A procurement manager ordered “50ml PET bottles with 24/410 neck finish” and received bottles that did not fit the pumps. The supplier had shipped 24/415 thread, which looks identical but has a different pitch. The mistake cost $3,400 in returns and three weeks of delay. Nobody on either side understood the difference between 410 and 415.
That is why packaging terminology matters. Terms kill budgets. A supplier says “PP cap” and you nod. But did they mean homopolymer PP or copolymer PP? The difference affects drop impact resistance by 30%. This cosmetic packaging glossary defines over 50 terms that buyers encounter in quotations, specifications, and supplier communications. Learn them. You will catch errors before they become expensive.
Material Terms
The Plastics You Will See in Every Quotation
PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) is the most common material for stock plastic bottles. Crystal clear, lightweight, widely recyclable. A 50ml toner bottle is typically PET. When selecting PET grade, specify the intrinsic viscosity (IV): 0.80 dl/g is standard for bottles, 0.75 dl/g for thin-wall containers, and 0.84 dl/g for carbonated or pressurized products that need extra wall strength. The IV value determines whether your bottle will survive drop testing at 1.2 meters without cracking along the parting line.
PP (Polypropylene) is the standard material for lotion pumps, caps, and jar lids. It resists corrosion from formula and is flexible enough for moving parts. Almost all pump bodies are PP.
HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene) is opaque with excellent chemical resistance. Used for cream jars, tube bodies, and squeeze bottles. It blocks UV light.
LDPE (Low-Density Polyethylene) is flexible and squeezable. Lip balm tubes and soft tubes use LDPE because you can squeeze out the last bit of product.
ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) is rigid plastic used for premium caps and compact cases. High-gloss finish, durable, but more expensive than PP and not easily recyclable. Brands choose ABS when they need the weight and feel of metal at a lower price point. The trade-off is recyclability.
Acrylic (PMMA) has glass-like clarity. Used for premium jars and heavy-wall bottles. Acrylic jars cost 3 to 5 times more than PP jars.
Metals and Alternatives
Aluminum is lightweight and 100% recyclable. Popular for travel-size bottles, aerosol cans, and premium caps. The material cost per unit runs 2 to 3 times higher than PP, but the perceived value at retail justifies the premium for brands positioning in the $40+ price tier.
Tinplate is thin steel coated with tin. Common for metal caps on glass bottles. It provides an airtight seal but can rust if exposed to moisture.
Stainless Steel is used for roller balls and luxury components. Costs 5 to 10 times more than plastic or glass rollers.
Glass Types
Soda-Lime Glass is the standard for cosmetic bottles. Clear, amber, or frosted. Chemically inert and 100% recyclable. Serum bottles are typically clear soda-lime glass.
Sustainable Materials
PCR (Post-Consumer Recycled) and rPET (Recycled PET) are made from recycled consumer waste. Bottles with 30 to 100% recycled content may show slight color variation (light blue or green tint). Specify your acceptable color tolerance in the RFQ. One brand specified “100% rPET, crystal clear” and received bottles with a visible grey tint. The supplier had done nothing wrong. That is what 100% rPET looks like. The brand had to switch to 70% rPET to achieve acceptable clarity, which meant updating their sustainability claims.
Bioplastic is made from renewable biomass (corn, sugarcane). PLA is common but requires industrial composting. It is not home compostable.
BPA (Bisphenol A) is a chemical associated with health risks. If your brand positions as clean beauty, request BPA-free certification from your supplier.
Paperboard (Folding Carton) is paper-based secondary packaging. Most cosmetic cartons use SBS (solid bleached sulfate) paperboard. White, smooth, printable. Specify the grammage: 300gsm is standard for folding cartons, 350gsm for rigid boxes. Lower grammage saves money but feels cheap at retail.
Process and Decoration Terms
Printing and Decoration Methods
Silk-Screen Printing pushes ink through a mesh screen onto packaging. The most common printing method for cosmetic bottles. White logo on blue bottle? Silk-screen. The ink sits on the surface, so it can scratch off without a protective overcoat. Specify overcoat if your packaging sees heavy retail handling.
