Will Nail Polish Explode In Heat?

Studio portrait of a teenage girl painting herself 4441674_s

Past: Pat Davies

Nail enamel bottles are not meant to explode are they?

Well, no you wouldn't call up so! But I once worked every bit a packaging technologist for a prestigious cosmetics company that made the nearly high quality color cosmetics. It was one of my developments (yes mine!) that caused a furor throughout the company when afterward the launch of a high quality cosmetics range of which I was the technical person in charge of the evolution of the packs, the small glass bottles of smash lacquer began to explode.

Customers began sending their complaints to us and making claims for damages later their chamber walls were spattered with nail lacquer. They got covered with information technology too, all over their cloths, in their hair, upwards the walls, over the furniture, ruining carpets, ruining dressing tables.

Oh that centre sinking feeling when the exploded bottles are sent back in the postal service with photographs of spectacular explosions and the resultant damage. Along with nasty letters and legal claims.

With glass exploding this was serious, and it had my name all over it – Pat Davies, the Packaging Technologist from Hell!

On inspection of the cleaved glass I confirmed the breakages were internal pressure breaks. Only WHY? WHY? What's happening?

I spent hours / days in the lab with these blasted bottles trying to replicate the miracle. Heating them up, cooling them down, testing bear upon resistance, driblet testing, Nil!

Off I went to Germany to the glass manufacturer where we looked at stress patterns in the polarimeter, and the glass quality. Microscopic examination of glass looking for faults….Zilch!

Meanwhile, at that place were top level management meetings. We sent samples off to GTS (Glass Technology Services) and all the while the legal department were compromising legal claims.

What a disaster. We needed to recall the production. Marketing were up in arms and I was baffled. Help!!

Then 1 twenty-four hour period in the lab I decided to overfill the bottles to awash and put the caps on. Begetting in mind that none had been sent out overfilled according to the production records and warehouse stock checks. This was non the problem.

But, the bottles cracked in my hands as I applied the caps to over filled bottles. The ones that didn't crack blew up when I shook them….Effect!

You lot see bottles filled with anything need a headspace. Room for the liquid to expand! If there is insufficient headspace the principle of hydraulics apply. Liquids volition not shrink and the just way the pressure will release is by the bottle breaking.

Afterwards more investigation it turned out that the nail lacquer bulk was stored outside and filled online immediately after being brought in from subzero temperatures. Information technology was a very common cold winter and so the nail lacquer was very common cold. It was filled and then expanded as it warmed.

By the time information technology got to the customer, it was so expanded that the bottles were by now pressurized. Information technology only needed to exist shaken and BANG! The things exploded with spectacular results.

Phew! It wasn't my bottles. Information technology was the daft and dippy production managing director's fault. A qualified engineer and a highly intelligent man by all accounts. Only, then over again . . . . .

__________________________________

Patricia Davies is a sought after consultant and advisor due to her 25 year expertise in packaging technology.

She is expert in development of cosmetic components, toiletries, personal care, all aerosol, glass and plastics, fragranced products, household consumer goods, setting upwardly laboratory tests of all packaging types at client premises, sachet seals and IHS failures, including evaluation and test reporting giving good conclusions and recommendations.

Her expertise extends to all areas of compatibility testing. She consults hands-on in technical evaluation of new pack concepts, problem packs, NPD assessments, and cosmetic pack and redeveloping / rectifying component failures. She has trained teams of technologists and laboratory staff. Pat has also written technical manuals, documents, and SOP's with complete compliance to QMS.

Prior to opening her consultancy, PackLabs, Pat worked for Yardley of London, DDD Ltd (Bodyshop), Julius Mellor (Grand&Southward), Muller Dairy, and Church & Dwight, Co., Inc. Additionally, she has worked on projects for Holland & Barrett, M&S, Side by side, Sainsbury's and Tesco.

Pat can be reached at pat.marker@talktalk.net

Photo Copyright Frenk And Danielle Kaufmann/123RF