Shampoo is a delicate and viscous product. It is primarily sold in plastic bottles and small plastic pouches or sachets. Manufactures guard their procedures of shampoo sachet making as each company claims to have discovered a new method which makes their shampoo pouches unique and better than the others. Despite their claims, it is undeniable that most of them use the materials and techniques that are common to all. The main materials would be aluminum foil, polyethylene terephthalate, and a sheet of laminate material.

Manufacture

Aluminum foil forms the innermost layer of a multilayered shampoo pouch. The foil is used because it is not porous, and it keeps the cleansing effects of shampoo intact for a longer period. The next layer, covering the aluminum foil, is usually made from polyethylene terephthalate – commonly known as “pet” or “poly pet” in industry jargon. Poly pet is a thermoplastic – a kind of plastic that changes its shape under heat. It serves a dual function inside the shampoo sachet. It provides strength to the plastic pouch and it works as glue that keeps the inner aluminum foil attached to the outermost layer which carries advertising and another layer of lamination.

The function of the outermost layer is to provide a physical barrier against environmental factors which can lessen the effectiveness of shampoo and decrease its shelf life. Another function of this layer is to carry company logo and product information. Shampoo pouches are often laminated to infuse a sense of wetness, and to make the liquid packaging method appear more attractive.

Functions of a shampoo sachet

Manufactures tweak the basic process to create different kinds of shampoo sachets that are currently visible in stores. In spite of their differences, all shampoo sachets are manufactured to perform four functions –

(a) To protect shampoo by avoiding any leaks
(b) To act as a physical barrier against several environmental factors that can decrease the strength of chemicals
(c) To remain user friendly by remaining easy to tear
(d) To attract consumers and make them buy the packet.

Rise of the shampoo sachet

The use of sachets in shampoo packaging has dramatically increased since the 1970s, when shampoos first became mainstream. The use of these aluminum foil pouches has risen in part because they keep fragrance and cleansing properties of a shampoo intact without burdening manufacturers with excessive packaging costs. Consumers have also accepted these sachets – as is visible from the rise of sales of shampoo sachets. To top it all, the use of sachets is proving more environment friendly as these pouches occupy significantly less space in landfills as compared to a plastic bottle.