Nailing An Industry Need
While the fragrance category excels at structurally sexy bottles, other beauty categories rely more on function—but that’s not to say they can’t be pretty, too.
In the fast-paced category of nail care, which is undergoing phenomenal growth, in part due to the do-it–yourself market, new launches, with new product technology, such as nail strips and crackle finishes have become almost expected. When long-wearing gel polishes took salons by storm, it was only a matter of time before they became a DIY phenomenon. The only problem was, with formulas so sensitive to light, how could they be sold at a retail level?
Powder coating is typically used in the metal and architectural industry, but it has recently been altered and reinvented and achieved new life in the gel nail polish category, as it guards the sensitive formulas from light.
Shivie Dhillon, president of Bottle Coatings, a division of Los Angeles-based Sundial Powder Coatings, says, “We never imagined the cosmetic industry needing the protective and chemical resistance properties that are inherent in powder coating. When we crossed industry lines we quickly realized that the cosmetic industry would not be able to assist us in what they were looking for.” He says that outside of saying things like, “smooth, glossy and block out the light,” they left it up to Bottle Coatings to find the solution. “We had to develop methods and processes to quantify how much light, or more accurately, what wavelengths needed to be blocked.” Bottle Coatings now has specs that describe various gloss levels, chemical resistance and smoothness.
The patent-pending UV protectant coating creates an adhesive bond between the powder and glass, which Dhillon says is no small feat, considering there is no natural electrostatic attraction there. He says, “This unique, innovative process ensures precise coverage for full protection, while also eliminating concerns about streaking or uneven distribution that causes unbalanced bottle weight.”
Powder coating, on the whole, says Dhillon, offers a greater shelf life than liquid coatings, works more reliably and, because of the technique used, preserves the original diameter of the bottle neck threads. Because powder coating is an eco-friendly solution, he says nail polish manufacturers can also tout this environmentally safe process for their industry.
Leave a Reply