Skincare packaging matters: why you should avoid jars & tubs

If you’re spending money on skincare that comes in jars, you’re doing your skin a major disservice, especially with anti-ageing formulas. We reveal the research behind this topic and share the kinds of effective skincare packaging required for maximum benefit.

What you can expect:

• Jar packaging & skincare ingredient stability issues
• What to look for in smart skincare packaging
• Why the skincare industry continues to use jars

Jar packaging & skincare ingredient stability issues

The research is clear that many of the best ingredients break down when exposed to air – including antioxidants and anti-ageing heroes like vitamin C and retinol. Essentially, opening a jar lets air in, causing these important ingredients to begin deteriorating and get less and less effective with every use.

Making matters worse, see-through glass jars (or clear bottles or tubes) allow routine exposure to daylight, further compromising the efficacy of these types of ingredients.

There’s also the hygiene issue: Every time you dip your fingers into the jar, you contaminate the formula – even if you wash your hands first or use the “special” spatula that accompanies some jar-packaged products. It’s simply impossible to keep the tools and your fingers completely clean. This hygiene issue stresses the formula’s preservative system, leading to further deterioration of beneficial ingredients.

Good to know: airless jars (the kind where you press the top down to dispense the product without opening the jar) are the exception to this rule because they restrict air flow and help keep delicate ingredients stable.

What to look for in smart skincare packaging

Smart skincare packaging is a cornerstone of leading skincare companies. Airless pumps, multi-layer tubes, opaque bottles, UV-protected containers and air-restrictive openings all make sure complex formulas stay as potent and effective as possible.

Here are a few examples of what state-of-the art skincare packaging looks like:

• Our Clinical 1% Retinol Treatment uses a double-walled opaque container and is filled via a unique stabilising process, allowing for next-to-zero exposure to oxygen
• Our C15 Super Booster contains an internal stopper that prevents air from being pushed back into the bottle when you replace the dropper applicator

Why the skincare industry continues to use jars

You might wonder – if all of this is true, then why do companies continue to sell expensive skincare creams in jars? Trust us, we’re just as frustrated by this as you are. It’s not like the research on jar packaging is locked and hidden away somewhere – it’s been around for years and is undeniably known among cosmetic chemists.

Case in point, the Guidelines on Stability of Cosmetic Products published by the U.S. Cosmetic, Toiletry, and Fragrance Association (CTFA) in 2004 states: “Packaging can directly affect finished product stability because of interactions which can occur between the product, the package, and the external environment. Such interactions may include … barrier properties of the container [and] its effectiveness in protecting the contents from the adverse effects of atmospheric oxygen…”

Regardless of these research-based facts about jar packaging, there remains a certain air of prestige tied to fancy, weighty jars and many consumers still prefer them. That’s why so many brands continue to use them and why people continue to buy them.

Another factor is that it’s sometimes easier or less expensive for a company to put their formulas in jars; so they take a shortcut that shortchanges your skin. State-of-the-art, stability-proof packaging may cost more behind the scenes, but it’s vital if the formula is to work as effectively as it possibly can for your skin.

The takeaway here is that minimising exposure to air and light is crucial to keeping your skincare working at its best. This way, you’ll see enhanced results for as long as the formula is within date! Even if the aesthetics of jar packaging look pretty on your skincare shelf, it’s always good to remember the research and prioritise the health of your skin first.

References for this information:

Cosmetics, 2016, pages 1-12
Journal of Pharmacy & BioAllied Sciences, April-June 2013, pages 98-110
Ageing Research Reviews, December 2007, pages 271-288
Dermatologic Therapy, September-October 2007, pages 314-321
Free Radical Biology and Medicine, September 2007, pages 818-829
International Journal of Pharmaceutics, June 2005, pages 197-203
Cosmetic, Toiletry, and Fragrance Association, March 2004, page 4
Pharmaceutical Development and Technology, January 2002, pages 1-32