Airless Bottles

Airless Pump Bottles for DIY Serums, Creams and Eye Products

An airless bottle dispenses your serum or cream with a piston that rises from the bottom as you pump, so there is no dip tube, no open jar and far less air and finger contact with the formula. Skin Perfection sells two silver airless bottles in packs of five: a 1 oz bottle for face serums and creams, and a 0.5 oz bottle for eye serums and creams. These are the same bottles our finished serums ship in.

Which Airless Bottle Do You Need

1 oz Silver Airless Treatment Pump Bottle

Choose the 1 oz silver airless pump bottle for face serums, gels and moisturizers. One ounce is the batch size used in our serum booster recipes, where 9 drops of a booster equals 1% in 1 fluid ounce, so a 1 oz batch fills one bottle. It has a matte silver cap, silver base, white pump and clear body, so you can see how much is left.

0.5 oz Silver Airless Eye Serum Pump Bottle

Choose the 0.5 oz airless eye serum bottle for eye creams, lip serums and small trial batches. A smaller bottle means you finish it sooner, which suits gentle preservatives and peptide blends you want to use while fresh.

Compare Skin Perfection Airless Bottles

Why Formulators Choose Airless Packaging

• Less air contact. The formula is pushed up by the piston instead of air rushing in to replace it, which helps protect ingredients that break down in air, such as vitamin C and retinol.
• Less finger contact. The FDA advises washing your hands before using any product you dip your fingers into, and lists packaging that does not adequately protect the product as one way cosmetics become contaminated. A pump removes the dipping step.
• Even dosing. Each pump gives about the same amount, which helps a batch last as long as you planned.
• Less waste. The piston pushes almost all of the product out, so little is left behind.
• Travel friendly. A closed pump is less likely to leak than a jar or flip cap.

An airless bottle is not a preservative. Any formula that contains water still needs a preservative, used at the supplier's rate. The FDA lists an ineffective preservation system as a separate cause of contamination. For options, see our natural skin care preservative guide.

How to Fill and Use an Airless Bottle

1. Wash your hands, then clean the bottle parts and your funnel, spatula and beaker. Spray with 70% isopropyl alcohol and let them air dry completely.
2. Remove the pump top. Use a small funnel to pour or spoon your serum or cream into the body up to the fill line. Do not overfill.
3. Tap the bottle on the counter to settle thick creams and release air bubbles.
4. Press the pump top back on firmly.
5. Prime it: pump several times until product comes out. Thick creams can take 10 or more pumps the first time.
6. Label the bottle with the product name and the date you made it. Store as your recipe directs, in the refrigerator for unpreserved or gently preserved blends.

For recipes to put in your bottles, see the lotion making supplies collection and our step-by-step Beauty Juice peptide serum recipe.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do airless pump bottles work?

An airless bottle has a flat piston at the bottom instead of a dip tube. Each pump creates a small vacuum that pulls product out the top and lets the piston rise, so the space behind the formula never fills with outside air.

Why is my airless pump not dispensing?

Most new bottles need priming: pump several times until product appears. If it still does not dispense, the bottle may be underfilled or a thick cream may have trapped air, so remove the top, tap the bottle on the counter, refill to the fill line and prime again.

Do airless bottles make skincare last longer?

They help by limiting air and finger contact, which helps protect ingredients that break down in air. They do not replace a preservative, so a formula that contains water still needs one, and you should still follow the storage directions for your recipe.

Can you reuse airless bottles?

You can reuse them for your own batches if you take them apart, wash them in warm soapy water, rinse, spray with 70% isopropyl alcohol and let them dry fully. Replace any bottle whose pump no longer primes cleanly.

Can you put oil serums in an airless bottle?

Yes. Airless bottles handle thin oils, serums, gels and thick creams. For a thin oil, fill slowly with a funnel, and prime the pump before first use.

Sources

• U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Microbiological Safety and Cosmetics.
• Bottle sizes, colors and pack contents: Skin Perfection product pages.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

About the Author
Written by Kari Thomas, cosmetic formulator and founder of Skin Perfection.