Virospack is the leading name in cosmetic dropper packaging. Since its foundation in 1956, the Spanish company has become known around the globe as "The Dropper Company" as its cosmetic droppers are chosen again and again by leading international brands.

We caught up with Gustavo Bay, Virospack’s project leader for the Magnetic Dropper concept to learn what we could about the new offering and how it’s set to change the way droppers are used in the home.

---

Gustavo, in general, what are the benefits of droppers for cosmetic formulations?

Droppers are an ideal packaging choice for low viscosity cosmetic formulations because they allow for targeted application and dosage The Virospack technical department runs a lot of monthly projects both for customers and company product development to offer innovation to brands, as well as functionality, safety, and precision in the use of the product to the final consumer. The main benefit of the droppers for cosmetic formulas is that they offer the consumer the advantage of being able to treat small areas with a specific dosage.

The serum, for example, is a product that is regularly packaged in cosmetic droppers just for that reason, because it is applied in areas of the skin

The use of a dropper ensures that there is no product wastage as the consumer delivers the treatment in the right quantity. The pipette tip has little exposure to exterior germs and contamination, so the dropper allows the formulation to remain intact. Being safety another of the advantages of the use of droppers for cosmetics.

How have cosmetic droppers developed and advanced?

Innovations in the development of cosmetic droppers are not easy, but it’s one of Virospack’s main skills. We work totally committed to service and innovation. Our R&D department, along with the technical team, always research and invest, looking for constant advancements and improvements in our regular products to respond to market requests and feedback. Everything advances – the materials used, the style, decoration and form of the dropper, the functionality, the accuracy of dosage...

All these improvements offer numerous benefits to both the consumer as well as the brand behind the cosmetic that needs to maintain the integrity of its image. Every facet of the cosmetic dropper is scrutinized by the Virospack Research and Development team. The creativity of our R&D people means that Virospack constantly progresses and pushes boundaries within the industry.

That’s what led us to create the new Magnetic Dropper.

What does the new Magnetic Dropper do that is different?

It’s a truly innovative dropper, a breakthrough in the dropper market. It is a new packaging concept for skin care because magnetic closures are a trend and are used in other sectors, such as fragrances or colour cosmetics, but never in skin care until now.

The closure is fitted with an exclusive and patented sealing system which uses magnetic attraction. The opening and closing of this new dropper does not require screwing and unscrewing. Consumers are accustomed to a screw top for droppers, and those are usually fine, but the Magnetic Dropper gets the job done more elegantly.

The development of the dropper was carried out at our facilities after an elaborate industrial engineering adjustment without losing the image and quality objectives demanded by our marketing department.

The result is a sophisticated dropper with two visible parts that feature magnets that attract each other. The dropper is composed of a cap that can be coloured or metallized, a pipette, and a rubber bulb. The bottle neck collar is a bevelled embellisher with a metal shell that acts as a shoulder cover for the vial as well as a wiper for the pipette.

The Magnetic Dropper is elegant, high quality, different, and offers a premium image thanks to the wide range of finishes we offer for personalization. This new magnetic system can help to position a product as a luxury item.

Is it easier to use?

Actually, it is. The system requires very little effort to separate the dropper from the bottle, yet it maintains a perfectly flush and secure seal when the closure is attached, due to the magnets.
Even people with reduced dexterity can use the Magnetic Dropper without having to unscrew anything. A simple rotation is enough to separate the two parts. A slight movement changes the poles to shift to opposite polarity from attraction to repulsion. This makes the dropper easily separate from the bottle with little effort

What was the research driven by? I mean, was it a response to a market need or are you in the midst of creating one?

Feedback from brands is an essential part of Virospack's ability to create new concepts. This feedback is generated by the consumer and as the end-user of a product, the consumer's voice is an important one to acknowledge.

It is important for Virospack to create new dropper concepts like the Magnetic Dropper, to reinforce the company's position as the world’s foremost dropper manufacturer. This leader position forces us to trend in the sector.

Can it be incorporated into existing lines?

Of course, the dropper consists of two visible pieces. One of them has been designed to fit in the neck of the bottle which has been developed in such a way that it fits with standard FEA15 necks. This standard thread is the most common in cosmetic containers, which means that we offer brands an innovative and different dropper that adapts to most standard bottles on the market. In this way we can add the magnetic dropper to existing product lines with very little recalibration, something that many of our customers appreciate.

Is it easy to customize?

Sure. Because of the way the closure is designed, in modular parts, different decorating options on the separate parts allow the closure to be easily customized. Customers can choose different materials, designs, colours, and finishes, obtaining a high quality and innovative personalized magnetic dropper.

The two visible pieces (the cover and collar) can be metallized or color injected according to brand requirements.

In addition to the wide range of decoration options that we offer, we have developed two different cover designs increasing the available options for our customers.

The fact that this new dropper concept fits with FEA15 bottles makes the possibilities of a complete pack enormous. The Magnetic Dropper combines with a multitude of designs, styles, and different shapes, from square bottles and straight lines to the cylindrical ones. The final package can be quite specific to a brand.

Many of Virospack's recent innovations have, in fact, been in decoration. Unlike other companies, we offer a multitude of finishes thanks to all the decoration techniques we offer at our facilities. We can decorate the pipette, present the bottles in opaque, gradient, or translucent finishes, decorate the teat with metallic finishes, sheathes, pearlescent finishing, we can make a soft touch finish, other tactile finishes, and of course we offer techniques often requested by brands such as hot stamping, screen printing, metallization, custom colouring, etc. Our droppers offer personalized style coupled with excellent functionality.

Is there anywhere we can see a Magnetic Dropper on the market?

We’ve just introduced it! We have previewed it to some of our larger brand customers and the response has been excellent. We have already received requests for technical information, but we need some time to get one on the shelves.

I’m sure you’ll be seeing a lot of them in upscale stores soon!