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Retort Packaging of skin/hair care product - Looking for co-packers, contract manufactures
Hello,
I’ve come up with a product that is all plant based and the texture of it resembles apple sauce or Puree. This is for hair coloring and this only uses all the natural ingredients and I realized that adding preservatives will inhibit the staining ability of the paste and my only option to take it to market is to use preservation by canning. I am looking for a contract manufacturer or co-packers to pack it in bottles, stand up pouches like baby food pouches or canning using plastic tubs like Gerber food. I am not finding any information on that kind of packaging and looking for some information and advice from experts here in Chemist Corner. Appreciate your response. -
12 Replies
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what led you to the conclusion that preservatives make it a less efficient dye?
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Few thoughts about this.
- When canned, food products with a pH above 4.6 are sterilized, which means the product is heated to temperatures around 121oC for a certain time. If the pH is below 4.6 the product can be pasteurized at temperatures below the boiling point of water. So if you want to use “canning” as a preservation technique, your product has to be able to withstand high temperatures.
- The type of Gerber food products you are talking about are sterilized by Aseptic Processing. In this case, the product is sterilized before being filled in a sterile container. Again, the product needs to be heated. I don’t think you will find a food co-packer willing to put a non-food product in their Aseptic Processing System. Maybe a pharmaceutical manufacturer will do it.
- How are you planing to prevent microorganisms from growing on your product once the containers are opened?
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@ Bill, my product is henna based and it is not the preservative that makes the Dye less efficient, but the oxidation process. Henna dye release is bit tricky, to get the henna release dye, it has to be soaked for few hours and the dye starts to dismiss it’s staining ability after few hours of dye release. So vaccum packaging is the only option I see here as it stops the oxidation and preserves staining ability. Henna paste is a herbal paste, so I am wondering if there is any other way for vaccum packaging besides canning or aseptic or retort packaging.
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@Ruben,
Thank for all the information provided, appreciate your help. I had the same doubt whether the food packaging companies would do any cosmetic packaging using, but I thought mine is completely herb based and no artificial ingredients. But again that requires a lot of explaining .. not sure if this is a viable idea.I am planning to sell each unit as one time use product, any leftover can be frozen but I guess a 4 Oz can is required for one use. My product can be heated and cooled and it doesn’t affect it’s ability to stain/ dye.
Do you see other way besides aseptic, retort packaging? Is there a simple way of canning in bottles? I am thinking that would be bit expensive as the cost of bottles would be much higher than plastic stand up pouches. Please advise.
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@sha you’ve contradicted yourself; in the original post you said “I realized that adding preservatives will inhibit the staining ability of the paste”, hence my question
also, are you working with pure genuine henna?
I ask as the orange dye in henna (lawsone) is stable to oxidation in the air, and many products that claim to be ‘natural henna’ are often adulterated with synthetic oxidative dyes, which are not
as for packaging, sachets and pouches are the simplest and easiest way to fill this kind of product and have it remain airtight
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@Bill, yes I am working with pure Henna, nothing adulterated. Henna in powder format is OK but in paste it won’t stain after 24 hrs of exposure after the dye has released, I tested myself.
SO if nothing works for packaging the Henna Paste then I may have to drop that idea and go with regular route of packing in powder but I see there are lot many players in the market to do the same.
But thanks for your feedback and help, appreciate it!
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Try some of the food technology websites?
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You could use retortable pouches. These pouches can be sterilized in a retort using overpressure. Google “retortable pouches” to get acquainted with the technology. This probably would be more feasible than aseptic processing.
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@Ruben - Thank you, Yes I am looking at that option as well.
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We’ve filled henna into pouches at our facility - we are the pouch kings of North America - and I always ask the question Bill Toge alludes to: is there any p-phenylenediamine in your product? Some exporters are adding it to turbocharge their henna product, and not always divulging this. As for your paste idea, what about making a paste with polyols instead of water? You won’t need a preservative either.
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@chemicalmatt .. Thank you! Can you give me names of the mostly used Polyols in skincare product? I am not familiar.
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Propylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, ethoxydiglycol, sorbitol, glycerine, PEG-ethers, etc., etc.
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