a child-resistant sprayer with a pump that cannot be twisted off the bottle unless pressure is applied. To prevent children from spraying the product, there is a unique tab on the back of the actuator that must be pushed in while the actuator is twisted in order to spray the product. This is the same type of sprayer used on a Bactine package, but it has never been used by the beauty industry.
The team at MAC Closures also wanted to fulfill a need for more child-resistant caps. The company is launching a linerless, child-resistant flip-top cap for tubes. “We wanted to create an attractively designed child-resistant cap, which we felt our customers needed. There was also nothing available for tubes other than a push-and-turn style,” says Stephanie Roux, marketing assistant at MAC Closures.