Why we don't use jars
The function and stability of a formula is as much dependent on its packaging as it is on the ingredients contained. Packaging can dictate how a product is used, how much is used at once, and even how often it’s used. If a package is designed correctly, its use is unnoticeable, or at least undistinguishable, from the use of the product itself. Point is, the packaging of a product matters to its performance. High-quality products deserve packages that match the needs of a formula (and consumer!) first, and aesthetics of a brand second.
At Geologie, we were as intentional in our choice of container as we were in the choice of our ingredients. In that vein, here are three reasons why we ruled out the use of jars:
Slippery when Wet
Jars are easy enough to screw open when your hands are dry, but what if you’re in the shower, or are in the post-application, pre-rinse phase? How are you supposed to open a jar with hands wet with water or product? It doesn’t help that most wide-mouth screw top jars are made from high-gloss plastic or glass, increasing their inherent slipperiness. And god forbid you should drop a slippery jar...a stubbed toe is insult to injury to a spilled product.
Of course, you could screw the jar closed after applying, rinsing, and drying. As a rule of thumb, however, you should avoid the open and prolonged exposure of any product, especially in a humid bathroom environment. Leaving the jar open longer than necessary only exposes the product to the possibility of dilution-by-bath water, or by the introduction of nasty microbes (more on this later).
Filled to the Brim with Microbes
The wide aperture of jars eases the introduction of microbes which, despite the action of in-formula preservatives, may incubate on the product’s surface or in the screw top threads. It’s not so easy to get clean when your cleanser is compromised by bathroom microbes.
In contrast, the use of an airtight pump mitigates the need for a higher concentration of preservatives: a formula stored in a glass jar would require a higher level of preservatives than the same formula stored in an air- and light-tight container of the same volume. Air and light are, after all, essential to the survival of microbes. Take away air and light, and you take away the need for high levels of preservatives.
A False Sense of Luxury
Once reserved for Over The Beauty Counter products, jars now play host to products of a wide range of utility and value, from farmer’s market salves to fancy foot creams. A simple package in itself, in-vogue jars give products an elevated status: any product poured into a jar automatically increases in aesthetic appeal. Or, vice versa, any product sold in a jar seems of higher quality than it otherwise would.
At Geologie, we give you a high-quality product, but without the elevated aura (and price!). We’re not about pretending to be something that we’re not. Instead, we unapologetically give you no-fuss effectiveness. And no jars.
At Geologie, we reject the trendiness of jars in favor of packaging optimized for the utility of the products and the simplicity of their use.
