Customer Question: How Do I Prevent Product Tampering?

Shrink Wrap Bands

A common problem in the cosmetics industry occurs when you stock your products at a boutique or have them displayed at a craft show and a customer removes the lid to "smell" or "sample" the product. How do you protect your product against tampering in between manufacturing and the sale to the end user?

Shrink Wrap Bands: Pre-cut bands of shrink wrap are placed by hand over the container and then heat is applied (via heat gun or heat tunnel). The heat causes the shrink band to shrink evenly and smoothly, creating a tamper-resistant, tamper-evident seal. This method requires a heat gun or heat tunnel.

Press & Seal Liners: Pressure Sensitive seals are designed so that when you screw the closure onto the jar tightly, the adhesive on the liner adheres to the jar. When you open the jar, the liner is securely sealed over the jar leaving a "Sealed for your Protection" safety seal on the jar. Seals can be used with glass or plastic and with lined or unlined lids. This is one of the most inexpensive and effective types of tamper evident protection.

Induction Sealing: Induction sealing is non-contact process of heating metals. It has many industrial application, one of them is in packaging industry wherein  a heat-sealable foil laminate inside the cap of the container can be made to form a hermetic seal with the mouth of the container. This method requires special equipment.

Tamper Evident Security Seals: Special tape is applied to the closure of your product. When removed, the security tape will show tamper evidence by self destructing -- leaving words or symbols on the package and in the security tape itself. 

Clamshell Packaging: Two hinged halves of a (usually clear and thin) plastic shell can be opened and closed by the consumer or end-user of the packaged product. This type of packaging allows the product to be seen without being touched. Requires special equipment to seal.

What methods have you tried? What works best for your product line?

Allison B. Kontur
www.BathBodySupply.com