Packaging dry goods and durable consumer products isn’t an easy feat. However, brands face far more significant challenges in finding package solutions for liquids, creams, sprays, and other non-solids for mass distribution.
Liquid products are tricky to contain and preserve from production to packaging and throughout the supply chain, with numerous risks and quirks to consider.
This has led brands to reconsider how non-solid products should be packaged and distributed, ushering in a new era of liquid dispenser formats and mechanics.
Brand leaders must balance product security and safety while delivering a package that functions perfectly and looks great on the shelf. This must also be done with strict budgets, schedule constraints, and supply chain challenges that change each season and year.
With all that in mind, what liquid dispenser types are available for brands to pair with their non-solid products, and which pros and cons make specific formats ideal for different product types?
Let’s walk through all the modern options for liquid containers and dispensers and help you determine the best pick for your product vision and business goals.
What Are Liquid Dispensers?
To understand how brands assess and utilize liquid dispensers and packaging formats, we must first look at non-solid product types. From there, we can identify the risks and challenges of each product and how brands respond to them with unique packaging approaches.
Non-Solid Product Types
A surprising number of consumer products fall into the non-solid category, whether in food, personal items, or household products.
In pantries and refrigerators, we find the full range of prepared, packaged drinks, including juices, sodas, bottled waters, and condiments ranging from ketchup to maple syrup.
Simply browse the grocery store’s aisles to see how many liquid products exist in distinctive and functional packaging formats.
Many food products, such as peanut butter, various spreads, jellies, and yogurts, are considered semi-solid. Creative new ways of packaging these food types have emerged with mixed results.
An even more excellent range of non-consumable products is found in the non-solid category. Perfumes, colognes, and cosmetics represent billion-dollar industries with continued growth.
Gel-based deodorants, skincare products, and makeup products are also highly varied in packaging styles.
Finally, countless non-personal or food items are found in semi-solid and pure liquid forms. Consider household cleaning supplies, industrial chemicals and solvents, agricultural products, paints, and dyes.
Risks and Challenges
Brands face unique risks and challenges in bringing non-solid products to market, like any packaged goods category.
Primary concerns include:
- Protecting liquid materials within the containers.
- Ensuring leaking and waste prevention.
- Preserving the product’s active ingredients and properties.
Unlike solid goods, liquids and gels are more likely to leak through containers and also present shipping challenges with heavy volumes and extra caution required.
These risks persist from the start of the supply chain through various storage checkpoints and ultimately in the home or industrial environment where the product is used.
Also, as products become progressively more corrosive or hazardous, packaging risks increase for brands, users, and supply chain partners.
This is where manufacturers and packaging suppliers must double their efforts to ensure safe and secure packaging for potentially dangerous liquid materials, from development to disposal.
Key Dispenser Properties
Knowing the basics of liquid products and their challenges sets the stage for the big question: what features should be included in a liquid dispenser format, and what properties are most important for a successful product?
Here are some of the expectations brands should have for liquid dispensers across a range of different product types:
- Travels and stores with secure containment and safe organization
- Provides a combination of security and instant access when needed
- Can handle a spectrum of fluid thickness, density, and viscosity
- Capable of dispensing a precise amount of fluid/gel without loss or waste
- Includes lab-tested child-resistant features if necessitated by law
- Delivers a memorable and streamlined user experience
- Fits the overall look and feel of the established brand identity
These are vital parts of any liquid dispenser format, but there are still more details to consider about materials, design, construction, special features, and delivery mechanisms.
However, the above descriptions are nearly universal across liquid dispenser formats, so this is a solid starting point for brands bringing non-solid products to market.
As we explore the many liquid dispenser formats in closer detail, we can begin to differentiate key details like material types, dispenser mechanisms, and other design aspects that make certain products more appealing, functional, or fun to use.
What Are the Types of Liquid Dispensers?
With plenty of context for non-solid product types and expectations for packaging, it’s time to outline some real examples of liquid dispensers used by brands today.
We’ll describe these significant types, discuss the pros and cons, and offer insights that can lead brands to make the best product decisions.
1. Squeeze Tubes or Bottles
Squeeze tubes are a pillar of packaged goods everywhere, from toothpaste and sunblock to trusted construction materials and your favorite sauces.
These formats are versatile in their materials and construction, ranging from basic polyethylene to extruded hard plastics and premium aluminum alloys.
