Polypropylene clarifying agent adds new dimension to packaging

Chemicals supplier Milliken claims its new polypropylene clarifying agent will provide cosmetic manufacturers with an enhanced effect for transparent plastic packaging.

The Belgian-based company has recently launched Millad NX8000 clarifying agent and says that it has now been included in the packaging for a line of personal care products for the first time.

The agent has been designed to bring enhanced optical properties to extrusion blow-moulded polypropylene bottles, commonly used in the personal care field, particularly for hair care and skin care products.

Polypropylene is becoming increasingly important in the plastics extrusion blow-moulded category, particularly for cosmetic and personal care products, and in size is second only to HDPE extrusion blow-moulded packaging.

Bielenda goes for clearly packaged bath oils

The first cosmetics company to include the agent in its packaging is Poland-based naturals specialist Bielenda, which has begun marketing a range of bath oils under the names Afrodyzjak, Ekstaza and Euroforia.

For the product developers at Bielenda the aim was to find packaging that displayed the coloured bath oils to their maximum potential by using a material with maximum transparency and clarity.

“The level of transparency provided by Millad NX8000 helps our products successfully stand out from others on the shop shelf,” said Bielenda marketing manager, Magdalena Kocwin.

Enhanced clarity, less material

But as well as enhanced clarity, the agent is also said to allow the packaging to be made with less material, in turn both saving costs and reducing the overall carbon footprint of the product.

Milliken claims that packaging containing the agent can weigh up to 20 per cent less than PVC packaging and up to 10 per cent less than similar PETG bottles, thanks to improved mechanical properties and reduced material density.

Furthermore, it is also said to be easy to process, needing no pre-drying process, while there are also no issues with equipment corrosion.