It can get hard to decide whether you want to go for mylar packaging or rigid as both of these materials improve shelf life. By looking at their composition, advantages, and drawbacks, you can decide which material fits your brand’s needs best. Read on to find out the differences between these two packaging materials.
What is Mylar Packaging?
If you have been wondering what is mylar made out of, the simple answer is plastic. Mylar packaging is made of a plastic called Polyethylene terephthalate or PET. This plastic is a thermostat plastic and offers fantastic advantages when used for different purposes.
This material is not just limited to packing food items, as it can be found in different industries such as gardening. This material is also recyclable, which makes it a better option in comparison to other plastic materials that cannot be recycled.
What is Mylar Used For?
Mylar is used in different industries because of its excellent barrier and tensile strength. From the food industry to music, different brands use mylar bags for different purposes. NASA uses Mylar to make emergency blankets. Here are a few industries that use Mylar packaging:
Food Industry
Mylar bags are used to pack both wet and dry food items. Brands often pack dry fruits such as dried berries, nuts, almonds, and other items in these bags. Coffee is packaged in Mylar as this material can retain the original flavor of coffee. Baby food products such as fruit purees are also packed in mylar bags.
Skincare Industry
There are many brands that choose vacuum-sealed mylar pouches for different skincare products. When packing serums or facemasks, brands go for mylar pouches due to their barrier properties. The ability for these mylar pouches to retain moisture makes them an excellent choice for several skincare products.
Fenestration Industry
The fenestration industry also uses Mylar films because of their high reflectivity. People get Mylar for windows to keep the sunlight from entering their rooms. A special type of mylar paint is used to beautifully design mylar films for windows, for an aesthetic touch to the place.
Music Industry
Different musical instruments are made of Mylar as it offers a lot of advantages. Different brands often use a thin layer of Mylar on the drums for consistency of music. Stretching a thin layer of Mylar film over the drum’s edges helps in producing tone and pitch consistency.
Advantages of Using Mylar
Due to its various properties, Mylar is used to make packaging bags and pouches by different industries. This material can be shaped in any way and can be styled in different forms to keep the products safe. Here are a few benefits of using Mylar packaging:
Mylar Offers Increased Shelf Life
Mylar packaging offers an increased shelf life to certain food items. Most brands package ground coffee in mylar bags with a degassing valve, as it can keep the coffee fresh for a very long time. Dry food items such as rice and flour can be kept fresh for as long as two years when sealed properly.
Mylar is Puncture Resistant
These bags are puncture-resistant to an optimum level, which makes them an excellent choice to pack liquid items. Most medical supplies and medication are packed in these bags as they cannot easily be punctured. Mylar bags are also used to pack milk, juices, and other beverages.
Mylar is Smell-Proof
Spices with high odor are packed in mylar bags so their smell can be contained within the packaging. This property makes it easy for products to be shipped with different items, as products remain safe from external odor as well.
Disadvantages of Using Mylar Packaging
Mylar packaging offers a lot of benefits, but it also comes with certain drawbacks. You must keep in mind these drawbacks and weigh all the factors before choosing this packaging for your products. Here are two disadvantages of Mylar packaging:
Mylar is not Environmentally Friendly
Mylar packaging is not a sustainable packaging solution, which makes it a less favored material when packing items. Sustainability is becoming the need of the hour rather than a fashion statement, and customers look for sustainable packaging to reduce their carbon footprint. This is why choosing Mylar packaging can be a major drawback when aiming to attract eco-conscious customers.
Mylar does not offer Protection Against Certain External Factors
Mylar film is flexible and offers great properties, but it has certain limitations when it comes to product protection. While it is puncture resistant, this material does not protect products against external factors such as pressure to an optimum level. Mylar packaging does not offer cushioning to products and when met with high pressure, the packaging can be compromised.
Customizing Mylar Packaging
There are different ways to enhance the appearance of mylar packaging. Most brands use beautiful colors, designs, and finishes to make these bags more appealing. Here are a few ways to attract customers and stand apart from the competition in the market:
Provide Customers with Elegant Designs
You can choose different designs for your mylar packaging bags to increase the shelf visibility of your products. Research the market to see what designs customers are favoring these days. You can choose different designs, such as textured or rustic, to enhance the visual appeal of your packaging.
Offer Alluring Colors and Finishes
Choose elegant colors for your mylar packaging alongside premium finishes. Make your packaging bags presentable by opting for different color pallets and finishes. Give your brand’s logo a prominent look by choosing foil stamping and embossing.
Choose Versatile Styles for Mylar Packaging
There are different styles that can be used for mylar bags. When packing items such as dry fruits, brands choose vacuum-sealed mylar bags. Mylar pouches also come in spout styles and are used when packing liquid products such as juices and beverages.
