Packaging barrier performance refers to the barrier performance of specific permeates from one side of the material to the other side (generally from the high concentration side to the low concentration side), common permeates include nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, water vapor, etc.

Earlier, when developing cosmetic packaging, brands tended to emphasize only the hermeticity of the packaging and neglected the barrier properties of the packaging. This is why in the actual cosmetic development process, we encounter that the overall packaging of a serum or lotion product is made very well sealed, and after a period of time, the texture becomes thicker and thicker, and some cosmetics even deteriorate and become unusable. There are also cosmetic formulations that contain volatile organic active substances that slowly seep out of the cosmetic packaging, resulting in a lack of the corresponding active ingredients. Therefore, when developing cosmetic packaging, brands should fully consider the barrier properties of the packaging material so as to ensure the effectiveness of the cosmetics and extend their shelf life.

To sum up, it is more necessary for companies to consider the packaging material barrier test's before choosing plastic packaging materials. However, it is difficult for a single material to meet good barrier properties for all permeates. For example, with good gas barrier material, in fact, the barrier to water vapor may not be good. The so-called good gas barrier of a material also refers to a good barrier to a specific gas, such as oxygen or nitrogen barrier. Another example is that high-density polyethylene (HDPE), which is commonly used in cosmetic packaging materials, has a better water barrier than polyamide (PA), but its gas barrier is lower than polyamide (PA). Therefore, when a brand owner asks a packaging supplier for the barrier properties of cosmetic packaging, he or she needs to clearly indicate the barrier requirements of the specific substances for which the packaging is needed.