A mascara tube is a bottle, cap, stem, brush and wiper, usually in ABS, POM, PP, LDPE or PETG with an optional aluminium shell; the brush is fine steel wire with nylon fibre or moulded TPE. The wiper bore against the stem sets how much product loads onto the brush, so wiper and brush are approved with the actual formula, not from a catalogue photo. Custom-decorated stock tubes start around 1,000 pieces, sprayed colour at 2,000–5,000 per shape, electroplating around 10,000; a stock tube with decoration ships in about 30–45 days at factory gate.
What a mascara tube is made of
Five parts. The bottle holds the bulk and is extrusion-blown or injection-blown in PETG, PP or ABS, sometimes with a drawn aluminium outer shell. The cap is the grip — ABS or PP, often sprayed, metallised or plated. The stem (rod) in PP or POM connects the cap to the brush. The brush is either twisted fine steel wire carrying nylon fibre, or a moulded TPE/elastomer head. The wiper is a soft LDPE or TPE insert pressed into the bottle neck; it seals the contents and scrapes the stem and brush on the way out. The same architecture, with a different applicator, is a lip gloss tube or a liquid eyeliner — see lip packaging for the gloss version.
Why the wiper matters more than the bottle
The wiper does two jobs: it seals the formula against drying, and its bore controls how much product is left on the brush after the pull. Too loose and the brush comes out overloaded and clumps; too tight and it starves the brush and shears the fibres. The bore is a fit dimension to the stem diameter and the brush profile, and it has to be checked with your bulk, because a thick fibre mascara and a thin tubing mascara load differently through the same wiper. The brush shape and the formula together decide the lash result, so a brand should approve wiper and brush as a pair, with the formula in the tube.
Specification: the five components
| Component | Materials | Key specification | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bottle | PETG, PP or ABS; extrusion-blow or injection-blow; optional aluminium outer shell (pressed) | Typical partner-factory range 6–12 ml fill; neck bore matched to the wiper; wall uniform enough for a clean fill | Aluminium shells are drawn and anodised or sprayed; check sharp edges on drawn parts |
| Cap | ABS or PP; sprayed, metallised, hot-stamped or electroplated outer | Screw thread matched to the bottle; opening torque 0.2–0.7 N·m; stays closed under 1 kg bag compression | Plated caps never touch bulk or skin; no nickel on touch surfaces |
| Stem | PP or POM | Diameter is the reference for the wiper bore; straight, no flash; burr height ≤0.5 mm on the tube body | Stem length sets how deep the brush reaches — checked against the fill line |
| Brush | Twisted steel wire + nylon fibre; or moulded TPE / elastomer head | Fibre density, length and taper approved with the formula; a moulded head gives a repeatable profile | Some brush geometries are patented — confirm the partner factory has the right to supply the shape |
| Wiper | LDPE or TPE | Bore set to the stem; seals the neck; scrape approved on a filled sample | The single component that decides load and drying — never assumed from a catalogue |
Materials follow the same rules as any other colour-cosmetics pack: acrylic (PMMA) and AS only as a non-contact outer, plated parts as exterior only, and a 24-hour formula soak on decorated surfaces the product will touch. The full rule set is on the formula × packaging compatibility matrix.
MOQ, tooling and lead time by route
Mascara tubes follow the same three routes as every other stock component in the makeup clusters at Shantou and Yuyao–Shangyu: a stock (public-mould) tube in a stock colour, the same tube with your decoration, or a private mould. The published industry floor for a single factory is 5,000–10,000 pieces per item; the lower figures below are reachable only via partner factories already tooled for small runs, and are indicative. See the MOQ index and lead-time index for the wider picture.
