When it comes to an aroma-sensitive product, it is a rare case when the choice of packaging can be as easy as the choice of a size and a finish. The pouch structure, in practice, is dictated by weight, the degree of moisture, sensitivity to oxygen and the manner in which the product will be treated between the factory and the shelf of the customer.
Those brands which do not pass this stage usually republish the artwork when the first customer reports an odor leak or a bag was crushed during delivery. This guide will take you through the choices that you can make that are important before you commit to a production run and how smell proof bags can fit into the process.
Start With the Product, Not the Print File
It is always good to know what exactly the pouch needs to safeguard before any discussion on colors or logos. The texture of a product, its moisture content, oxygen and light sensitivity dictate the level of film structure and barrier that will be reasonable. Herbs, roasted coffee, cannabis flower, etc., do not act at all as a bag of dry snacks. They emit moisture and volatile aromas which a thin, single-layer film cannot hold at all. This is where a conversation about packaging ought to begin, way before artwork is brought up.
Match the Material Structure to the Barrier You Need
After determining the requirements of the product, the next step is the film structure. Smell proof mylar bags are usually made of a combination of a metalized layer, polyester and polyethylene to prevent the product inside the bag from being spoiled by oxygen, moisture and light. Extra laminate layers and thicker films will increase shelf life, but at a cost and the aim is to match product barrier performance to that required, rather than to the thickest available.
Design for How the Bag Will Actually Sit on a Shelf
A photographic pouch does not necessarily make a good pouch in a retailing environment. Base gusset design influences whether the bag will be upright when full and footprint influences the amount of shelf space that a retailer will allow it. Visibility with a clear view or a matte versus gloss finish also affects the way a product is noticed in relation to the competitors.
Closure Type Changes the Buying Experience
A resealable zipper is ideal to use on snacks or pet treats that are re-opened and re-closed over time, whereas a heat seal is suitable for single use or tamper evident packaging. This is one of the packaging errors that are more prevalent (and costly) among brands.
Shipping Conditions Are Part of the Design Brief
An item that appears fantastic during a photo shoot might fail during shipping. The stresses of stacking, compression, and rough handling during transit require heavier seals and film than a bag that is required to just endure a shelf in a store.
Testing Prevents Expensive Surprises
The lowest cost insurance a brand can take is to run a trial order with the actual product, rather than a placeholder, before deciding to make a full production run. Basic transportation testing, filling and sealing is prone to expose issues before a client ever does.
What Sets a Strong Packaging Manufacturer Apart
The specifications are only important when a manufacturer is able to fulfill them consistently. Before signing a purchase order, a couple of questions can be asked:
- Film and printing services and not outsourcing stages to third parties.
- Coherence between large orders and not only on a single run of a sample.
- Prototyping and sampling alternatives before bulk purchases.
- Seal integrity and print registration quality control.
- Responsiveness and communication, particularly in a first order.
Established Brands Rely on Specialized Packaging Partners
Most of the known US brands do not make their own packaging. They work with converters. These converters focus on film structures, printing and sealing. A good example of a category in which this division of labor makes sense can be custom smell proof bags: a jewelry brand or a printing company is not typically structured to develop barrier films, so they outsource the task of doing so to their packaging partners.
Pandora and Custom Packaging
Pandora is a jewelry retailer most commonly recognized and its packaging must focus on the presentation, branding and safeguarding of sensitive goods in transit as opposed to aroma preservation, as most retail brands do. In this scenario, brands tend to obtain specialty pouches (such as odor-barrier types) from companies that specialize in flexible packaging, not necessarily developing that capacity internally.
OXO Packaging’s Approach
OXO Packaging has established its reputation in the area of custom boxes, mailers and retail-ready packaging for various industries. When a project requires a barrier film, heat sealing, or odor control that is not part of their core product line, companies operating in that many packaging categories still resort to specialized pouch companies.
Mylar Bags: The Specialist Option
This is where the mylar bags come in. A specialist manufacturer of barrier pouches has the ability to provide film knowledge, closure and print uniformity that a generalist packaging manufacturer might not have internally. Other specialty product lines like Dragon Chewer and others have followed suit; they now have their pouches made by a supplier of dedicated mylar bags instead of attempting to create their own barrier film.
The experience with one of the mylar packaging suppliers was reported by two brands as follows:
“Mylar Hub has been an outstanding packaging partner for us. Their mylar packaging quality is premium, consistent, and perfectly aligned with our brand standards. Timely deliveries, excellent communication, and attention to detail make them a supplier we fully trust.” Sarah Mitchell
“We are extremely satisfied with Mylar Hub’s packaging solutions. The material quality, printing precision, and overall finish exceeded our expectations. Their team is responsive and understands the needs of a premium chocolate brand.” Daniel Rossi
A Few Industry Numbers Worth Knowing
The larger of the two, flexible barrier packaging, which includes mylar-style pouches, has been on the rise with a greater number of categories shifting out of rigid containers, such as cannabis, specialty coffee and long-term food storage. A market research company estimated the mylar bags market to be approximately 1.2 billion in 2024, which is expected to grow to around 1.8 billion in 2033 at 5.2 per cent CAGR.
The other company has a wider view of the category and estimates the global market of mylar bags at over $3.8 billion, citing cannabis legalization, long-term food storage, and specialty coffee packaging as the key growth factors. Due to the varying definitions of the category by different research firms, consider them as directional estimates, but not a unified value. Heat-sealed formats still make up a large portion of the market; one estimate suggests that heat-sealed bags represent approximately 35% of the market by virtue of their sealing properties for long-term storage and industrial applications.
Common Mistakes Brands Make With Odor-Sensitive Packaging
- Selecting the cost of the film instead of the real barrier need of the product.
- Avoiding a trial/sample run before a full production order.
- Ignoring the fact that the bag will not only be stored on a shelf but also in a shipping carton.
- Assuming any zipper closure provides an airtight seal (many don’t)
Final Thoughts
Good packaging strikes a balance between protection and a manufacturing partner who can really deliver consistency at volume. The questions are not much different no matter whether a brand will first buy smell proof bags or re-assess a supplier, whether this pouch can secure the product right, whether it works in the place where it is really sold and shipped and whether the manufacturer will be able to reproduce the same quality with each new order.
FAQs
- Are mylar bags smell proof or not?
A well sealed and properly constructed mylar pouch with a metalized barrier layer prevents the vast majority of odor transfer. The film thickness, seal quality and type of closure are crucial to performance; an inexpensive zipper on a good film can compromise the barrier.
- Is it possible to put a brand on the smell proof bags?
Mylar bags can be printed with color. Have either a matte or glossy look. They can also have windows. Are available in different sizes. This means that the look of the brand does not need to be worse when using Mylar.