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SprayDec13

Wella Salon Professional Volumize mousse December 2013 Spray 37 an equivalent option appears to be available in plastic. Searching for plastic containers outside of the NA marketplace, we see more products on the store shelves. Today, most plastic aerosol products are found in the European marketplace where plastic aerosol containers are currently permitted. These products comply with the current European Aerosol Dispenser Directive (ADD). Current allowance by the ADD is 50-220ml volume, which has permitted products such as Wella’s Salon Professional Mousse to see the market for several years. Other plastic aerosol products have also recently advanced to the European market such as Balea Shave Foam. The European Union (EU) aerosol community is in the process of requesting the European Commission to modify the ADD regulations (see Plastic Aerosols— situation and prospects. Aerosol Europe Vol. 21. 7/8-2013), and these changes will bring global regulations closer, but not equivalent. Proposed changes to ADD in the EU, if adopted, will increase both the volume (up to 1000ml) and the internal pressure (up to 15 bar for aerosols using non-flammable propellants). There are equivalent requirements in the U.S. as far as drop impact testing, but the restrictions on the flammability characteristics of the product formulation is not consistent between the EU and the U.S. Yet you need to review, understand and follow all of the regional requirements. We also see plastic aerosol containers on the market in Asia and Latin America. We will need to watch how the regulatory requirements evolve in these and other growing aerosol markets. Barriers to the marketplace The regulatory enviroment can be a barrier to the marketplace. Once we understand the regional regulatory requirements, we need to then assure freedom to practice. Intellectual property is another area for the innovator to manage. Patent publications focused on plastic aerosols were rather slow during the 1990s, averaging only about five per year. During the first decade of the 2000s, patent publications focused on plastic aerosols jumped to an averaged 20 per year. This four-fold increase is interesting to understand, as these publications mostly pertain to a more robust knowledge in the blow molding process and materials understanding. The knowledge necessary to create high pressure thermoplastic bottles that overcome the earlier issues peaked in 2006. The U.S. has lead the way, with the UK and Japan following. Upon review of the patents related to plastic aerosols, the Base, Neck and Body are primary variables. Base geometry (petaloid, hemispherical and champagne) has been described for pressure retention and uniformity. Neck designs and material characteristics are provided to manage growth due to pressure or environmental conditions. The body of the plastic container has been discussed with respect to pressure management and permeability. While each container will typically provide each component (base, neck and body), the innovator needs to consider earlier work to assure freedom to practice each final design. In order to not repeat others’ past mistakes, become familiar with the innovation history of intellectual property. The elegance of evolution What can be deduced from the regulations and the patent literature is that there is significant interest in a plastic aerosol container. Why? Is it the elimination of rust in damp environments? Could it be the ability to shape an aerosol container differently than we can shape metals today? Perhaps it’s the ability to have transparency that isn’t available in metals? Maybe its driven by the lighter weight of the plastic container compared to a metal or glass unit of equivalent size? In the end, I believe it will be a continuous mixture of all of these factors. The elegance of this evolution in the aerosol marketplace is that we should have a growth in product introductions. Certainly, there will be some movement of products from metal to plastic but we should consider the overall potential for growth. The process of applying this option into markets will surpass what any one of us could consider today. The marketplace will drive us to new places and drive new ideas for what an aerosol container may deliver. Considering the inclusion of alternate technologies like BOV, piston containers and new nonflammable propellants like Honeywell’s HFO1234ze, we can see the palette is wider than ever. We are in for an exciting time of innovation across aerosol products. SPRAY Airopack dispensing system


SprayDec13
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