Pad Printing uses a silicone pad to transfer ink onto curved surfaces. Printing a logo on a round cap requires pad printing because screen print cannot follow curves.
Digital Printing prints directly without plates. Ideal for small orders under 1,000 units. No plate fee, but higher per-unit cost.
Hot Stamping (Foil Stamping) applies metallic foil using heat and pressure. A gold logo on a black cap. Screen print cannot achieve this effect.
Color Matching matches packaging color to a reference (Pantone, sample, or CAD). If your brand color is Pantone 186 C, the supplier must match it exactly. Fee: $100 to $300. The supplier will provide 3 to 5 trial samples for approval, and each round takes 5 to 7 days, so build color matching time into your production schedule before the main production run begins or you will face a 2-week delay while the press sits idle waiting for your sign-off.
Spray Coating applies paint via spray gun for uniform color. Creates metallic or matte effects on plastic.
Vacuum Metallizing deposits metal vapor onto plastic for a metallic finish. Cheaper than using actual metal.
Manufacturing Processes
Process matters. Get it wrong and the packaging fails.
Injection Molding creates plastic components by injecting molten plastic into a mold. A lotion pump body mold costs $3,000 to $8,000. Mold lifespan runs 500,000 to 1,000,000 cycles depending on steel quality. P20 steel molds are standard. S136 steel molds last longer and produce glossier parts, but cost 40% more.
Labeling applies adhesive labels to packaging. Ensure label adhesive is compatible with bottle material. PP label on PP bottle works. Paper label on PP bottle may peel.
Sterilization eliminates microorganisms before filling. Preservative-free formulas require gamma irradiation or EO gas sterilization.
Specification and Dimension Terms
Getting these wrong is how most packaging failures happen.
Capacity and Volume
Fill Capacity is the actual product volume you fill. Brim Capacity (also called Overflow Capacity) is the maximum when filled to the top. A 50ml fill capacity bottle has 55 to 58ml brim capacity. Specify fill capacity in your PO, not brim capacity.
Nominal Volume is the labeled volume (50ml). It may differ from actual fill capacity. Always clarify which you mean.
Dimensions
Diameter (D) is the outer diameter of a bottle or cap. A 50ml round bottle typically measures 40 to 45mm. Check diameter to ensure it fits your carton.
Height (H) is total height including pump or cap. A 50ml bottle with pump may stand 120mm tall. Check height against retail shelf and shipping box constraints.
Wall Thickness affects durability and perceived quality. Heavy-wall PET has 2 to 3mm thickness. Standard is 1mm. Premium brands specify heavy-wall. Wall thickness variation across a single bottle should not exceed 0.2mm, measured at the shoulder, body, and base, because excessive variation causes uneven stress distribution during shipping and leads to cracking along thin sections when the bottle experiences lateral compression in a tightly packed shipping carton.
Weight (Bottle Weight) matters for shipping cost. Glass bottles run 100 to 200g. Heavier feels more premium but costs more to ship.
Compatibility Specifications
Neck Finish is the thread specification on a bottle neck. “24/410” means 24mm diameter, 410 thread finish. A 24/410 pump fits any 24/410 bottle. A 24/415 pump does not. The difference is invisible to the naked eye. This is the most expensive misunderstanding in cosmetic packaging procurement. Always verify neck finish with a caliper, not by eyeballing it. The cost of a caliper is $15. The cost of a wrong neck finish across a 50,000-unit production run, including tooling modification, reprinting, and six weeks of delayed launch, averages $18,000 to $35,000 depending on whether the error is caught before or after filling.
Thread is the spiral ridge that allows screwing. Damaged threads mean leak risk.
Tolerance is the acceptable dimensional variation. Bottle diameter tolerance is typically plus or minus 0.5mm. Outside tolerance means caps will not fit.
Regulatory and Compliance Terms
US and EU Regulations
Compliance is not optional. These are the frameworks that govern what you can sell and where.
FDA (Food and Drug Administration) sets packaging material safety standards in the US. The FDA does not approve cosmetics before sale, but packaging materials must be safe per FDA 21 CFR.
REACH is the EU regulation on chemical use. It affects packaging materials including inks, adhesives, and coatings. Request a REACH compliance certificate from your supplier for EU market products.
