Airless packaging gives delicate formulas the protection they need for peak performance with very little product waste.

Products that promise skin benefits are no longer limited to the skincare segment. Liquid foundations, concealers, cream blushes, and suncare products are pulling double duty with the inclusion of SPF, hyaluronic acid, vitamins, and anti-aging ingredients. But those sensitive ingredients often require special protection against the degrading effects of exposure to air. 

Airless packaging configurations are technologically sophisticated packages that are molded and assembled with precision to protect formula integrity. Airless packages typically consist of a mechanical pump engine with a dispensing actuator button and a piston or disc located at the bottom of the package, explains Emma Narayan, Marketing Manager, at PKG Group / YonwooPKG. “When the button is pushed, it actuates the pump engine, which creates a vacuum inside the container,” she says. “This vacuum pulls the piston up from the bottom as it dispenses product through the pump engine.”

Airless bottles, tubes, and jars are uniquely constructed to seal off formulas from potentially damaging oxidizing elements from the product’s first use to its last. And speaking of that last use, airless packages also have an inherent ability to evacuate nearly every drop of product from the package with precision dosing.

“Most conventional containers, including dip tubes, droppers, and standard tubes, make it difficult to fully utilize the product when small amounts remain,” says Hazel Noh, Senior Marketer at Nest Filler. “While some consumers attempt to extract remaining product through creative methods, airless packaging is designed to efficiently use entire product contents without relying on individual consumer techniques or efforts. This characteristic not only enables complete realization of product value, but also provides environmental benefits by minimizing contaminants during container recycling and disposal processes.”

Another advantage for packaging suppliers and brand developers is that airless systems can effectively handle products with both thin and thick viscosities that would be difficult to dispense with conventional dip tube containers. “While this doesn’t mean it can cover all extremely high-viscosity products, the airless system allows efficient use of relatively high-viscosity products that would be challenging to process with traditional dip tube systems,” says Nest Filler’s Noh. “Rather than being a benefit directly perceived by end consumers, this technical characteristic offers practical value by reducing concerns about formulation and packaging compatibility during product development stages, providing considerable flexibility in product design.” 

PKG Group / YonwooPKG offers a wide variety of high-quality airless packages including bottles, tubes, jars, compacts, and dual-chamber packages that are capable of dispensing products that are as thin as water, as well as those that are as thick as peanut butter. 

Nest Filler’s current airless packaging product lines are specialized for the skincare sector. The lines use plastic and glass as primary materials, and span a comprehensive lineup centered around 15-, 30-, and 50ml capacities, with a Jumbo line satisfying larger volume products up to 150ml. The company also has multiple airless series where metal-free springs can be applied.

One of the latest products from Nest Filler is its new Refillable Glass Airless series. Offering a practical combination of design refinements and functionality, each of the elegant bottles in the line features a low-profile cap design, which significantly reduces plastic usage, along with a jumbo design pump. The glass bottles also showcase caps, pumps, an inner container, and refill components, all crafted from PP material. Its pump spring utilizes a metal-free approach, substituting traditional metal springs with TPE material to facilitate easier recycling and disposal.

The Refillable Glass Airless series is available in two sizes—15- and 30ml—making it ideal for high-performance serums, lotions, and ampoules. Nest Filler also offers a full slate of decorating services, including color-customization of the TPE spring.

Sustainable Solutions

In addition to nullifying product waste, using sustainable materials and elements makes airless packages an even more attractive proposition.

PKG Group / YonwooPKG recently launched a “one material” pump engine that is metal-free and recycle-ready. “The one-material pump engine is available for a majority of our packages, including bottles, airless tubes, and standard dip-tube pumps,” says the company’s Narayan. “Demand for the one-material pump is increasing in our jumbo line, medical spot line, rim base, and soft body bottles, and many more.”

PKG Group / YonwooPKG offers an extensive range of jars, including airless cream jars, general cream jars, and options with snap-on or screw-thread necks, low-profile designs, double-wall, single-wall, refillable, and recycle-ready jars tailored for creams, masks, hair treatments, styling products, and body moisturizers. An investment in high-capacity molding and decoration machinery enables the company to efficiently customize large orders, ensuring each jar aligns with brand aesthetics. 

The Airless Packaging Market at a Glance

The size of the global airless packaging market was valued at $5.83 billion in 2023, and is estimated to top $9 billion by 2032, representing a CAGR of +4.97%.

Key Takeaways:

• Plastic dominates the material segment 
• Bottles and jars dominate the product segment 
• Cosmetics and personal care dominate the
• application segment 
• Europe held the largest market share

Source: “Airless Packaging Market Size, Share And Trends Industry Report, 2032,” Straits Research.

In response to increased demand and market growth, PKG Group / YonwooPKG has invested in high-capacity over-molding machinery for the assembly and decoration of luxury airless and general jars, enabling the company to cater to brands of all sizes with volume orders from 10,000 units to millions.

Epopack offers a variety of airless packaging options, with a strong focus on PET airless bottles. Available in sizes from 7- to 50ml, Epopack’s airless bottles can be customized with plastic or aluminum-finish attachments to match a brand’s unique aesthetic. The company also helps brands maximize their airless experience with “onboarding and training” designed to help ensure proper use of the package and prevent potentially costly mistakes.

Epopack’s newest PET airless bottle is made for brands looking for sustainable, stylish, and functional beauty packaging solutions. Made from PET or 100% PCR PET, the T33 series is designed with a premium aluminum base cap for a sleek, premium look. It is available in 15-, 30-, and 50ml sizes. 

