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It’s the aerosol’s 80th birthday. Thanks to its creator, railway bridges and walls around the world have been daubed with the words “so-and-so woz ‘ere”. Aerosols cross a multitude of industries and in recent years, the introduction of new formats has further boosted their profile.

Aerosol production is particularly strong in the UK, where approximately 1.2 billion are produced each year, according to the British Aerosol Manufacturers’ Association (Bama). The UK makes nearly one-third of the aerosols in Europe and is second only to the US in world production. Shaped-can production in particular is helping to drive sales.

“For many years we had no shapes because we had no solution,” says Woep Möller, managing director of Impress  Group’s Decorative and Protective Finishes division, which includes the aerosols side of the business. He says that manufacturers faced difficulties in the past in producing shaped cans in an “economical and reliable way” at higher speeds, while also maintaining the safety standards required of a pressurised container.

Once shape is introduced to a can, the price increases, meaning that many brands have hesitated to adopt new shapes. “A few years ago, no one wanted to go to shaped cans,” says Möller. “No one had the guts to change.” However, the adoption of shaped cans by some big brands, such as Ambi Pur air freshener, led others to make the initial outlay and follow suit. 

Lee Bradley, business development manager at Crown Aerosols Europe, has noticed the rising popularity of shaped cans. “Shaped aerosol packaging is increasingly desirable from a design standpoint, and it is becoming increasingly cheaper and easier to make and so much more popular with marketers eager to launch a product that will stand out from its competitors on store shelves.”

Bradley gives the example of the Wera Kraftform Fluid range of lubricants and protectants, launched in September last year. “To generate excitement at point of purchase and leverage brand equity, the distinctive pack mimics the appearance of Wera’s Kraftform screwdriver handle.” The 400ml package is topped with a plastic cap designed to resemble the tip of a screwdriver. “This element was included to clearly convey the purpose of the product to consumers, even if they are unfamiliar with Wera and Kraftform products,” he says.

Copycat prevention
Shaped aerosols can also combat counterfeiting, says Bradley. Asymmetrically shaped containers are extremely difficult to duplicate, so consumers can easily differentiate between genuine and counterfeit packages. “Marketers can protect the image of brands in the marketplace and prevent any potential damage that may stem from counterfeit formulations,” he says.

Debossing, for example, is a technique that can be used to add a sensory element to a can. Using a depressed pattern on Sure deodorant packs won Unilever HPC UK the Gold Star for best toiletries/cosmetic pack at the Starpack awards in 2007.

Sure used different, gender-specific debossed patterns on the cans so that consumers could differentiate between them. The cans also have a switch that locks the can closed to prevent accidental discharge on-the-move. This removes the need for a plastic cap, which has the benefit of reducing the amount of material required and, consequently, pack weight.

However, some product formulations require a specific type of packaging. This year, GlaxoSmithKline introduced the Aquafresh Iso-Active toothpaste pack, made by ColepCCL. The company modified existing packaging technology to accommodate the toothpaste. The formulation of Aquafresh’s Iso-Active requires a pressurised environment, which is why an aerosol was used. Compressed nitrogen is used as a propellant and the gel is contained in a bag inside the can. When the button on the top of the actuator is pressed, the gel is forced out of the open valve.

A GSK spokeswoman says the foaming gel’s formulation helps the dispersal of the product in the mouth and removes 25% more bacteria than normal toothpaste. “We also took into particular consideration the ability to place product on a brush, and how fast it was dispensed, as well as the innovative formulation,” she adds.

Spray-away
Meanwhile, Cardiff-based TraceTag has adopted the aerosol for its DNA tracing technology. The company approached John Worthington of Walk Easy, the personal alarm manufacturer, a few years ago to create a personal alarm that used DNA to help track attackers. The DNA personal alarm spray holds a unique DNA signature in liquid form. When the actuator is depressed the DNA is sprayed onto an assailant’s clothing, while the propellant, which exits across a diaphragm, sounds the alarm.