| Route | Indicative minimum | Tooling | Lead time, factory gate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stock tube + stock brush, undecorated | From ~500–1,000 pcs (typical partner-factory range) | None | 7–25 days |
| Stock tube + screen print or hot stamp | ~1,000 pcs | Screen or foil plate — small one-off | Stock cycle +5–7 days; 30–45 days with a decorated set |
| Sprayed custom colour on cap or bottle | 2,000–5,000 per component shape | Colour-matching set-up per shape | 30–40 days |
| Moulded-in custom colour | ~3,000 tube; 5,000–10,000 industry floor | Material changeover and purge | 15–25 days |
| Electroplated or metallised cap | ~10,000 pcs — the floor holds everywhere | Racking; no mould | 25–40 days including plating queue |
| Custom brush profile | Hero products only; agreed per project | Brush tooling or wire-twist set-up | Add to the stock cycle; approve with the formula first |
| Private mould (bottle, cap, wiper) | 3,000–10,000 pcs to amortise | RMB 25,000–70,000 (≈ USD 3,500–9,700) per component tool; paid 30/40/30; owned by the brand | Tool 45–60 days; programme 90–120 days |
| Buffer | — | — | Quoted cycle × 1.3; +15 days across Chinese New Year; sea 18–35 days |
Rule for a first order: keep the bottle, stem and wiper on stock tooling, put the brand into the cap decoration and the carton, and spend the money on the brush-and-formula approval instead of a mould. Mould ownership and payment terms are on mould cost and ownership.
QC thresholds a mascara order is checked against
These are the working figures written into the specification and signed against at the four gates (IQC, IPQC, FQC, OQC) described on our QC standards page.
| Test | Method | Pass threshold |
|---|---|---|
| Seal, inverted | Filled, laid flat and inverted at 45°C for 24 h | No seepage at the wiper or thread |
| Vacuum leak | Filled, vacuum chamber | −0.08 MPa for 15 min, loss ≤0.5% |
| Wiper and brush load | Filled with the actual bulk; push the stem fully out and rotate 3 times | Smooth pull, even load, no fibre shedding or clumping |
| Thermal | 48 ± 2°C and −15°C, laid on the side, 24 h each | No cracking, delamination or deformation; smooth pull after recovery |
| Drop | Assembled, 76 cm–1 m, horizontal, 3 drops onto concrete | No functional damage |
| Decoration adhesion | 3M 600 over hot stamp (10 passes, pulled at 45°); 3M 810 over 2 mm cross-hatch on spray and plating | No lift; hot-stamp loss ≤0.5 mm²; cross-hatch grade 1 or better |
| Solvent resistance | Formula on the printed face, 45°C for 24 h, wiped with alcohol gauze | No coating loss |
| Yellowing / UV | UV lamp 24 h, or 300 W lamp at 50°C for 48 h | No visible colour shift |
| Formula compatibility | Wiper, brush, stem and bottle with the actual bulk at 48°C for 30 days plus ambient and cold controls | No discolouration, swelling, odour or change in load |
| Hygiene | Sterile saline rinse, colony count per tube; monthly per supplier and size | Within the agreed limit; three consecutive batches re-tested after any failure |
| Colour | Signed golden sample under D65 light | ΔE within the agreed tolerance; cap, bottle and carton judged in one hand |
What to put in the brief
- Fill volume and formula type — fibre, tubing, waterproof or water-based; it changes the wiper and the compatibility test.
- Brush shape and material — fibre or moulded; give a benchmark product if you have one.
- Decoration route per component — one route per family, because moulded-in and sprayed colour of the same Pantone do not match on shelf.
- Quantity per SKU and shade count — decoration minimums apply per shape, not per shade.
- Destination market — for heavy-metal and nickel-release documentation.
Vella is a Guangzhou-based beauty packaging solutions provider — a sourcing partner, not a factory — that specifies, sources, samples, quality-controls and ships mascara, gloss and liner tubes from vetted partner factories operating to ISO 22716 / GMP, against the thresholds above and a signed golden sample. The method is on how we work; the questions to ask any supplier are in how to evaluate a China packaging supplier.
Frequently asked
- Nail Polish Bottles: Glass Sizes, Brush Caps, Solvent Compatibility, MOQ and Sourcing from China
- Foundation Bottles: Glass with Pump, Airless, Squeeze Tube and Cushion — Dose, Compatibility and MOQ
- Makeup Compacts: Pan Sizes, Mirror, Hinge Cycle Test, Stock vs Private Mould and MOQ
- Lipstick Mechanism: Click vs Twist, Cup Sizes 8.5–12 mm, and What to Test
Launching a mascara?
Get the wiper and brush approved first.
Tell us the formula type, fill volume and quantity per shade. We reply within 24 hours with stock tube options, decoration minimums and a compatibility-test plan.
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