Many ointments obtained from hospital prescriptions or purchased from pharmacies are packaged in aluminum tubes. Have you ever wondered why aluminum tubes are used for ointment packaging? What are the advantages of using aluminum tubes for ointments?

Currently, ointment tubes on the market mainly use three types of packaging materials: plastic tubes, aluminum-plastic composite tubes, and aluminum tubes. Plastic ointment tubes, unlike aluminum, are not easily deformed or wrinkled by bumps, and they "rebound" to their original shape after squeezing, making them more aesthetically pleasing. They can also be enhanced with surface treatments such as printing and hot stamping to add texture to the packaging. However, the disadvantages of plastic tubes are also obvious. Soft plastics must be added with plasticizers and other additives during production. These substances may be released later, affecting the internal medicine, accelerating the aging and deterioration of the medicine, and shortening the shelf life.

Although plastic packaging tubes do not flatten after squeezing, it means that pollutants in the air may flow into the packaging, causing the medicine to oxidize or deteriorate over time. Plastic packaging has a high permeability coefficient for oxygen and carbon monoxide, and most medicines are easily oxidized, decomposed, deteriorated, and light-sensitive. Compared with metal packaging, plastic packaging is more sensitive to temperature differences and is prone to aging and deterioration. Currently, drug regulatory agencies in various countries are very cautious in the selection of plastic packaging materials.

Aluminum-plastic composite tubes combine the advantages of aluminum and plastic. Their appearance can have a metallic texture, yet they have the characteristic of plastic tubes not wrinkling, and because they maintain their appearance, they are widely used in the packaging of cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. However, in terms of pharmaceutical packaging, aluminum-plastic composite ointment tubes cannot avoid the same defects as plastic tubes. In addition to the possible migration of additives contaminating the medicine, aluminum-plastic composite tubes cannot completely avoid the rebound after the tube body is squeezed, so there is still concern about pollutants entering the packaging.

Medicinal ointment products are filled into ointment tubes, and the entire production and filling process must be carried out in a clean environment, with very high requirements for hygiene and safety. The "rebound" phenomenon of plastic tubes and aluminum-plastic composite tubes after squeezing and use, which causes external air to come into direct contact with the medicine, will increase the risk of contamination after the medicine is opened.

In comparison, aluminum tubes are made of 99.7% pure aluminum, have ductility, do not rebound after squeezing, and can prevent air from entering the ointment tube after opening and use, causing contamination. The surface of aluminum and its alloys will form a dense oxide protective film, which can effectively isolate external moisture, oxygen, etc., and produce barrier properties. After processing, the inner wall of the aluminum tube is sprayed with a layer of resin, which can isolate the medicine from direct contact with the packaging material, improving the hygiene and safety of the medicine. The tail is sprayed with tail glue, which helps to improve the airtightness after the medicine is filled and sealed, ensuring the effective shelf life of the product.

In general, plastic medicinal tubes and aluminum-plastic ointment tubes have the advantage of being aesthetically pleasing, but they must be used cautiously and avoided for ointments and soft ointments with poor chemical stability, which may affect the efficacy and shelf life of the medicine.

In recent years, the production technology of medicinal aluminum tubes has been continuously improved, and aluminum tubes with plastic protective caps and pointed eye ointment tubes with protective caps have been developed, which can avoid the blackening of aluminum caused by repeated friction of the tube mouth threads, further improving the cleanliness and safety of the medicine.

With the continuous marketization and internationalization of China's pharmaceutical industry, improving drug quality and optimizing drug packaging materials has become a consensus of the entire industry and the expectation of consumers. Medicinal aluminum tubes always adhere to consumer needs and will continue to have broad market space in the future of medicinal soft tube packaging.