INCI (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients) is the standard format for listing ingredients on packaging. Your carton must list ingredients in INCI format.
ISO 22715 is the international standard for cosmetic packaging and container labeling. It specifies minimum font size, batch code format, and PAO symbol placement.
Additional Standards
PAO (Period After Opening) is the symbol indicating how long a product can be used after opening. 12M means 12 months. Mandatory in the EU.
USP Class VI is a US pharmacopeia standard for plastic materials contacting pharmaceuticals or cosmetics. Request it for sensitive formulas.
CTPA is the UK cosmetic industry trade body. Follow CTPA guidance for UK market packaging labeling.
Shelf Life is the period a product remains safe and effective in its packaging. Most cosmetics target 24 to 36 months. Your packaging must protect the product for this duration. If your barrier coating degrades at month 18, your 36-month shelf life claim is false. Regulators will not care that the coating supplier promised 24 months. The brand holds the liability.
Commercial and Procurement Terms
These are the terms that determine your total cost. Get them wrong and your unit price means nothing.
Incoterms
| Incoterm | Who Pays Shipping | When Risk Transfers | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| EXW | You | At factory gate | Experienced buyers |
| FOB | You (ocean freight) | When loaded on ship | Most sea freight |
| CIF | Supplier (to port) | When loaded on ship | Hands-off buyers |
| DDP | Supplier (all) | At your warehouse | First-time importers |
FOB is the most common for sea freight. DDP is safest for beginners but carries the highest unit price.
Payment and Ordering
Deposit is the upfront payment, typically 30%. Balance is the final 70% paid before shipment. For a $10,000 order, you pay $3,000 deposit then $7,000 before shipment.
MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity) is the minimum units per order. Stock bottle MOQ runs 1,000 to 5,000. Custom mold bottle MOQ runs 10,000 to 50,000.
Lead Time is from order confirmation to delivery. Custom mold packaging: 6 to 8 weeks. Stock with decoration: 4 to 6 weeks.
Mold (Tooling) is the metal tool for custom components. A custom bottle mold costs $3,000 to $8,000. One-time cost.
RFQ (Request for Quotation) is the document you send suppliers. Include product description, quantity, specification, incoterm, and delivery location.
PO (Purchase Order) is the legally binding order confirmation. Never start production without a signed PO.
OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) manufactures to your specifications. For custom-shaped bottles, you need an OEM, not a trading company.
Sampling and Shipping
Sampling is ordering pre-production samples. Sample cost runs $50 to $200. Skipping sampling can cause $10,000+ in defective production.
Sea Freight is the standard import method. China to US takes 20 to 35 days. Air Freight is 5 to 10 times more expensive. Use only for samples or urgent reorders. A full 20-foot container from Shanghai to Los Angeles costs $1,800 to $2,500 depending on season, while LCL (less than container load) shipping charges by volume (CBM) and can work out more expensive per unit than FCL if your order fills more than 15 cubic meters of container space.
Customs Clearance takes 2 to 5 days. Factor this into your lead time calculation.
Key Takeaways
Learn material abbreviations. PET, PP, HDPE, ABS, PMMA appear in every quotation. Understand neck finish (24/410, 28/410) because it determines pump and cap compatibility. Know incoterms because they determine your total cost. Specify tolerance because dimensional variation affects assembly. Request certifications (REACH, FDA, ISO) depending on your market.
Using correct cosmetic packaging terms prevents misunderstandings with suppliers. It signals professionalism. And it saves money. Every term in this glossary comes from a real procurement situation where someone lost time, money, or both because the terminology was unclear.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I download a PDF version?
Contact us to request a printable PDF for your procurement team.
How often is this glossary updated?
Annually, each June, to reflect new materials, regulations, and industry terms.
Can I suggest a term to add?
Yes. Email [email protected] with term suggestions.
Author: Cosmetic Packaging Education Team
Technical Reviewer: Senior Packaging Engineer, 20+ years in cosmetic packaging
Last Updated: July 2026
Data Source: ISO 22715, INCI standards, FDA 21 CFR, EU Cosmetic Regulation 1223/2009, and interviews with 30+ packaging engineers.