What Product Couldn't Benefit from
a Dual-Chamber Delivery System?

By Lynn Dornblaser

The concept of dual-chamber packages has been on the market for quite some time. One of the earliest ones appeared in the U.S. under the Mentadent whitening toothpaste label. At the time, the cleaning and whitening ingredients needed to be kept separate; thus, the original, clunky, dual-chamber dispensing system. Consumers pressed down on the top, and the dispenser pulled from two separate side-by-side chambers to dispense the cleaning and whitening ingredients onto your toothbrush.

The dual-chamber concept was quiet until 2000, when Schering-Plough extended its Coppertone line with one of the early new generation self-tanners. Endless Summer looked very much like the Mentadent package—but taller. The package had two rigid plastic chambers joined by a common dispensing mechanism. Again, the point of the product was that the tanning and the moisturizing ingredients were best if not mixed together until applied.

The trend proliferates

Since that time, the concept of dual-chamber packages has expanded into a wide range of categories. Examples similar to these two have included laundry detergent (cleaner and bleach), rug and upholstery cleaner, and toilet bowl cleaner. Other dual-chamber packages have included a dial mechanism so that consumers can choose the ratio of one ingredient to another—this has appeared in self-tanners (choose how tan you want to be) and vinaigrette dressings (choose your ratio of oil to vinegar). A foundation introduced in 2005 by Cover Girl from Procter & Gamble allows consumers to apply one product in the pack (face primer) and then the other (foundation), via a dual-chamber package with two dispensers.

All these package designs have had one thing in common. They all have two side-by-side rigid plastic chambers joined by a common dispenser casing. The product featured this month uses a different form to dispense two products at the same time.

Breaking a mold

Mid-range cosmetic company Laura Geller has recently introduced a lip care product—called Lip Love—in the U.K. that uses a similar concept. Instead of two compartments side by side, though, there is an inner chamber and an outer one. The claim with this product package is that the moisturizing ingredients in the inner chamber are kept separate from the gloss ingredients in the outer chamber until they hit your lips. The inner chamber contains hydrating shea and aloe butters, as well as jojoba and other conditioning oils. These are mixed with the clear and shiny gel contained in the outer chamber that helps to lock in the moisture on the lips.

This is the first time we've seen a squeeze tube of lip gloss (or any other squeeze tube) with an inner and outer chamber. Both chambers dispense via an angled plush tip. The ingredients dispense out of the same opening. Instructions on the pack tell consumers to squeeze from the bottom of the tube, presumably for the best result in dispensing both ingredients at the same time. The package helps the product—which is made with botanical ingredients—justify its quite upscale price of about $15 US.

This new package form could be applied in a number of ways, especially for personal care products—roll-on depilatories with active and moisturizing ingredients, liquid eye shadow with an ombre effect, or hi-tech skincare products with functional ingredients (perhaps for eyes or even spot treatments for acne). Perhaps as well, this type of concept could be used for home hair color for consumers to create multi-tonal highlights in one simple step. In the meantime, the lowly tube of lip gloss—something usually found in multiples in most purses and makeup bags—just became a bit more unique and upscale thanks to this "Wow" package application.

Lynn Dornblaser is the director of the Custom Solutions Group at Mintel International. She can be reached at 312-932-0400 or lynnd@mintel.com.