OxiClean: Enhancing a Metalized Label
The Challenge
Consumer packaged goods company Church & Dwight (C&D) is the owner and manufacturer of OxiClean, a line of household cleaning and laundry products.
Looking to better compete against other laundry products, C&D launched its detergent with high-end packaging to enhance shelf appearance and gain greater market share.
After the detergent had already been on the market for two years, C&D decided it needed a more cost-effective label solution, but they still wanted to achieve a premium look. At that time, the label was being produced using metalized polyethylene (PE) — an expensive material that’s two to three times the cost of standard PE. PE had been selected because the product container itself was made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and required a large label. If a less expensive material had been used, such as metalized polypropylene, applying the label would have resulted in wrinkling and darting. PE is a softer material that better conforms to compound curves.
Before
The label also featured specialty effects that the supplier used a holographic cold foil to achieve — another expensive material that created a strong effect on the swoosh graphic on the label. A third layer on the already expensive metalized PE and holographic cold foil was a gloss lamination. To reduce the iridescence level, the label was printed using 60–70% tinted white ink on top of the swoosh. As a result, getting a clean color with these multiple layers was difficult and produced a duller color on the swoosh. C&D was considering reducing the label’s premium appearance to achieve cost savings. Then they contacted LUX.
The Solution
To create a more appealing label while also reducing the cost to produce it, the LUX Global Label team selected a single base material: white PE stock. Where metallic effects were needed, LUX printed the mirror LUX silver proprietary ink. On the swoosh part of the label requiring holographic and color-shifting effects, LUX printed the iridescent spectra LUX ink. Both inks are gravure-printed — LUX is one of a handful of suppliers that has multiple in-line gravure stations on their combination presses.
Using only one layer of material and two inks to achieve the effect C&D wanted as opposed to three layers produced an immediate cost savings of 30–40%. On the swoosh part of the label, LUX was able to avoid multiple layers by printing the color first and then finding the right amount of iridescence to use. The label matched the colors C&D wanted, maintained the holographic effect on the swoosh, and even created a brighter effect.
After
Using only one layer of material and two inks to achieve the effect C&D wanted as opposed to three layers produced an immediate cost savings of 30–40%.
The Result
The C&D team was ecstatic about the label solution and deemed it a “good to great” project thanks to the LUX team’s thinking and ability to reduce the amount of material to create a more sustainable and effective solution while also leveraging proprietary ink technology to improve label appearance. It was implemented on OxiClean laundry detergent containers and remains in use today.
Looking to identify more cost-effective solutions for existing or new label needs or improve the appearance of your labels? LUX Global Label is ready to assist.