Clariant (Muttenz / Switzerland; www.clariant.com) recently displayed two examples of new masterbatches developed for health and beauty packaging at the HBA (www.hbaexpo.com) exhibition in New York City / USA. “Enigma Fade” special effects take advantage of new colorants and multilayer blow moulding technology, allowing packaging designers to create looks that range from soft and subtle to bold and brassy depending on how translucent natural plastic materials and opaque coloured resins are combined in two- and three-layer constructions.

The second development helps overcome the problems associated with conventional carrier oils limiting the application of liquid masterbatches in HDPE. The proprietary non-mineral-oil “Liquid Color Carrier” in a new family of products from Clariant makes them suitable for extrusion blow moulding of high-density polyethylene (HDPE).