Thinking–And Designing–Outside of the Box

FreeForm Airless+ is the latest patent-pending technology from FusionPKG. The technology challenges established design norms, enabling brands to create uniquely shaped, glass-like bottles without the need for a double-wall structure or cylindrical piston chamber all while maintaining true airless protection and being recycle-ready. 

According to the company, FreeForm Airless+ is manufactured in a five-step process using fully recyclable, mono-material PET. The process begins with injection molding of the outer preform, establishing the foundation for the final bottle. This initial preform defines the overall structure and prepares it for additional layering to achieve a premium, glass-like aesthetic.

The second step over-molds the preform with additional PET layers, allowing for increased wall thickness without introducing non-recyclable materials. This stage is essential for achieving the thick-wall, prestige look that mimics glass while remaining lightweight and shatterproof. The inner preform is then injection-molded separately, creating the bag-in-bottle airless system that collapses as the product is dispensed. Unlike traditional pistons that require a cylindrical chamber, this inner preform allows for full airless functionality in any shape. 

Once the outer and inner preforms are aligned and assembled to enhance structural integrity, the final package is shaped into a fully custom design—square, curved, sculptural, or any form that brands envision—using blow-molding techniques. This proprietary process allows FreeForm Airless+ to be shaped without requiring a double-wall structure, making it lighter, more cost-effective, and fully recyclable, with nearly 100% product evacuation. 

“PET is highly recyclable, recognized by international recycling code #1, and provides excellent chemical and physical resistance, making it a great fit for most beauty formulations,” says Amber MacDonald, Senior Customer Success Specialist at Epopack. “Its high transparency also enhances the visual appeal of products with unique colors or textures.”

Lumson recently launched XTAG 15- and 30ml glass bottles featuring an airless refill system that uses pouch technology. The bottles combine the advantages of a refill system with the benefits of a patented, airless glass design that features a pouch. 

Matteo Carraro, Lumson’s Innovation and Product Sustainability Manager, says XTAG represents a confluence of design, technology, and environmental responsibility. “To ensure consistent shapes and impeccable results, the XTAG glass bottle is crafted using pressé technology for a premium design,” he says, noting that the aesthetic of the container is enhanced with an inner lacquering decoration technique that draws on the contours and thickness of the design. “The recharge system encourages brands and consumers to take a more responsible attitude in reusing the packaging, reducing CO2 emissions by 38% [in comparison to] a standard 30ml airless glass bottle with a plastic pump and overcap.”

Nadia Valdameri, Lumson’s Group Quality Assurance Manager and Sustainability and ESG Manager, adds that the XTAG has been developed with glass and PP, and is aimed at promoting more ecologically responsible behavior among consumers. “For example,” she says, “using one million units of XTAG could reduce CO2 emissions by 116,700kg, equivalent to 536,305km driven by car—or, to put it another way, more than 10 trips around the world!”  

This year, SR Packaging updated its patented EBM (extrusion blow molded) airless bottle range with the addition of EBM Airless Grande, a recyclable bottle made of recycled plastic. Eric Wu, the company’s CEO, says the new super-sized airless bottle provides multiple market sectors with the option to formulate products without preservatives or additives.

“Lighter and reliable, EBM Airless Bottles require no assembly and use 70% less plastic than the piston type,” he says. “The pump, the bottle, and the pouch are all made of PP plastic. To achieve the expected stability and oxidation barrier for different chemicals, the inner pouch has EVOH that is less than 2% of the entire composition.”

The OFC 524ml bottle weighs just 40g (the weight of a non-airless PET bottle weighs around 20- 34g) and matches with sprayers and pumps for product formulations of various viscosities.

Precision Protection & Performance

Airless products from Wista.DTS also affirm a commitment to the environment. The company’s two patented airless systems, called Sage and Pump, are eco-designed from the inside out, and nine of the company’s airless products are certified as fully recyclable by Cyclos-htp, with three others in the certification process.

Elizabete Gomes, Marketing and Business Manager at Wista.DTS, explains that the Sage system is intended for flexible dispenser tubes, and is equipped with five valves to handle different viscosity levels. The spring-dispensing Pump system is suitable for both flexible and rigid tubes. It features a mono-material spring, and is designed to accommodate delicate formulations such as microencapsulated products.

“A well-designed airless system minimizes the risk of contamination with each use,” says Gomes. “Additionally, as brands and manufacturers aim to keep emissions as low as possible during shipping, it’s essential for the packaging to be lightweight, while also protecting the product from physical damage in transit. We achieve this with our innovative airless systems packaging made from PE, Green PE, PP, and PCR.”

Gomes adds that Sage and Pump are continually enhanced for improved compatibility with various containers, which also enables their evolution into tailored solutions for Wista.DTS’s brand partners. “While primarily focused on skincare, we also offer one or two solutions that have successfully been used for targeted hair treatments and dermatological medical applications,” she says. “We provide everything from precise drop-by-drop dispensing for very low viscosities (micellar solutions, targeted treatments, or serums) with the SAGE, to a controlled dosage of 150mcl with our Pump system, which allows for micro-encapsulated formulations without damaging the capsules or risking contamination from contact with the spring.”

An example of one of Wista.DTS’s newest airless brand partnerships is the packaging for Eusougira, a Portuguese brand dedicated to women’s wellness. Gomes says the project called for an airless solution designed to preserve the integrity of its Skin Detox face mask. The brand selected Wista.DTS’s Aquamarine Pump Airless System to house and dispense the formula, which features activated charcoal and niacinamide among its delicate ingredients that, upon contact with the skin, activates into a cleansing and treatment foam.