The DNA personal alarm went on to win the most innovative aerosol product category at the first International Aerosol Awards, hosted in the UK by Bama last year.

The alarm is currently restricted by size and to a cylindrical shape, but Worthington, the alarm creator, is already working on new designs for the pack.

Tinplated steel or aluminium are the traditional materials of choice. Three-piece aerosols, for instance, can be expanded up to 25%, allowing for a wide range of shapes. However, plastic aerosols, first tested 20 years ago, are being explored again, says Impress’s Möller. Plastic can’t be used for all products as it is only compatible with certain gas counts and it has fire restrictions.

Paul Jackson, technical manager at Bama, explains that the 1975 Aerosols Directive limits the size and internal pressure permitted in a plastic aerosol can – based on the performance capabilities of PET. However, there is currently work with a new polymer, PEN, an analogue of PET used to make sailcloth for racing, and initial indications are that it will be suitable for sizes comparable to metal.

Chemical manufacturer BASF has developed a copolymer acetal material (POM) called Ultrafoam E3120 BM. The combination of good chemical resistance, high stiffness and strength, good impact resistance and gas barrier properties makes it suitable for aerosols, says a BASF spokeswoman. According to BASF, the material has better barrier properties than polyethylene against oxygen and carbon dioxide and is resistant to alcohol, oil and hydrocarbons and can be sterilised with hot steam. The easy processing of thermoplastics offers major benefits and tests by BASF suggest there are unlikely to be shape limitations.

Finishing touches
Ink finishes are another way to distinguish a can. Crown Aerosols Europe will show different ink finishes alongside shaped aerosols packaging at Interpack. “Crown’s pearlescent finish provides aerosol cans with a soft, glowing effect, while colour change finish can instantly transform colours from brilliant to soft with a simple rotation of the package,” says Bradley. “In addition, sparkle finish offers a premium, yet retro-industrial look, and soft-touch over-varnish creates a highly tactile matt effect that encourages consumers to reach out, touch and examine products,” he adds.

Like a favourite granny, it seems the aerosol can is coming into its own on its 80th year. Manufacturers are slowly losing their nervousness as brands such as Dove and Palmolive prove the popularity of shaped cans. Growth potential for aerosols has been identified in the lubricants, automotive and food markets. So maybe in the future, spray ice cream will be a feature of children’s birthday parties. Thankfully, parents will be able to clean up the mess with foaming carpet cleaner.

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Space race to fostered lambs

• Norwegian Erik Rotheim invented the aerosol in 1928 to help him put wax on his skis
• The most expensive aerosol ever created was a diamond spray used to rub down precision moulds
• Deodorants and body sprays were first created in the UK in 1954 and are now the most popular form of aerosol
• Astronauts were able to drink Pepsi in space when the company created an aerosol for the drink
• CFCs were voluntarily removed by the industry in 1989
• Aerosols are used on farms to prevent pigs mating and to make lambs accept their foster mothers
• Aerosols spray at different rates depending on the product inside the can
• Empty aerosols are 100% recyclable
• Japan has aerosols for coffee and chicken soup, while Americans love ketchup and mustard aerosols

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Historic Aerosols

Pressurised containers first entered the market when Charlie Plinth introduced the Regency portable fountain to dispense soft drinks using carbon dioxide, but it wasn’t until the 1920s when the aerosol as we know it was invented. Norwegian Eric Rothheim created and patented the aerosol in 1928. Initial commercial production took place in Norway, but the onset of the Second World War created a new use for the aerosol. In 1942, LD Goodhue and WN Sullivan from the US Department of Agriculture invented a sprayable insecticide, which became known as the ‘Bug Bomb’. In 1949, production of the Bug Bomb had started in the UK using modified beer cans and a plastic valve. Since then aerosols introduced to the market have included air freshener in 1950, hairspray in 1954 and liquid plasters in 2006.