Squeeze tubes and bottles aren’t going anywhere but changing for the better. Brands are leveling their labeling game with direct print applications and distinctive brand elements.
While containment and security are sometimes an issue with these formats, stronger seals and snap mechanisms are more trustworthy now than in the past.
2. Analog Liquid Hand Pumps
The reliable liquid hand pump is a staple next to every sink in America, holding our favorite hand soaps, dish soaps, sanitizers, and other home cleaning supplies. These pumps are cheap to construct, yet they’re highly effective and are often reusable due to their simple and tough design.
There’s no secret behind the magic here — hand pumps use pressure to draw the liquid or gel up through a plastic tube and dispense them through the small opening with precise application.
While many formats don’t re-close for travel, they do the job in most home and workplace settings.
3. Spray Cans and Aerosols
Certain materials require a highly targeted or broad dispersal method, especially if materials are considered hazardous for human consumption. The usual array of spray and squirt bottles is trusted widely across industries, in the home, and beyond.
While most squirt bottles have an analog mechanism with a bit of flair, aerosol cans use gaseous propellant materials combined with the product concentrate to produce a unique mixture with the added benefit of a strong spray formation.
Aerosol cans come with their own hazards, and brands should know the legal and regulatory restrictions around these product types. When standard pull and squirt bottles are sufficient for liquid dispensing, these options are the safer bet.
4. Foam and Cream Pumps
A step up in quality and complexity from the standard hand pump, these units typically have more mechanical features to create distinct textures for the contained products upon dispersal.
Mousse foams and creams, for instance, may be mixed in a foaming chamber within the container before the mechanical pump dispenses the material onto the user’s hand.
Customers may also find that these dispensers offer a more substantive and premium feel for products and are often willing to pay a higher price for these features alone.
5. Standard Bottles and Containers
Not all liquid containers have pumps or lever mechanisms to dispense the material conveniently. Many units are basic containment formats like jars, cans, bottles, and other classic formats requiring manual tipping or substance extraction to achieve the desired effect.
In some cases, this is preferred by consumers who don’t need extra steps or equipment to access their favorite products.
A good example is sport-cap water bottles, which are more trouble than they’re worth compared to the standard twist-cap opening that people know and love.
6. Dropper Bottles and Pipettes
An eye-dropper format is a tried-and-true approach to liquid dispersal with science lab precision. Whether it’s cannabis oil or a mix of magnesium trace minerals, consumers love knowing exactly how much product is being used each time.
Glass materials are most common in this format, offering a more delicate and accurate mechanism of action. However, plastic alternatives may be used for specific product types that aren’t reaching for premium status.
7. Next-Generation Liquid Applicators
Liquid applicators for cannabis concentrates, tinctures, and wax variants are more popular than ever. However, the typical assortment of liquid dispensers lacks the precision and ability to handle thicker substrates found in these product types.
With innovations like the Dymapak Twistspenser, brands can package concentrates and oils across the spectrum while delivering a premium and discrete user experience.
The twist applicator is intuitive and highly precise and also sets brands apart with an impressive and sleek design.
8. Pouch Options for Liquids
Pouch options may not immediately jump to mind when you think about liquid product packaging; however, innovative pouch packaging solutions have risen to prominence recently.
One popular option is the child-resistant spout pouch, which can safely store anything from baby food to petrol station screenwashing.
Spout pouches are handy for liquids because they offer accessibility and child resistance.
Some of the other benefits of spout pouches include the following:
- You can customize spout pouches to contribute to your branding and marketing efforts.
- Spout pouches are often a cheaper solution than other traditional packaging options.
- Spout pouch packaging reduces food waste, evacuating up to 99.5% of the contents.
- Spout pouches are incredibly convenient, allowing consumers to access products easily.
- You can tailor your product offerings to target different demographics with various spout options.
With Dymapak, you can customize your child-resistant pouches. One of the options we provide is the Secure Sack Eco, the world’s first recyclable lab certified child-resistant pouch, which offers aditional benefits in terms of sustainability.
The Dymapak Approach to Liquid Dispensers
Dymapak has introduced a game-changing new format for liquid dispensers, but other packaging methods are still trustworthy and appropriate for many product types.
Don’t discount any liquid dispenser type when seeking the best solution for your brand — you may be surprised at what you find. In the meantime, Dymapak is here to help you land on the perfect packaging method and make it a reality ASAP!
Sources:
Liquids, Non-Solid Food & Personal Items | CATSA
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