Filling your products into packaging can be fun but also challenging. We get a lot of questions about methods and best practices. One question that comes up often is whether to sterilize or sanitize packaging before filling. In the world of cosmetics, the requirements are sanitization, not sterilization. Think more food preparation and not surgery.
Pre-filling Preparation
Wash any utensils you will use with hot soapy water and rinse well. Wipe excess water off and allow to air dry. Before using, spray them with 70% alcohol and wipe off with lint-free paper rolls.
What about sanitizing packaging? A good packaging house will send you sanitized case packed packaging. If you decide you need to sanitize your packaging, physically remove any residual debris from the surfaces, then use a cleanser like Simple Green to clean surfaces and rinse well with potable water. After that, spray with 70% alcohol, turn upside down and allow to drip dry.
Now for the fun part – filling!
Sanitize the area you are going to be using for filling off your cosmetics and personal care. Again, something like Simple Green to clean, rinse with water and spray down with 70% alcohol. When dried, your surface is ready to use.
Depending on your product and the packaging (please see below for each product type), you can simply pour your product into your packaging. For thicker products like cremes, use a zip lock bag or pastry bag (pastry bags are easy to use and can be purchased at most baking supply stores). If using a zip lock bag, put your product in the bag, seal the bag, cut off one of the bottom corners, and squeeze the contents into your clean container. Depending on the viscosity or thickness of your product, you may want to order a gallon pump or if you have a 5-gallon pail, a pail pump. We also have an instructional video on filling difficult products on YouTube – How to Fill Difficult Products
Filling melt & pours
There are a few different ways you can melt your melt & pour products. One way is to use a double boil method or the microwave. For a double boil method, fill your pot ¼ full with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and fit a Pyrex bowl or a smaller pot into this larger pot, making sure to not get the water into this internal container. Add your melt & pour and it will soon begin to melt. While melting make sure to stir often this will help with the melting process as well as making sure everything is well mixed. Be sure not to overheat as this will cause the ingredients like butters to crystalize. Once your product is all melted you may began to fill. To do this pour your product into measuring pitcher with a pointed pouring spout as this will make it much easier to fill. Line up your packaging ( lip balm tubes, deodorant tubes or jars) and begin filling. If you are filling by weight you will need a scale, otherwise a volumetric fill is fine. Another way to melt your product is with a microwave in a microwave safe bowl. Just make sure to stir often.
Filling crèmes and/or scrubs
Filling crèmes and/or scrubs can be messy and kind of tricky for beginners, but hopefully with these tips I will make it a little simpler for you. The pastry bag, zip lock bag, or pump method should work for you, but if the crème or the scrub is too thick, you could go with a spoon fill. My preferred method when filling small runs is definitely the piping bag because it looks so nice when you are piping the crème into your jars and after some practice you can even make a small dollop which makes your finished product look nice and presentable, like a meringue. The least desirable way, but sometimes the only way that works, is the spoon method. It’s easy, but can be messy which is why I say “least desirable”. All you need to do is use your spoon to scoop some product out of the gallon and spoon it into your jar until your jar is full, and then you will need to tap the jar so that the product becomes level in the jar. Smooth out the top of the crème or scrub by taking the underside of your spoon and smoothing out the top of the product.
Filling powders
When it comes to filling powders, it’s pretty simple. Just spoon it into your container, give the container a few VERY GENTLE taps and spoon some more powder in and give a few more gentle taps. Powders are fluffy so you may need to repeat this filling and tapping process till you get the desired weight you need.
Filling lotions
Filling lotions is usually easier than filling crèmes because lotions are normally not as thick. I would suggest using a ½ gallon squeezable jug with a tip cap ( a tip cap would be what you see on ketchup and mustard bottles). You can also use a gallon pump and pump your product right into the packaging this is the best way to fill small runs of lotion.
Now you can start filling you packaging with confidence! What fast tips and tricks have you learned? We’d love to hear about your adventures in filling!