What is Rigid Packaging?
Rigid packaging refers to the packaging boxes that are durable and can withstand external factors to an optimum level. There are different types of rigid packaging available in the market, such as paperboard and glass. Glass rigid packaging is rarely used; however, paperboard rigid packaging is used by different brands to ensure product safety.
Paperboard rigid packaging uses a thickness of around 3mm of chipboard customized decoratively to attract customers by offering a luxurious look. This material can withstand external factors such as pressure, puncture, water, temperature, and dust to an optimum level.
What is Rigid Packaging Used For?
Brands choose rigid packaging to give a luxury appeal to their products and create a robust brand identity. If you are aiming to build a luxurious persona in the market, choosing rigid packaging is an essential step. Here are a few industries where you can find rigid packaging being used in abundance:
Cosmetic Industry
High-end brands use rigid boxes to pack different cosmetic products. They customize the sizes and styles as per their brand’s needs. Most brands choose hinged-lid boxes for their cosmetic packaging to give a charming look to their products.
Skincare Industry
The skincare industry also packs several of its high-end and luxury products in rigid boxes. Several of the brands use rigid packaging when packing limited edition products. They often use two-piece boxes or slider boxes for a beautiful unboxing experience.
Apparel Industry
Round boxes with ribbons on the side give an elegant look, which is the reason different apparel brands use rigid packaging. This packaging not only ensures product safety but also gives a royal look to the brand.
Advantages of Rigid Packaging
Rigid packaging offers a lot of advantages, and that’s the reason different brands choose rigid paperboard packaging. You can attract customers while ensuring that your products are protected when using rigid boxes. There are different ways to make these boxes more elegant and decorative. Here are a few advantages that rigid packaging offers:
Rigid Boxes Provide Durability
Rigid boxes are very durable and can withstand external factors such as pressure and puncture to an optimum level. Most brands use rigid boxes when packing delicate items such as glassware, ceramics, and certain jewelry items.
Rigid Packaging Offers Elegant Appearance
When aiming for an elegant appearance, choosing rigid boxes is a very wise decision. These boxes offer a beautiful look and give a luxurious look to the products packed inside. High-end brands use rigid boxes for their products, such as jewelry, apparel, and even chocolates.
Rigid Boxes are Very Versatile
Rigid packaging can be designed into different box styles to offer a memorable unboxing experience to the customers. You can get these boxes in different styles to improve the shelf visibility of your products.
Rigid Packaging Reduces Carbon Footprint
Paperboard packaging is sustainable as compared to Mylar packaging. Rigid boxes can be decomposed easily and can also be recycled to make new boxes or products. You can reduce your carbon footprint and even attract more eco-conscious customers with rigid packaging.
Disadvantages of Rigid Packaging
While there are benefits of using rigid packaging, there can be some drawbacks to using this material. Look closely at these drawbacks before deciding if you want to pack your products in custom rigid boxes. Here are two notable disadvantages these boxes can have:
Rigid Packaging Demands High Production Costs
Rigid boxes with customization can cost more than Mylar packaging. The reason lies in the material and the time it takes to produce these boxes. It is best to get these boxes at wholesale rates and in bulk quantities to save costs and avoid supply chain issues.
Rigid Boxes are Heavyweight
These boxes are heavyweight even without the products packed inside, which makes the shipping costs more and thus unfavorable for certain purchasing classes. If your brand is aiming to gather sales from every type of class, it may not be the best idea to use rigid packaging.
Customizing Rigid Packaging
These boxes can be customized in different ways to enhance the visual appeal and boost sales. You can take a look around to see what the latest packaging design trends are in the market. Here are a few ways you can make your rigid packaging boxes more aesthetically pleasing:
Offer Striking Designs
Use alluring designs to make your boxes more beautiful. You can choose minimal designs to give a delicate and sleek look to your packaging. Opting for rustic designs will give a raw and natural look to your boxes. Brainstorm different design ideas to find the one that speaks to you.
Choose Elegant Colors and Finishes
Picking contrasting colors for your packaging boxes with premium finishes will assist your brand in attracting customers. Choose colors such as red, white, blue, sage green, lilac, champagne pink, and more. You can also try finishes such as embossing, foil stamping, and more.
Provide Customers with Aesthetic Box Styles
Unboxing products in style is a very common trend these days. You can also provide a beautiful unboxing experience to your customers by choosing different box styles. Use hinged-lid boxes, slider boxes, magnetic closure boxes, telescope boxes, and more for this purpose.
Make the Right Choice and Ship Products in Elegant Packaging!
Decide on the right material to ship your products. Weigh in the pros and cons, your brand’s budget, and the customer demand to decide which material will work best for you. Contact The Customize Boxes today to get durable and high-end mylar bags and rigid boxes for your products.
