Beauty brands are under growing pressure to reduce virgin plastic and improve the environmental profile of their packaging. One option is to incorporate Post-Consumer Recycled material, commonly known as PCR, into plastic tubes.
PCR can help reduce reliance on virgin resin and give previously used plastic a new application. However, selecting a PCR tube is not as simple as choosing the highest available recycled-content percentage.
Material quality, formula compatibility, appearance, tube performance, regulatory requirements and supply consistency must all be evaluated before commercialisation.
What Is PCR Plastic?
PCR plastic is produced from plastic that has already been used by consumers, collected and processed into recycled resin.
Depending on its source and processing, the material typically goes through several stages:
- Collection and sorting
- Cleaning and contaminant removal
- Reprocessing into flakes or pellets
- Quality testing
- Conversion into new plastic products
PCR is different from post-industrial recycled material, which comes from manufacturing scrap that has not yet reached consumers.
Using PCR gives recovered plastic another useful life and can reduce the amount of virgin plastic required for a package.
How Is PCR Used in a Tube?
PCR can be incorporated into selected layers of a multi-layer PE Co-Ex tube.
In an engineered structure, different layers perform different functions. The PCR-containing layer can be positioned between other functional layers, while the inner layer provides the product-contact surface and the outer layer supports appearance, printing and decoration.
A multi-layer structure may include:
- Outer print and protection layer
- Structural or bonding layers
- PCR-containing layer
- Optional barrier layer
- Inner product-contact layer
The exact configuration depends on the required PCR content, formula, barrier performance and manufacturing capability.
Not every tube structure uses PCR in the same way. Brands should confirm both the recycled-content percentage and where the material is located within the structure.
1. Define the Purpose of Using PCR
Before selecting a PCR tube, the brand should define what it wants to achieve.
Possible objectives include:
- Reducing the use of virgin plastic
- Supporting corporate packaging targets
- Introducing a more circular material strategy
- Responding to retailer or customer requirements
- Developing a visible sustainability story
- Gaining practical experience before wider implementation
This objective will influence the required PCR percentage, tube structure, testing programme and on-pack communication.
A higher percentage is not automatically the best choice if it compromises product protection, manufacturing consistency or consumer experience. A lower but technically stable PCR content can be a more credible starting point for some products.
2. Understand the Source and Quality of the PCR
PCR properties can vary more than virgin resin because the material originates from previously used plastic.
Brands should discuss:
- Source and type of recycled plastic
- Material traceability
- Supplier quality controls
- Consistency between production batches
- Contaminant-management process
- Available supporting documentation
- Colour and odour specifications
Consistent sourcing is especially important for beauty packaging, where small variations in colour or surface appearance can affect brand perception.
A qualified supply chain and agreed material specification help reduce variation during repeat orders.
3. Evaluate Formula Compatibility
The use of PCR does not remove the need for packaging compatibility testing.
Beauty formulations may contain:
- Oils
- Fragrances
- Alcohol
- Surfactants
- Active ingredients
- Acids or alkaline ingredients
- Natural extracts
- Colourants
These ingredients may interact differently with packaging materials over time.
A properly engineered multi-layer tube can use a suitable inner product-contact layer to separate the formula from the PCR-containing layer. However, the complete tube still needs to be evaluated with the actual formulation.
Compatibility testing may examine:
- Changes in product colour or odour
- Formula stability
- Migration or interaction concerns
- Tube swelling, softening or deformation
- Delamination
- Leakage
- Seal integrity
- Product weight loss
- Performance throughout the intended shelf life
Final approval should be based on testing, not only on the material’s general description.
4. Expect Some Natural Variation in Appearance
PCR resin may introduce visual characteristics that are less common in virgin plastic, such as:
- Slight colour variation
- Grey, cream or muted undertones
- Small visible specks
- Differences between production batches
- Reduced brightness or transparency
These characteristics do not necessarily indicate poor quality. They can be a natural result of recycled material.
However, they must be considered during brand and artwork development.
Brands that require a highly controlled bright-white or transparent appearance may need:
- A lower PCR percentage
- An engineered outer layer
- An adjusted base colour
- More opaque artwork
- A deliberately natural or muted colour direction
Rather than hiding every variation, some brands choose to incorporate the material’s character into their sustainability story.
5. Check Tube Performance
A PCR tube must still perform as packaging.
Adding recycled material can influence:
- Flexibility
- Squeezability
- Shape recovery
- Impact resistance
- Surface consistency
- Dimensional stability
- Sealing behaviour
- Drop resistance
The effect depends on the PCR percentage, resin quality and total tube structure.
Testing should reflect real consumer and supply-chain conditions, including:
- Repeated squeezing
- Storage at different temperatures
- Transportation
- Drop and compression exposure
- Filling-line handling
- End sealing
- Closure application
- Long-term storage
The objective is not simply to produce a tube containing PCR. It is to produce a PCR tube that protects the formula and performs reliably throughout use.
