Heinz Glas’ ‘Invisible Shields’ help protect perfumes and cosmetics
Self-cleaning glass? It’s not as futuristic as it might sound. Glass producer Heinz‐Glas is embracing innovation, and has teamed up with specialists to develop a series of ‘invisible shields’ for its glass bottles – so products can be protected against UV light, bacteria, and viruses, without compromising on design.
These days, health and wellness go hand in hand with consumers’ desires to seek out premium products, whether that’s a spritz of perfume as a finishing touch on an outfit or taking a moment to unwind with a premium moisturiser at the end of the day. With their new Invisible Shields range, the German glass manufacturer has pioneered four innovative variants for premium perfume and cosmetics bottles that respond to customer demands for individualised solutions for products, without compromising on the design standards that today’s consumers have come to expect.
Integrated into the bottle and completely invisible, the protective shield coatings available in the range minimise the impact of UV light, bacteria and viruses, and prevent counterfeiting.
The development in safety attributes for glass goes hand in hand with increased challenges for glass manufacturers, who strive to find methods to protect food, drinks, perfumes, cosmetics and medicines from external hazards or loss of quality by maintaining the highest standards.
Introducing the Invisible family: four innovations for 360-degree protection
The new range highlights four possible product protection innovations for customers to choose from, developed in collaboration with industry partners.
- Countering counterfeit products: With the European perfume and cosmetics market reaching an estimated €80 billion retail sales price in 2021, counterfeit products are on the rise. To counter this, Heinz-Glas worked with traceability specialists at Tailorlux to develop a new coating technique (Invisible Identification) that provides the bottle with a customisable and invisible optical fingerprint, allowing proof of the authenticity of the materials and products.
- Fighting back against bacteria and viruses: Coronavirus brought the topic of bacteria and viruses top of mind, with many of us paying increasing attention to how we handle products, how they’re packaged, and how long bacteria remains on surfaces. That’s why a further option in the Invisible range (Invisible Senoglas Carecoating) focuses on creating a protective shield around products, adding a new layer that fights back against bacteria and viruses using a new care coating technique created with paint manufacturer Weilburger.
- Protecting products from UV light: Too much light exposure can speed up product degradation and result in loss of quality, meaning UV protection is essential to make high-quality products last longer. That’s why Heinz–Glas has worked with coating manufacturer Ferro to invest in developing invisible and UV protective sprayed varnish, available via two new products. Invisible UV Protection transparent coating can be sprayed directly onto packaging to protect light-sensitive products from damage, while Invisible UV Protection Integrated is integrated right into the glass and designed to protect packaging contents from both UVA and UVB radiation. The UV protection intensity varies depending on customers’ requirements and glass colour.
As luxury industries such as the perfume and cosmetics sector grow in value, new challenges demand new solutions. That’s why Heinz-Glas responded with new innovative technology, minimizing risks while offering maximum freedom in design. The results may be invisible, but Heinz-Glas is setting new standards for the glass industry – designing the future since its inception.
With glassmaking in the family as far back as 1523, today, the HEINZ-GLAS Group is one of the leading manufacturers of glass flacons and jars for the perfume and cosmetics industry. Within a network comprising German locations as well as other sites worldwide, the company develops, produces and refines “Complete Packaging” solutions, which are distributed worldwide via company-owned subsidiaries or agencies – all from a single source. Whether crystal-white, white-opaline or colored glass… luxurious flacons featuring exceptional designs in a fully automatic production process – HEINZ-GLAS is your partner!
