Cosmetic jars for private label: single wall, double wall, glass and refillable

A cosmetic jar is the simplest pack in skincare: a wide-mouthed container with a screw cap, scooped with a finger or spatula. That simplicity is why jars still carry most rich face creams, body butters, balms and wash-off masks. The choice is less about whether to use a jar and more about which construction: a light single-wall plastic jar, a heavier double-wall plastic jar, a glass jar, or a refillable system with a replaceable inner pot. Each changes how the product looks on the shelf, how it feels in the hand, what it weighs in a shipping carton and how it is decorated. Our catalogue holds 405 jars across these constructions in the jars range. This guide explains each type, which formulas belong in a jar and which do not, and what to put in your brief.

What are the main cosmetic jar constructions?

Single-wall plastic jars

A single-wall jar is one moulded layer of plastic, usually PP or PET, with a matching cap. The wall thickness you see is the wall thickness you get. These jars are light, economical and quick to source, and they suit everyday skincare, body care, hair masks and travel formats. Clear PET gives a glassy look at low weight; PP is more matte and has broad chemical resistance. On the shelf a single-wall jar reads as practical rather than luxurious, though a good spray finish or a heavy cap can lift it.

Double-wall plastic jars

A double-wall jar has an inner pot that holds the formula and an outer shell that gives the jar its visible shape. The gap between them creates the thick, weighty look that premium face creams are known for. The inner pot is usually PP, because it is inert and easy to seal; the outer shell may be PP, PET, acrylic or AS, clear, frosted or coloured. Because the formula only touches the inner pot, you can change the outer finish without re-testing compatibility, which is useful when you plan several products in one family.

Glass jars

Glass jars are heavy, cold to the touch and read as premium. Clear, frosted and opaque glass are all common, and thick-based glass gives the deepest sense of weight. Glass is inert with almost every cosmetic formula, so compatibility problems usually sit in the cap liner rather than the jar. The trade-offs are breakage in transit, heavier cartons and higher freight per unit. Glass jars often come with a plastic or metal cap, and some use a plastic inner lid as well.

Refillable inner-pot systems

A refillable jar separates the decorated outer shell from a plain inner pot that the customer replaces when empty. The outer may be glass, heavy acrylic or even metal, and is designed to last; the refill is a thin PP pot with its own lid and seal. The brand sells the full jar once and refills after. Refillable jars sit in our eco and refillable range as well as among the jars, and they suit face creams and body butters where repeat purchase is expected.

How do the constructions compare?

Which formulas suit a jar?

Jars suit anything too thick to pump and anything the customer scoops or spreads with fingers.

• Rich face creams and night creams. Stiff emulsions that would stall a pump dispense easily from a jar. See our private label moisturisers.
• Balms and anhydrous products. Cleansing balms, multi-use balms and salves have no water phase and are stable in a wide-mouth pack.
• Body butters. Whipped and solid butters are jar products by nature. Browse private label body butters.
• Wash-off and clay masks. Thick pastes that are applied by hand. Our masks range shows the textures involved.
• Hair masks and scalp scrubs. Used in the shower, scooped in quantity.
• Scrubs with particles. Beads, sugar and salt block pumps but are fine in a jar.

Which formulas should not go in a jar?

• Light emulsions and lotions. They slop, dispense untidily and are better in a pump bottle or a tube.
• Formulas with sensitive actives. Every opening exposes the whole surface to air, light and fingers. Serums and creams built around oxidation-prone ingredients usually belong in an airless pack. If the brand insists on a jar, an airless jar with a rising base is a middle ground.
• Low-preservative or water-rich gels. Repeated finger contact raises the microbial load. Discuss the preservative system with us before choosing a jar.
• Very runny oils and essences. They leak at the thread and spill when opened.

Our guide to choosing cosmetic packaging compares jars with every other format by formula type.

What do liners, seals and inner lids do?

The jar body rarely leaks. The weak points are the cap and the gap between cap and formula.

• Cap liner. A thin disc inside the cap, usually foamed PE, EPE or a laminated foil liner. It presses on the jar rim when the cap is tightened and stops seepage. The liner is often the only component in direct contact with the formula other than the jar wall, so it must be included in compatibility testing.
• Induction or pressure seal. A foil seal bonded to the rim after filling. It proves the jar has not been opened and holds the product in during transit. Induction sealing needs a liner designed for it, so decide at the brief stage.
• Inner lid. A thin plastic disc that sits on the surface of the cream under the cap. It reduces the headspace, keeps the surface tidy and is expected in premium face-cream jars. Inner lids are standard on most double-wall jars and optional on glass.
• Spatula. A small applicator clipped to the inner lid or placed in the carton. It is mainly a hygiene cue for the customer and adds a small component cost and a packing step.

For the full method of checking liners and seals with your formula, follow our packaging compatibility testing guide.

How is each jar material decorated?

• Single-wall plastic. Screen printing, hot foil on the cap, spray coating in matte or soft-touch, colour matching of the resin, and labels for small runs. Printing on a curved wall is straightforward on round jars.
• Double-wall plastic. The outer shell carries the decoration. Frosting, gradient spray, metallised caps and foil logos all work. The inner pot stays undecorated and in contact with the formula only.
• Glass. Screen printing, hot foil, acid-etch or spray frosting, coloured spray coating and pressure-sensitive labels. Glass takes crisp fine lines well. Heavy decoration raises the minimum order for that component.
• Refillable systems. The outer is decorated once; refills usually carry a simple printed or labelled lid.

Method-by-method detail, including artwork preparation, is in our packaging decoration guide. Decorated jars are quoted per brief through our custom packaging service.

How do you sample and test a jar?

1. Shortlist by formula, not by look. Decide whether the texture scoops cleanly, then pick the construction.
2. Request unfilled samples of two or three jars and check the cap torque, the liner, the inner lid fit and how the jar sits in the hand.
3. Fill samples with the final formula and store them under warm, cool and ambient conditions. Look for seepage at the thread, changes in colour or odour, liner swelling and any shrinking of the cream from the wall.
4. Check the headspace. A jar that looks half empty when opened disappoints customers; one filled to the rim smears on the inner lid.
5. Run a transit check. Drop and vibration tests matter most for glass and for double-wall jars whose outer shells can crack.
6. Confirm the fill method. Hot-poured balms and butters set in the jar and may need a different headspace from a cold-filled cream.

Our testing and documents service can plan these checks alongside stability work. The order of sampling, approval and production is set out in how it works.

What should you put in a jar brief?

• The formula or formulas, with texture notes and whether any ingredient is air- or light-sensitive.
• Construction preference: single wall, double wall, glass or refillable, and the reasons.
• Material preferences for the inner pot and outer shell, and any recyclability story you intend to tell.
• Whether you need an inner lid, spatula, induction seal or tamper band.
• Decoration: finish, print colours, foil, and whether labels are acceptable for the launch run.
• Shipping destination and whether the jar travels in a carton, gift set or loose.
• Order quantity. ready formulas have minimum quantities confirmed on enquiry; decorated jars are quoted on the jar, the finish and the quantity.

Next step

Choose the formula first, then shortlist two jar constructions in the jars range. Ask us for jar samples and a quote with your formula shortlist, and we will pair the texture with jars, liners and lids that suit it.