Plastic tubes are a go-to format across the personal care aisle — from daily moisturizers to high-SPF sunscreens. They’re lightweight, hygienic, and easy to transport, making them well-suited for everyday use and on-the-go routines. The appeal isn’t just functional: tubes offer a clean, controlled dispensing experience and a generous surface area for branding and decoration. Today’s designs go further, with multi-layer COEX structures that balance product protection with sustainability improvements like PCR content and bio-based resins, and premium finishes that elevate shelf presence. In short, tubes deliver both performance and storytelling — making them a smart choice for modern personal care brands.
Market Overview
Personal care tubes aren’t just convenient — they’re a growth engine in packaging. In North America, demand is climbing steadily as consumers buy more skincare and hair care products, and as brands explore material options with improved environmental profiles, such as PCR-based tubes, sugarcane-derived polyethylene, and laminated formats made from recyclable materials. While recyclability depends on infrastructure and recovery systems, these materials are part of a broader shift toward packaging that is lighter, more resource-efficient, and designed with end-of-life considerations in mind.
Key highlights:
- Market size: USD 2.81B in 2023, growing to USD 2.90B in 2024, and projected to reach USD 4.0B by 2035
- Growth rate: ~2.98% CAGR from 2025–2035
- North America: The largest regional market, valued at USD 1.1B in 2024, expected to hit USD 1.5B by 2035
- Applications: Hair care and skincare dominate, with squeeze tubes leading for lotions, gels, creams, and sunscreens
- Closures: Flip-top caps, applicator tips, and pump closures are gaining popularity for on-the-go convenience and e-commerce durability
- Materials: Polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) remain staples, while COEX PE + PCR, sugarcane-based PE, all-PP formats, and recyclable laminated structures are increasingly being adopted
As the data shows, tube packaging is positioned for steady growth and continued innovation — particularly in North America, where consumer demand, regulatory momentum, and sustainability initiatives are most active. While U.S. infrastructure does not currently recycle tubes at scale, brands are advancing material innovations that reduce virgin plastic use and lower environmental impact.
Materials, Formats & Closures
Plastic tubes continue to be a mainstay in personal care packaging — valued for their flexibility, durability, and ease of production. Depending on the product, brands can choose from various materials and structures, each with different functional and sustainability advantages:
Plastic Tubes (PE / PP with EVOH options)
Plastic extrusion tubes are widely used across personal care applications due to their form stability, lightweight design, and compatibility with a broad range of formulas. Options include mono-layer polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP), as well as multi-layer COEX constructions with EVOH barrier layers for added product protection:
- Benefits: Durable, squeezable, impact-resistant, and holds its shape. EVOH layers protect sensitive formulas.
- Use cases: Everyday skincare (cleansers, SPF, moisturizers), hair care, OTC topicals.
- Sizes & formats: 1–450 mL, diameters from 11–60 mm, lengths 40–210 mm. Multiple cap options: flip-tops, disc-tops, screw caps, and specialty applicators.
- Sustainability: Tubes can be produced in PE with PCR, 100% sugarcane PE, all-PP, or PP with 100% PCR. These options reduce fossil use and virgin resin dependence, even if recycling streams for tubes remain limited in the U.S.
Plastic tubes remain a reliable choice because they offer the right balance of durability, cost efficiency, and adaptability — with sustainable resin upgrades now widely available. Learn more about Evergreen’s Plastic Tubes.
Laminated Tubes (PBL & ABL)
Laminated tubes combine multiple layers of materials to deliver strong barrier protection while maintaining the flexibility and squeezability of traditional plastic tubes. Often used for toothpaste, medicated creams, and SPF products, these structures help protect sensitive formulations from oxygen, light, and moisture. Newer formats include laminated structures made from recyclable materials, which help reduce reliance on aluminum foil layers and support packaging strategies focused on material simplification and environmental impact:
- Benefits: Strong protection against oxygen, light, and moisture — making them suitable for formulations that are sensitive to air or UV exposure. The outer layer allows for high-resolution, seamless decoration across the entire surface.
- Use cases: Ideal for toothpaste, retinol creams, high-SPF sunscreens, and other formulas that require extended shelf life and formulation integrity
- Sizes & formats: Available from 1–450 mL, with diameters ranging from 13–60 mm; compatible with both flip-top and screw caps
- Sustainability: Plastic Barrier Laminate (PBL) options eliminate aluminum, creating all-plastic barrier structures. Adding PCR content or using bio-resins further reduces environmental impact.
Laminated tubes offer a well-rounded combination of barrier protection, print quality, and material innovation — making them especially suited for personal care brands that require extended shelf life without sacrificing visual impact. Learn more about Evergreen’s laminated tubes.
Popular Closure Types
Closures are more than functional — they shape how consumers interact with a product every day. The right cap or dispenser can improve usability, reduce plastic, and reinforce a brand’s premium positioning. In personal care, a few closure types consistently stand out:
- Flip-Top Caps (Regular & Low-Profile): The most common closure for skincare and hair care tubes. Flip-tops allow one-handed dispensing and a clean, hygienic seal. Low-profile versions reduce plastic usage while maintaining the same convenience.
- CT Closures (Double-Wall & Single-Wall): Classic continuous-thread (CT) screw-on caps, available in both lightweight single-wall and sturdier double-wall formats. These are often chosen for creams, treatments, and higher-end products where a traditional look is preferred.