6. Review Printing and Decoration Early
PCR can affect the tube’s base colour and surface appearance, which may change how printed colours are perceived.
For example:
- Pale colours may appear warmer or less bright.
- Transparent areas may be less visually consistent.
- Metallic decoration may contrast differently with the base material.
- Fine details can become less prominent on a variable background.
Artwork should therefore be evaluated on the intended PCR tube rather than only on a white digital template.
Practical decoration approaches can include:
- Stronger colour contrast
- More opaque ink coverage
- Natural or neutral colour palettes
- Bold typography
- Selective metallic accents
- Matte or tactile visual directions
A representative mock-up helps the brand assess how the artwork and recycled material work together.
7. Confirm the Actual PCR Percentage
Claims should clearly reflect how recycled content is measured.
Before communicating a percentage, confirm:
- Whether it refers to the tube body or complete package
- Whether the shoulder is included
- Whether the cap is included
- Whether the percentage is calculated by weight
- Whether all production batches use the same specification
- What supplier documentation supports the claim
For example, a tube body may contain PCR while the shoulder and closure remain made from virgin material. Describing the entire package as containing the same percentage could therefore be misleading.
Precise wording helps brands avoid overstating environmental benefits.
8. PCR Content Is Not the Same as Recyclability
PCR content and recyclability describe two different packaging attributes.
- Recycled content indicates that recovered material has been used to manufacture the package.
- Recyclability considers whether the package can be collected, sorted and processed through an available recycling system after use.
A package can contain PCR without being widely recyclable. Likewise, a recyclable package may contain no recycled material.
Recyclability can be affected by:
- Material combinations
- Barrier layers
- Inks and decoration
- Closures
- Residual product
- Local collection infrastructure
- Recycling-facility capabilities
Beauty brands should communicate these attributes separately and avoid assuming that one automatically guarantees the other.
9. Consider the Complete Package
The tube body is only one part of the packaging system.
A PCR-packaging review should also consider:
- Shoulder material
- Cap or closure
- Label or seal
- Decoration
- Secondary carton
- Protective inserts
- Transportation packaging
If the objective is to reduce virgin plastic, increasing PCR in the tube body may be one action. Other opportunities could include reducing unnecessary components, optimising tube dimensions or improving secondary packaging.
Looking at the complete pack helps avoid focusing on one sustainability feature while overlooking other material impacts.
10. Review Regulations and Brand Requirements
Requirements for recycled material can differ by market, product category and intended use.
Before commercial launch, brands should review:
- Applicable packaging regulations
- Cosmetic-product requirements
- Product-contact requirements
- Restricted-substance standards
- Customer or retailer specifications
- Documentation and traceability
- Environmental-claim requirements
- Export-market requirements
A structure accepted for one application or market may require additional evaluation elsewhere.
Packaging suppliers can provide material and manufacturing information, but the brand remains responsible for confirming that its product and claims comply with the intended market requirements.
11. Plan for Supply and Commercial Consistency
PCR availability and characteristics may vary according to collection volumes, material quality and supplier capacity.
Brands should discuss:
- Minimum order quantity
- Development lead time
- Material availability
- Batch-to-batch consistency
- Acceptable colour tolerance
- Contingency planning
- Forecasted annual volume
- Change-control procedures
This is particularly important for regional or multinational products that require the same packaging appearance across several production periods.
Starting with a defined pilot project can help both the brand and manufacturer establish realistic quality standards before wider rollout.
A Practical PCR Tube Development Process
A responsible development process can follow these steps:
- Define the brand’s recycled-content objective.
- Select a suitable product and market for the first application.
- Review the formula and product-contact requirements.
- Determine a technically realistic PCR percentage.
- Develop the appropriate multi-layer tube structure.
- Evaluate tube appearance and artwork.
- Produce representative samples.
- Conduct compatibility and performance testing.
- Confirm documentation and environmental-claim wording.
- Complete filling and production trials.
- Approve the commercial specification.
- Monitor consistency after launch.
Is a PCR Tube Right for Every Beauty Product?
Not necessarily.
A PCR tube may be a strong option when:
- The brand has a clear recycled-content objective.
- The formulation is compatible with the selected structure.
- Some natural material variation is acceptable.
- The required documentation is available.
- The supply chain can support consistent production.
- The finished package performs reliably.
Another structure may be more appropriate when product protection, transparency, colour precision or specific regulatory conditions cannot be achieved with the intended PCR content.
The right decision is a balance between environmental ambition and packaging performance.
Develop Your PCR Tube with Lamipak
Lamipak supports the development of multi-layer PE Co-Ex tubes with PCR integration for suitable beauty and personal-care applications.
Our team can help brands evaluate PCR content, layer structure, appearance, decoration and technical requirements before progressing to testing and commercial production.
Considering PCR packaging for your next product? Share your formula, target PCR content and packaging direction with our team.