Material & Craft: Glass vs. Plastic – How to Choose for Cosmetic Packaging?
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Hi, this is Zora, a designer with 5 years of experience in the cosmetics industry.
When I was in school, I thought most cosmetic packaging, aside from blow-molded bottles, was made of glass. However, when I started working, I discovered that plastic is not only widely used but dominates the industry. The variety of plastics is vast—Acrylic, ABS, AS, PP, PET, PETG—all are materials I encounter daily, and learning to distinguish their properties took considerable time.
Today, I’d like to share some insights from a design perspective on how to choose between glass and plastic for cosmetic packaging.
Basic Properties
Glass:
Advantages:
Premium Feel: Heavyweight, substantial hand feel combined with high light transmittance, conveying luxury and sophistication.
Chemical Inertness: Does not react with the formula, making it ideal for high-potency active ingredients (e.g., Vitamin C, Retinol).
Eco-Friendliness: Infinitely recyclable, with a carbon footprint up to 40% lower than plastic.
Disadvantages:
Weight: A single glass bottle can be 3-5 times heavier than its plastic counterpart, significantly increasing logistics costs.
Fragility: Breakage rates can be as high as 2.5% (based on logistics company data), leading to higher after-sales pressure.
High Mold Cost: Mold development costs are approximately 5 times higher than for plastic, often making it prohibitive for smaller brands.
Plastic:
Advantages:
Lightweight: Can reduce logistics costs by up to 60% compared to glass, ideal for high-volume e-commerce products.
Design Freedom: Injection molding allows for complex and intricate structural designs.
Lower Cost: Mold costs are about 1/5th of glass’s, with lower minimum order quantities (MOQs).
Disadvantages:
Perceived Quality: Can appear cheap; often requires secondary surface treatments (e.g., matte spraying, metallization) to enhance perceived value.
Environmental Concerns: Only about 9% of plastic is recycled globally (UN data), which can negatively impact a brand’s ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) score.
Formula Interaction: Certain active ingredients (like essential oils) can migrate or react with some plastics, potentially compromising the formula.
Material Selection: Considering Brand and Product Positioning
1. Brand Positioning
High-End Lines: Prioritize Glass
Luxury brands like La Mer, Estée Lauder, and Helena Rubinstein target high-end consumers. They use glass bottles paired with metal caps to reinforce a sense of premium, “luxury” quality. This substantial, opulent packaging makes consumers feel the product is “worth it” and conveys status. These established brands typically have strong visual identity and sufficient budgets for custom molds.
Mass-Market Lines: Plastic Offers Better Cost-Efficiency
Mass-market or DTC brands (like Judydoll, Dr.Alva, Xiwuji) targeting broader consumers often use plastics like PET or PP. They employ surface finishing and printing techniques to elevate the packaging’s tactile and visual quality.
Numerous packaging suppliers offer extensive catalogs of stock molds. Brands with limited mold budgets can opt for these stock options and focus on innovative CMF (Color, Material, Finish) design to differentiate.
Eco-Conscious Lines: Consider Sustainable Materials
Brands with a strong sustainability ethos can prioritize eco-friendly materials. These include Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) plastics, bioplastics derived from sugarcane, plastics made from ocean waste, or biodegradable materials.
For example, LG Household & Health Care’s vegan makeup brand freshain uses packaging boxes made from sugarcane-based material, aligning with its pursuit of clean beauty and appeal to younger generations.
2. Product Positioning
Naturally, the decision isn’t based on brand positioning alone. Different products within the same brand line may require different packaging solutions based on their function and specific market position.
Not all products are suited for plastic packaging.
Products like perfumes, essential oils, serums, and nail polish often use glass. As high-price-point items, glass enhances their perceived value and aesthetic appeal. Furthermore, plastic’s lower heat resistance, barrier properties, and poor solvent resistance (especially to oils) make glass a safer choice to prevent interaction between the package and the formula, ensuring stability and safety.
Not all products are suited for glass packaging.
Products like sunscreen and facial cleansers, which require high portability, are poorly suited to glass due to its weight and fragility, making it impractical for travel or on-the-go use.
Some small-capacity toners and emulsions use glass containers. However, sizes larger than 200ml are rare—Decorte’s Dermatology Softening Lotion is in a 150ml glass bottle, but the 300ml version switches to plastic. Furthermore, glass bottles containing water-based formulas can crack during winter transport in northern regions if the contents freeze and expand.
Conclusion
In essence, the choice between glass and plastic is more than just a material or user experience decision; it’s a strategic balance between brand premium and cost control. Choosing the right material is not merely a design challenge—it’s a crucial implementation of business strategy.
