Lip balms, beard balms and essential oils are perfect examples of products that come with oily and greasy contents. These contents can cause label adhesion issues and even deteriorate its quality after some time. Whatever product you are planning to label, it is pertinent to consider the right label materials to avoid any unpleasant surprises. Learn more about the suitable materials for labeling oil-based products!
Common Label Problems Caused by Oil-Based Products
For starters, the product may already have oil on its surface. This will make the labeling process much harder and prevent the label’s adhesive from creating a strong bond. Next, spilled oil and oil smudges may distort the label’s design and can even cause ink to transfer to whatever touches it. In addition, paper labels tend to soak up the spilled oil and this deteriorates the label’s quality.
Why Choose Film to Label Oil-Based Products?
It is true that there are many types of materials out there that can be used for making custom labels. The most common types include films and paper. Both materials offer their unique range of drawbacks and benefits, and one will definitely be better suited for your labels than the other, depending on your needs of course. If you are planning to create labels for oil-based products, it is pertinent that you opt for a film material as it is resistant to oils as opposed to the absorbent nature of paper labels.
While film materials cost slightly more than paper, they are worth the investment as they ensure your labels will hold up to oils and greasy substances. On a side note, paper materials can be used for oil-based products but it is usually used for short term solutions. If you want your labels, like cosmetic labels, to last, you should opt for the former. Now that you know the reason why film is a suitable material of labeling oil-based products, here are some of the popular film options you can consider:
Shrink Sleeves
Shrink sleeve labels are different from the standard pressure sensitive labels as they are shrunk onto a container with a heat source. The label form-fits to the container and provides 360-degree graphics coverage. Many shrink sleeves are printed on polyester or polypropylene film material, and can withstand friction and moisture without compromising the printed image.
Shiny Foil Film
If you want to give your brand and product a look premium look, you should choose foil film as they come with a special mirror-like reflectivity. Apart from repelling oils and other greasy liquids, foil films offer great design versatility as well. For example, you can tint it to any color you like or even consider a holographic-patterned film to grab potential customers’ attention.
Transparent Film
Clear films made out of polypropylene can give you that no-label-look and they are perfect for any dark-colored, clear, plastic or glass containers. However, do take note that there are parts that have to be backed by white ink so the artwork is opaque. Also, it is important to take your container’s texture into account. You do not want to use a glossy clear label on a matte texture as it will not blend.
