Airless pump bottles are an increasingly popular choice for cosmetic packaging, as they offer many benefits over traditional dispensers that rely on tubes. Instead of the traditional tube method, airless pump bottles work using a vacuum mechanism that involves three main parts.

First, there's a tiny hole on the base cap that allows air to enter the bottle and power the vacuum effect. Second, there's the piston which is located inside the bottle and is the platform which moves the product upwards. Third, there's the pump itself, which creates the vacuum effect necessary to extract the formulation.

As the pump is depressed by the user, the pump system dispenses the product out which creates a suction that pushes the product up to fill the space while the air comes in from the air hole on the base cap to raise the piston upwards.

The proper functionality of this mechanism relies on a couple factors:

1- Clear the air-way:
The air comes in from the base cap to push up the piston. If the air hole is blocked by a sticker, the airless bottle can’t work properly. Making sure the air hole is uncovered is essential for a successful airless pump bottle.

2- Make sure the airless bottle is fully filled up:
When the pump systems dispenses product out, it creates a suction that initializes the piston movement. Therefore, if the airless bottle is under filled and the pump is not fully covering the formula, it will lead to an incomplete suction and the piston movement may not be complete, which can lead to a negative user experience.

3- Avoid bubbly filling
Air bubbles in the formula can lead to the same result as underfilling, where the mechanism may not function properly. Make sure there are no air bubbles in the formulation before you fill the airless bottle to prevent issues.

4- Conduct a proper test before mass production
If your filler executes the testing for you before mass production, for best practice you should ask for the full report to understand all the details.

If the formula is too thick or thin, it may not be suitable for airless packaging. This is because the suction can be discounted with highly viscous formulas that may not smoothly replace the space that has been dispensed out. If it is too thin there may be leakage issues. Therefore, a proper test before mass production is crucial to ensuring a happy airless experience.

Airless bottles come with a lot of benefits, but these benefits only occur when you know how to properly use them. With our new PET airless bottle launch, EPOPACK will walk you through the airless experience and ensure there are no surprises. Talk to our team of experts about how to transition to airless bottles today.