Bottle in the bottle

The bottle in the bottle is an innovative andintelligent packaging concept for cosmetics and pharmacy products, developed bythe German company Gaplast GmbH and using DuPont packaging resins. Theouter-bottle, made from a stiff thermoplastic, such as PET, encloses a flexiblebag of DuPont Surlyn. Thanks to the minimal adhesion between the Surlyn and theexterior material, the inner-bag easily detaches itself from the bottle and evenlycontracts during extraction of the contents. At the same time, a speciallydesigned applicator ensures that the bottle contents do not come into contactwith the ambient air (so-called AirLEssMOTION) and enables the germ-freedispensing of the product.

The bottleis produced using coextrusion blow moulding, whilst a patented process helpsattach the inner-bag of Surlyn to the top and bottom of the outer-bottle. Thisensures that the bag remains stretched in the vertical when emptied, and contractsonly in the horizontal. Supported by the dispensing appliance a so-calledairless pump a virtually complete emptying of the bottle is enabled. Dependingon the shape and size of the bottle, residual contents range from one, to amaximum of four, percent.

Packagingmanufacturers also benefit from a high degree of design freedom. The bottle canbe individually shaped, and maintains its silhouette regardless of the shape ofthe inner-bag. Last but not least, thanks to the high transparency of theexterior material and of Surlyn, the contents are presented in a pleasinglyaesthetic manner they appear to float within the bottle.

A key benefit of AirLEssMOTIONbottles is the ability to both fill anddispense without exposure to germs. This means that considerably fewerpreservatives need to be added than with products in traditional packaging. Inaddition, this kind of packaging ensures product purity and stability. This inturn helps meet new cosmetics guidelines requiring that the period afteropening (PAO) in other words, the time period that the consumer may use theproduct without any loss of quality be stated on the product.

Source: www2.dupont.comAdded: 4 October 2006