Best Body Scrub and Body Butter Vessel that's not plastic

[smallbusiness_asianmaker]

Hi there,

I want to start selling body scrubs and body butter but don't want to use plastic vessels like the common ones that are being used. I'm currently looking into using aluminum cans but I'm worried it will rust or leak or using glass (mason jar but then there's a silicone suction in the lid.

I wonder if there's any other alternative that I can use? I want to be as environmentally friendly as possible.

Thanks in advance.

 

[cmzaha]

In my opinion, plastic is still the safest for bathroom use where dropping and breakage are an issue. I do not like metal at all for scrubs because of possible rust issues from salts and fragrances. You cannot always think about environmentally friendly but human safety. Again, that is my opinion. And your insurance... especially if you live in a sue-happy state such as CA.

Keep in mind even an LLC will not necessarily protect you or your insurance in a lawsuit. Now people go after you with civil suits. So you need to take every precaution you can.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I wonder if there's any other alternative that I can use? I want to be as environmentally friendly as possible.

Good question! Here's an idea... use an attractive plasic container that's dishwasher safe. Then give the customer $1 if they return the container when they buy a new one.

I've repurposed many containers that way. Run through the dishwasher then use a sanitizer to prep them before filling.

 

[Carly B]

I would not even consider using a glass container for anything in the shower or bath. It's heavy, it gets slippery, and if it's clear glass, it's going to be hard to find all the little broken pieces.

I think Zany has the right idea. For plastic, I love the plastic bail jars, because fiddling with a slippery twist off lid isn't fun either.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I love the plastic bail jars,

Me too! Classy! Motivates returning for money back!

WSP 4 oz & 7 oz Bail Jars on Sale right now!

 

[smallbusiness_asianmaker]

Thanks everyone!

 

[nadsnads]

I love the thought of moving away from plastics. Would something like this work for anhydrous body butters? What about something like a cardboard with some sort of liner inside like the materials they use for milk cartons? I don't know of a supplier but maybe you could research food packaging suppliers for something similar.

 

[smallbusiness_asianmaker]

I love the thought of moving away from plastics. Would something like this work for anhydrous body butters? What about something like a cardboard with some sort of liner inside like the materials they use for milk cartons? I don't know of a supplier but maybe you could research food packaging suppliers for something similar.

I've thought about this actually but I was worried that it might affect the vessel and start going soggy. I've also thought would putting wax paper around it work (cause if it does, then it could potentially work for aluminum cans as well, I assume)? But unsure whether this would be a good customer experience. Any thoughts?

 

[TheGecko]

When I make a personal gift of my bath salts I use a set of glass Mason bail jars; they look nice on the counter and have scoops. For public sales, it's plastic jars and refill bags because most people are stupid and glass breaks and then they cuts themselves and go to the ER for stitches and then they sue you for an excessive amount of money and even if you prevail you still lose because of attorney's fees and higher insurance costs.

Just make sure the plastic jars are recyclable.

 

[nadsnads]

I've thought about this actually but I was worried that it might affect the vessel and start going soggy. I've also thought would putting wax paper around it work (cause if it does, then it could potentially work for aluminum cans as well, I assume)? But unsure whether this would be a good customer experience. Any thoughts?

I don't know that putting wax paper around it would be a great experience. Personally it would really annoy me if the product got into the wax paper creases and i had to scoop it out of there. Perhaps you could recruit some friends to test this concept? But I'd imagine that the liner on milk cartons is already a better version of wax paper. I'm sorry i really don't have any better suggestions other than to do some tests on a few containers.

 

[nadsnads]

When I make a personal gift of my bath salts I use a set of glass Mason bail jars; they look nice on the counter and have scoops. For public sales, it's plastic jars and refill bags because most people are stupid and glass breaks and then they cuts themselves and go to the ER for stitches and then they sue you for an excessive amount of money and even if you prevail you still lose because of attorney's fees and higher insurance costs.

Just make sure the plastic jars are recyclable.

So this is why we can't have nice things ...

 

[MelissaG]

For health reasons, I've discovered it's very difficult to go with eco packaging. Eco packaging means biodegradable and breakable. While those are good things, it also presents certain difficulties in storage. Glass is breakable and therefore dangerous. Cardboard packaging means things like bath butters, lotions, and the like are likely to go bad sooner because they are basically exposed all the time since they don't seal nearly as well as plastic and glass, even with preservative. So far, I've only been able to move plastic free for my soap bars because honestly soap can handle being in cardboard, getting wet, etc.

I'm having to use plastic for my bath bombs because I live in a high humidity environment. If I don't, there's a high chance they will set off. Lotions, Lip balms, body butters, shower steamers, all of them do better in plastic.

The shampoo and conditioners I've even moved to plastic. I had them in glassine bags, then a freak nasty storm destroyed about 80 of them each because they weren't properly sealed. That's ALOT of money for a small business to lose. I'm still not fully recovered from it because it takes money.

 

[Zing]

Just a hobbyist here. I make a foot balm and use wide and shallow Mason jars that have kind of a square-ish base. I use small tins for my lotion bars and balms. We try very hard to cut down on plastics.

 

[smallbusiness_asianmaker]

Thanks everyone for your input! This is proving to be a challenge cause we're actually a plastic-free brand so I've been trying to look for alternatives that could work that won't result in getting sued because of glasses breaking in the shower (LOL) or aluminum rusting and not getting sealed properly. :<

 

[LynetteO]

Thanks everyone for your input! This is proving to be a challenge cause we're actually a plastic-free brand so I've been trying to look for alternatives that could work…”

What about wax? I am thinking those little cheese rounds covered in red wax. Could you cover metal or cardboard with a layer of wax, to shield the materials from rusting or getting soggy?

 

[persephonesgarden]

I'm currently looking into using aluminum cans but I'm worried it will rust or leak or using glass (mason jar but then there's a silicone suction in the lid.

There’s a business called Athame + Alchemy that puts their scrubs in aluminum! I haven’t tried them so I can’t speak to the customer experience of those jars but at least that’s one lead for you