CASE HISTORY
Editor
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The Pinpoint applicator allows for a controlled flow of fluids, thanks to a silicone valve.
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Precise application can often ease the use of products that target specific conditions, such as acne. Product can be preserved and applied only to affected areas.
Dr. Scheller Cosmetics AG has found a tube closure that dispenses precise amounts of its Manhattan Clearface SOS Pickel Stopp acne treatment. The German brand owner has selected the Pinpoint dispensing closure for tubes from Seaquist Closures (Mukwonago, WI).
Developed as an alternative to the rigid-tip dispensing closure, Pinpoint features a silicone valve in a conically shaped tube head. “Users will be able to dispense a narrow or thick product stream, depending upon the pressure, but it is controlled and precise,” reports Brenda Chamulak, director of strategic innovation for Seaquist Closures. “The silicone makes the pointed tip soft to the touch.” Users can employ the valve itself to dispense and apply product without touching the product with their fingers. As soon as the user stops squeezing the tube, product flow stops, keeping package contents clean.
Doug Jackson, plastic tube marketing and product development manager for Alcan Packaging Beauty (Washington, NJ), says, “The silicone valve controls the flow of fluids, more so than normal tubes.”
Seaquist collaborated with Alcan Packaging Beauty to develop Pinpoint for small-diameter tubes. After seeing Seaquist’s concept for Pinpoint, the company invested in tooling to make tubes that could accept the new closure with the soft-touch valve. Seaquist molds and assembles four components and supplies Pinpoint preassembled to Alcan. “We just snap them into our tubes,” says Jackson. Alcan offers Pinpoint on monolayer tubes, as well as on coextruded tubes made with EVOH. It could also be used for laminate tubes.
Dr. Scheller Cosmetics AG has been one of the first companies to employ Pinpoint. The company is using the applicator on a 10-ml tube from Cebal Tubes Europe. Ulrike Authaler, product manager for Manhattan Clearface, says that Dr. Scheller Cosmetics is offering the consumer both product and packaging innovation in order to differentiate the brand from the competition. The extremely precise applicator ensures that the cream is used hygienically. To help consumers understand product and package benefits before purchase, Dr. Scheller Cosmetics has included an illustration and description of the new Pinpoint closure on the carton.
Chamulak says that Pinpoint can also be used for cosmeceuticals and other sophisticated formulas. “Pinpoint can be used to apply products directly to the skin,” she says. “Its softness should appeal to a wide range of consumers, especially those [who] like to interact with packaging. Our research shows that consumers like the way it feels.”
Chamulak reports that other companies have tested and selected Pinpoint for their products. Most are companies marketing premium cosmetic products, such as under-eye treatments and anti-wrinkle creams, in addition to other skincare products. Outside of skincare, she says that Pinpoint has endless applications for marketers looking to differentiate their formulations with new value-added packaging in small-diameter tubes.
