Hi everyone, just wondering if everyone else becomes as annoyed as I do with some product packaging. For example; lotions and creams in pump packs, sunscreen in pump packs and tubes. I know there’s a heap more of the product but I can’t get it out so resort to cutting it open and joining the two bits together so it doesn’t dry out. Surely there has to be a better way?
5 Likes
Yes. I hate those packages with liquid contents that can not be put head down to get all the contents out, eg deodorants which have rounded lids.
Any suggestions?
4 Likes
Good topic @Mare60. In some cases, there are devices out there that can assist such as this range of toothpaste squeezers, although I’m not how good the quality of some of them would be.
My packaging pet peeve is with some plastic sauce and mayonnaise containers with a bottle opening too small to fit normal utensils. At a certain point the product can longer be poured/squeezed out, but as you’ve mentioned there’s often still quite a bit left. If the opening was just a little bit bigger, you could easily scoop out until empty. But instead you need to hack it open, which takes a lot of care to avoid injury and then you need to transfer to different container or use a covering.
Excessive packaging, hard-to-open packaging and packaging airspace are worth mentions here too.
3 Likes
I don’t see the point in many pump packs. What is wrong with a wide mouth jar you can dip into and when it gets down to the end scrape out the last.
2 Likes
Any pump pack, if you are buying the same product again, take out the pump top and place the near empty one on top of the replacement one (make sure the surface they sit on is flat to allow the top container to balance). We do this for pump packs such as shampoo, body wash, conditioner, dishwashing detergent, sorbolene cream etc.
The contents on the almost used bottle flow over an hour or so into the new bottle. If the new bottle is near full, use a bit first before doing the above.
They allow metering of the contents. Often with liquid products, more is used when squeezed, shaken or dipping in the hand.
4 Likes
Also, most face creams/lotions and makeup foundations come in a pump pack to avoid contamination of the product by dipping in.
3 Likes
What does this contamination do? How do you know?
People could have been picking their nose with that same finger they’re dipping into a container? I’ll leave it to the imagination what it could do? 
2 Likes
They could indeed. Our grandmothers must have all been poisoning themselves and their sisters and daughters that they shared pots of lotion with. Or maybe they washed their hands beforehand or used a spatula such as a flat stick.
You might be onto a good reason. There has been a shift in many parts of the cosmetic industry towards more ‘natural’ and ‘preservative free’ cosmetics. Moving in this direction means cosmetics/ lotions/potions have a higher risk of microbial contamination.
The ACCC also agrees that such risks occur…
The ACCC/Product Safety has also recalled a number of cosmetics due to microbial contamination. While testing was done of products being sold, the risks would increase after purchase through air exposure and contact (application to the skin, then ‘double dipping’).
Pump packs would reduce contact based risks, and also air exposure especially in cases where lids/caps are left off for extended periods.
4 Likes
I make use of a suitably sized glass and turn things upside down. in the shower i turn the shampoo bottles upside down also
3 Likes
Thanks. I agree with you. I’ve taken to hacking them open (very carefully). They’re things like sorbolene cream, tubes of facial cleanser etc. I was thinking instead of one long thing from the pump that they had it with tentacles that would get into the other areas of the container. It’s probably too hard and/or expensive but surely there’s got to be a better way. I also agree with whatever has the small opening that nothing fits down.
2 Likes
