- Protects your product from physical damage and damage caused by moisture, oxygen, light, and pests
- Aids in communication, identifying the product inside, its use, and benefits
- Promotes your branding, message, and unique selling proposition, encouraging consumers to purchase your product over your competition
- Should be convenient and easy to use for the consumer
What is the role of product packaging?
There are many ways to package nutraceutical products. When selecting the best packaging for your supplement, you should consider the requirements for your product and the user experience you want to provide. Each packaging format gives different levels of protection, promotion, communication, and convenience. It also helps to look at competitors’ packaging. You may find an opportunity for your packaging to stand out.
Bottles are the most common type of supplement packaging. Bottles are the most common format for liquids, tablets, capsules, soft gels, and gummies. They are strong, and their rigid shape protects the contents from moisture, oxygen, pests, and physical damage. Bottles come in clear PET plastic, white or colored HDPE or PP plastic, and clear or colored glass. In particular, clear PET or glass allows consumers to see your product and evaluate its quality.
Generic bottles are also easy to source and very versatile, offering a blank slate for designers. When paired with a custom label, you can transform a generic bottle into something that stands out on the shelf.
Jars are another packaging format suitable for nutritional supplements and vitamins. Jars have a wider opening than bottles, often as wide as the jar. Because of the wide mouth, jars are ideal for powders, gummies, and tablets. Jars can also accommodate scoops, making portioning easy for consumers.
Jars are typically cylindrical but also come in the form of square boxes or other shapes. Like bottles, their rigid structure protects your product from physical damage, as well as moisture, oxygen, and pests. In the same vein, custom labels can quickly transform a blank jar.
Pouches are a growing packaging format for dietary supplements and functional foods. Pre-made pouches are lightweight, convenient, and portable, making them ideal for powders, liquids, and gels. They are easily customized, allowing you to produce unique packaging that meets your customers’ needs and keeps your product fresh.
Pouches give designers full print coverage, allowing them to maximize your messaging and branding. Furthermore, flexible packaging will enable you to break the mold on rigid jars, bottles, and boxes to create an impact on the shelf.
What about functional packaging?
People are busier than ever. Functional packaging is designed to complement this busy lifestyle and reduce friction. You may encounter functional packaging more often than you think – peel-and-reseal, easy-open, single-serve, zippers, and tamper-evidence are all features of functional packaging.
In the nutraceuticals market, the user experience is crucial. Because these products are supplemental, your product must fit seamlessly into your buyer’s lifestyle. As brands realize this, we’ve seen a rise in pre-portioned vitamins and prepared functional foods and beverages. Often, these single-serve products come in single-use pouches, packets, stick packs, and small drink bottles. These packaging formats are highly functional and perfect for on-the-go convenience.
Supplement packaging design and labeling
Once you’ve selected a suitable packaging format for your nutraceutical product, your next decision is how you will decorate the package. There are several options. If you go with a jar or a bottle, pressure sensitive labels or shrink sleeves are your best labeling option. Typically, labels are applied after the filling and capping process.
Custom labels for supplement bottles and jars
One of the most popular labeling methods in the world, pressure sensitive labels are cost-effective and fully customizable. Because they stick without water, solvents, or heat, these labels easily apply by hand or machine applicator. That makes them perfect for any brand, from small start-ups to national CPGs. Custom product labels are available in many materials, including white, clear, or metalized films and paper facestocks. Pair these with extended content labels and peel-and-reveal labels to add extra real estate for regulatory information and marketing copy.
Have a unique container shape and want to maximize shelf appeal? Shrink sleeves create a sleek look and feel and are quickly becoming one of the leading packaging choices for brands and contract manufacturers. Heated until they shrink tightly around your container, shrink sleeve labels allow for 360-degree branding. They come in various formats, including full body, over-the-cap, large format, and partial shrink sleeves. Give consumers peace of mind by integrating tamper-evident perforations into your over-the-cap sleeve design.
Flexible packaging design for supplements
Due to its lightweight construction and ease of use, flexible packaging is rapidly growing in popularity. Pre-made pouches are convenient and portable, making them ideal for vitamins, dietary supplements, and functional foods. They are versatile and purpose-made, allowing you to produce frictionless packaging that meets your customers’ needs. Pre-made pouches come in various formats, including reclosable stand-up and zip-top pouches, as well as non-reclosable 3-sided seal and pillow pouches. Boost the functionality by adding child-resistant closures, tamper evidence, powder-resistant closures, hang holes, tear notches, and custom seals. “Unformed” material, known as roll stock, is also available for brands or co-packers with form, fill, and seal (FFS) equipment.
One of the biggest reasons flexible packaging is trending is its visual impact. Rather than blending in with rows of bottles and jars, the unique shape of pouches stands out on the shelf. This format also gives marketing teams more space to maximize shelf appeal by allowing for 100% print coverage of the material.
Whether you’re looking to package multivitamins, on-the-go snacks, or protein powder, you need a print partner to deliver a quality solution you and your consumers can trust. We offer a range of custom printed packaging formats for all of your nutraceutical needs.
