The package design is one tube inside another. The inner tube holds the solution of sodium acetate, responsible for the warming. That is hermetically sealed. Then, once the consumer twists the cap and breaks the product seal, the warming begins.
Applications
The new tube comes in two sizes and has potential to enhance the appeal of certain skincare products. “Cosmogen's self-heating tube is perfect for facial formulas like masks, body oil and anti-wrinkle eye treatments as it adds an extra soothing experience to formulae,” according to an item on webpackaging.com assessing the new package.
One and done
The tube design adds an element of novelty to product application and is specifically good for single-use products. The warming feature works only when the seal is first broken; the chemical reaction responsible for the heating cannot be reversed and repeated.
Though interestingly, some heating packs that rely on sodium acetate can be reused; so with a bit of ingenuity there’s room for this technology to grow.
New routine
Optimizing how much of a product a tube dispenses matters to consumers. The surface technology company LiquiGlide conducted a survey recently that shows packaging that doesn’t dispense the full volume of product could mean consumers will purchase less, Cosmetics Design Europe reported following the survey announcement.
“More than two-thirds (69%) say they hesitate to open a new package when there’s still a tiny bit left in the previous one,” according to the LiquiGlide survey. This rational could have implications for the Cosmogen tube, since consumers could easily detect the self-heating substance—though it’s certainly not dispensed.