- Induction-Seal Compatible Caps: Increasingly popular for e-commerce and product integrity, these closures are designed to work with induction seals, offering tamper evidence and improved product safety during transit.
By combining the right closure with the right tube format, brands can optimize both functionality and sustainability. Caps and applicators influence not only how the product is dispensed but also how it's protected and perceived — impacting everything from hygiene and convenience to material use and recyclability. Evergreen offers a variety of closure options compatible with its tube systems, including flip-tops, CT caps, and induction-seal-ready formats. This allows brands to align dispensing features with formula needs, user behavior, and packaging goals without overcomplicating sourcing or production. Explore Evergreen’s plastic caps & closures selection.
Decoration & Branding
In the personal care category, visual differentiation plays a significant role in how products are perceived. Plastic and laminated tubes offer a 360° printable surface, giving brands ample space to communicate identity, usage, and positioning. Closures also become part of the brand language, reinforcing a product’s overall aesthetic. Decoration methods here aren’t only cosmetic — they often indicate product tier, target audience, and shelf positioning.
Evergreen works with brands to apply a wide range of decoration methods tailored to plastic and laminated tubes:
- Offset & Flexographic Printing: Ideal for high-volume production, these techniques enable detailed wraparound artwork with sharp text and vibrant colors. They ensure consistency across large runs, which is essential for maintaining a cohesive look on shelf.
- Silkscreen Printing: Creates raised, tactile effects with thick, opaque inks. This technique is especially useful for logos, bold icons, or callouts that need to stand out on premium skincare or cosmetic tubes.
- Hot Stamping & Metallic Finishes: Adds reflective gold, silver, or holographic accents that instantly convey luxury. Commonly applied to brand names, logos, or decorative borders, these effects elevate plastic and laminate packaging into prestige territory.
- Soft-Touch, Matte & Gloss Finishes: Surface coatings can completely change perception. Matte signals elegance and minimalism, gloss maximizes color impact, and soft-touch provides a velvety feel consumers associate with high-quality formulas. Blending finishes — such as matte backgrounds with glossed logos — creates layered visual interest.
- Digital Printing, Shrink Sleeves & Labels: Perfect for short runs, regional variations, or seasonal launches. Digital printing allows full-color decoration without plates, offering flexibility and faster turnarounds. Labels and shrink sleeves extend branding across curved surfaces and multi-SKU product lines.
- Cap & Applicator Customization: Plastic tube closures can be decorated to align with the body artwork. Options include pad printing, heat transfer, or spray coatings for color-matching, as well as metallic plating for a premium feel. This ensures the closure enhances both usability and brand cohesion.
Decoration for plastic and laminated tubes is as much about experience as aesthetics. With the right combination of finishes, textures, and closure design, packaging communicates brand identity before a consumer even opens the tube — and Evergreen offers the expertise to bring these details together seamlessly. Learn more about Evergreen’s Advanced Decorations.
Functionality & Consumer Experience
For personal care products, ease of use often defines how consumers experience and judge a brand. Packaging isn’t just about protection — it’s part of the product interaction itself. Plastic and laminated tubes are engineered to support clean, intuitive, and reliable usage across a range of formulations and use cases:
- Hygienic dispensing: Narrow nozzles and pumps minimize contamination risk and protect formulations.
- Precise dosing: Squeeze control ensures less waste and better product longevity.
- Travel-ready: Lightweight, shatterproof, and TSA-compliant, tubes are simple to carry and safe for on-the-go use.
- Airless options: Laminated and plastic airless pump tubes protect sensitive ingredients such as vitamin C and retinol from oxidation.
- Ergonomic closures: Flip-tops and stand-up caps enable one-handed use and ensure the product is ready to dispense.
These design elements work together to support trust and usability — helping consumers feel confident not just in the formula, but in the way it’s delivered. Evergreen Resources integrates these features into its tube packaging systems, offering configurations that align with both functional requirements and end-user expectations, whether the focus is on skincare, hair care, or daily-use personal care products.
Your Tube. Your Formula. The Right Partner.
Selecting the right tube packaging partner is about more than choosing a format — it requires precision, technical know-how, and consistency. Evergreen Resources combines these strengths with its plastic and laminated tube programs:
- Quality Assurance: ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001 certifications across facilities.
- Customization & Tooling: In-house capabilities for unique shapes, diameters, and applicators.
- Sustainability Leadership: Options include mono-material PE and PP, laminate structures made with recyclable materials, PCR (post-consumer recycled) resins, and bio-based resin content — supporting brand goals around responsible sourcing and material efficiency.
- Advanced Decoration: Full suite of techniques from silkscreen to hot stamping to digital printing.
- End-to-End Support: From design guidance to managed logistics, Evergreen supports brands at every stage.
By combining broad technical expertise with creative flexibility, Evergreen helps brands bring packaging to market that is both eye-catching and sustainable — all while meeting the functional needs of consumers. To explore how Evergreen’s capabilities can support your next tube packaging initiative, explore our capabilities page.
More Than Just a Tube
Plastic and laminated tubes remain central to personal care packaging because they offer a strong balance of product protection, user convenience, and design flexibility. As sustainability expectations rise and material sourcing comes under closer scrutiny, Evergreen supports brands with solutions that include mono-material, PCR content, bio-based resins, and advanced decoration — all under one roof.
If you’re ready to explore how Evergreen’s tube packaging can elevate your product line, visit our Get Started Page.
