Thursday, November 16, 2006
The Shampoo Bottle has Changed
Yesterday I ran out of shampoo, so this evening I went and bought some more of the traditional shampoo that I have been using off and on for several years. Imagine my surprise when the bottle was a different shape!
It immediately becomes apparent why the change was made. Most obvious is the complex, interesting shape they have added to the bottle. Rather than being a cylinder with rounded edges, it now has flattened sides to give it a sort of grip, a set of creases that are reminiscent of the logo, and a smoother transition to the cap. The motivation behind the changes to the cap aren't quite as obvious. They moved from a screw-on lid to a snap-on lid, and dropped the butterfly valve for a simple flip-top. This of course drops the parts count (one piece rather than two) and it makes the molding process simpler, and therefore faster. Now they don't have to unscrew the cap off the mold, and they don't have to assemble the lid after molding it---the flip-cap is one piece with the lid. The lack of threads makes the bottle mold easier and cheaper too.
It's not all roses, however. The new design doesn't have quite as good a seal. The flip-top seals pretty well, but the bottle-to-cap interface isn't as good as the screw-on method. If I squeeze the bottle, it doesn't leak much, but air can escape if I wiggle the cap. On the other hand, how sealed does a bottle of shampoo have to be? It might be helpful for a little air to move in and out---that will accommodate temperature and pressure changes.
One thing that didn't change is the volume; surprisingly, it is still 22.5 fluid ounces, just like before.
It immediately becomes apparent why the change was made. Most obvious is the complex, interesting shape they have added to the bottle. Rather than being a cylinder with rounded edges, it now has flattened sides to give it a sort of grip, a set of creases that are reminiscent of the logo, and a smoother transition to the cap. The motivation behind the changes to the cap aren't quite as obvious. They moved from a screw-on lid to a snap-on lid, and dropped the butterfly valve for a simple flip-top. This of course drops the parts count (one piece rather than two) and it makes the molding process simpler, and therefore faster. Now they don't have to unscrew the cap off the mold, and they don't have to assemble the lid after molding it---the flip-cap is one piece with the lid. The lack of threads makes the bottle mold easier and cheaper too.
It's not all roses, however. The new design doesn't have quite as good a seal. The flip-top seals pretty well, but the bottle-to-cap interface isn't as good as the screw-on method. If I squeeze the bottle, it doesn't leak much, but air can escape if I wiggle the cap. On the other hand, how sealed does a bottle of shampoo have to be? It might be helpful for a little air to move in and out---that will accommodate temperature and pressure changes.
One thing that didn't change is the volume; surprisingly, it is still 22.5 fluid ounces, just like before.
