Typical cosmetic line
Piston filler, from a semi-automatic double-head filler to a 6-head automatic line
Peristaltic filler for small doses into glass, dropper and serum bottles
Tube filler-sealer for creams and gels in plastic and laminated tubes
Screw caps, pumps, triggers, droppers and inner caps
Round or double-sided labels, shrink sleeves and cartons
Rated at 13 to 25 bottles a minute on the cosmetic lines we have supplied
Typical line
A cosmetic filling line feeds the containers, fills them, closes them, labels them and packs them. Each stage is a separate machine, so a line can start small and grow.
Smaller producers usually start with a semi-automatic filler and add the capper, labeller and cartoner as volumes grow.
Requirements
Cosmetics range from thick creams to thin serums, are often filled in small doses, and sell on how the pack looks. These needs shape every cosmetic filling machine we supply. For how fillers are matched to liquids in general, see liquid filling machines.
Thick and thin products on one line. Creams, lotions and gels are thick; serums and oils are thin. A piston filler pushes the same volume on every stroke whatever the thickness, and the semi-automatic double-head piston filler we have supplied fills 50 to 500 ml or 500 ml to 5 litres to within 0.5%.
Small, accurate doses. Serums and oils are often filled 5 to 50 ml at a time. On the glass bottle line we have supplied, a two-head peristaltic pump fills 5 to 50 ml to within 2%, and each bottle is flushed with nitrogen first to protect the product.
Clean contact parts. On the glass bottle line, the parts that touch the product are SUS316 stainless steel, silica gel and PTFE on a SUS304 frame. On the dropper bottle line we have supplied, a UV tunnel sterilises each bottle before it is filled.
Many products and closures. Cosmetic brands run several bottle sizes and closures: pumps, triggers, droppers and inner caps under a screw cap. A pump and trigger capper holds the irregular cap square while it tightens, with a set torque that protects the pump.
Machines
Piston filler. The usual filler for creams, lotions, gels and pastes. It is supplied as a semi-automatic filler with one or two heads, or as an automatic multi-head filler; the 6-head line we have supplied fills 100 ml to 1 litre at 13 to 20 bottles a minute on 500 ml.
Tube fill and seal machine. Fills creams and gels into plastic, laminated and aluminium tubes and seals the end. The semi-automatic tube filler-sealer we have supplied fills 20 to 300 ml at 8 to 16 tubes a minute, seals ultrasonically and embosses a batch code.
Bottle filling machine lines. For serums, oils and small glass bottles, a filler and capper on one line with a labeller after it. The glass bottle line we have supplied fills, caps and labels 5 to 50 ml bottles at 15 to 20 a minute.
Pack styles
Cosmetics are sold in a few pack styles, and the pack style decides the filler and the closures. Send us the containers you use so the machine is set up for them.
Creams in jars, lotions in pump bottles, and serums and oils in glass and dropper bottles. Bottles are filled by piston or peristaltic pump, then capped and labelled; see the bottle filling machine.
Creams, gels and ointments in plastic, laminated and aluminium tubes, filled and sealed on a tube fill and seal machine.
Single-use sachets of lotion or shampoo run on a sachet filling machine, and refill packs on a pouch packaging machine.
Finishing
Capping. A bottle capping machine is chosen by the closure. Pumps and triggers need a capper that holds the head square; small glass bottles on the line we have supplied take an inner cap pressed in, then a screw cap, at 15 to 20 a minute. A servo capper we have supplied caps 20 to 40 bottles a minute.
Labelling and cartoning. A round bottle labeller we have supplied labels up to 80 bottles a minute and a double-sided labeller 80 to 90. Full-body sleeves go on with a shrink sleeve labeller and steam tunnel at 50 to 100 a minute, and a bottle cartoner packs 15 to 30 cartons a minute. See the labelling machine, shrink sleeve labeller and cartoning machine.
Experience
A wellness producer fills a viscous oil into 30 ml and 50 ml glass dropper bottles on a line with a UV sterilisation tunnel, filler, capper and labeller, at 25 bottles a minute. Read the case study.
A manufacturer fills 5 to 50 ml round glass bottles to within 2% with nitrogen flushing, an inner cap and a screw cap, then labels them, at 15 to 20 bottles a minute. Read the case study.
A manufacturer ordered an automatic tube filler-sealer after trials on its own plastic tubes, to fill and seal faster than semi-automatic filling allowed. Read the case study.
Machines from our range for cosmetics and personal care, from cream and lotion lines and dropper bottle fillers to tube fillers, labellers and shrink sleeve tunnels.
Fills, caps, checkweighs and labels creams and lotions on one line.
Fills and caps small dropper bottles on one monoblock.
A linear line that fills, caps and labels each bottle in turn.
Piston filling for creams, lotions and pastes, hand-fed or automatic.
Loads, orients, fills, seals and trims plastic tubes.
Drops full-body sleeves on bottles and shrinks them in a steam tunnel.
Round bottle and double-sided labellers for filled bottles.
Quotation
A cosmetic filling line is quoted to configuration, so we need these details about your product, your packs and your plant.
Your product and how thick it is, with a sample if you can
Your containers: bottles, jars, tubes or dropper bottles, with samples
Your closures: screw caps, pumps, triggers, droppers or inner caps
Fill volumes and target output, in containers a minute or an hour
Whether the line should also label, shrink sleeve or carton the packs
Site power, compressed air and the floor space available
Send a sample of your product with your container, and we will trial it before we quote. For what shapes the figure on a quotation, read the packaging machine cost guide.
Related pages
Cosmetics are mostly liquids and pastes, so this page sits beside liquid filling machines. For filler choice in detail, read piston filler vs pump filler.
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PackMan purchased an Automatic 6-Lane, 4-Side Seal Vinegar Packaging Machine, and it has been performing reliably since installation. The machine delivers consistent packaging quality, operates efficiently, and has met our production expectations.
SA Packaging Machinery delivered a solution that has met our expectations. The equipment has been reliable in daily production, and we’re pleased with its performance. We found the team knowledgeable, professional, and willing to assist whenever required.
We’ve been very happy with the equipment supplied by SA Packaging Machinery. It’s straightforward to use, performs consistently, and has helped us improve our production process. The team was easy to work with and made the entire experience smooth.
Send us your cream, lotion or serum with the container you use, and we will run it on a filling machine at our Riversands showroom before you order.
Questions
A piston filler. It pushes the same volume on every stroke, so thick creams and lotions fill to the same level every time. The semi-automatic double-head piston filler we have supplied fills to within 0.5%, and the 6-head automatic line fills 100 ml to 1 litre at 13 to 20 bottles a minute on 500 ml.
Yes. Most cosmetic brands start with a semi-automatic piston filler, where the operator places each bottle, and add a capper and labeller later. As volumes grow, the same products move to a multi-head automatic filling, capping and labelling line.
By keeping the product on clean stainless steel contact parts. The glass bottle line we have supplied uses SUS316 stainless steel, silica gel and PTFE, and flushes each bottle with nitrogen. The dropper bottle line sterilises each bottle in a UV tunnel before filling.
Yes. A piston filler is set to the volume of each product, and bottle and cap sizes are changed with change parts. A peristaltic filler keeps the product inside its tubing, so changing product means changing the tubing.
Yes. A pump and trigger capper holds the irregular head square while it tightens, with a set torque that protects the pump. Dropper bottles run on a filler-capper monoblock, and small glass bottles can take an inner cap pressed in before the screw cap.
