Cheapest to launch is usually the refill spout pouch on a stock HDPE or PET bottle: no mould, quantity set by the print run on stock film, 25–35 days. Second is the jar pod on a stock outer: from about 1,000 units, a closure-size pod tool at roughly USD 3,000–10,000, 40–55 days. The airless cartridge is the most expensive to start because it carries the airless floor of around 10,000 for a custom assembly, though stock cartridges run 20–30 days. The formula decides which you are allowed to use: wash-off goes in the pouch, creams in the pod, oxygen-sensitive actives in the cartridge.
The three formats in one table
The figures are industry floors and partner-factory practice, September 2026, per component and indicative. What they show is that refill formats do not share a cost structure: each is priced by a different piece of set-up.
| Refill spout pouch | Jar pod (click-in) | Airless / pump cartridge | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What the customer keeps | Rigid HDPE or PET bottle with pump | Glass, aluminium, heavy acrylic, resin or double-wall PP jar | Decorated outer sleeve |
| What they replace | Mono-PE laminate pouch with spout and cap (PCR laminate options) | PP, PCR-PP or mono-PE pod with inner lid and foil seal | Airless or pump cartridge, twist-lock or click-in |
| Typical fill | 250–1,000 ml | 15–100 ml | 15–50 ml (airless sweet spot); cartridge 10–100 ml |
| Fits | Shampoo, body wash, lotion, hand wash | Face cream, body butter, hair mask, balm | Serum, lotion, foundation, oxygen-sensitive actives |
| What sets the minimum | The print run on stock film | The pod tool and the outer's decoration | The multi-component airless assembly |
| Indicative minimum | Set by the print run; low thousands on partner short-run lines | Stock outer + custom pod from about 1,000 units; stock outer + stock pod from about 500 | Around 10,000 for a custom cartridge assembly; some stock lines lower |
| Tooling | None on stock film; cylinders or plates for new artwork; custom structure or spout tooling if needed | Pod tool (closure-size part) roughly USD 3,000–10,000; get three quotes | Injection tool RMB 25,000–70,000 (≈USD 3,500–9,700) per custom component |
| Factory-gate lead time | 25–35 days stock film and print; 55–75 days custom structure or spout | 40–55 days stock outer + custom pod; 90–110 days custom outer | 20–30 days stock airless; 90–120 days custom programme |
| Interface test | Seal strength and burst on sample batches; spout sized to the bottle neck | Engagement and release force over 100 cycles on 20 samples; seal at 5°C and 40°C | Vacuum −0.08 MPa 15 min ≤0.5% loss; inner-to-outer pull ≥50 N; priming ≤8 strokes |
Why the pouch is cheapest
A spout pouch has no mould. The film is a stock mono-PE or PCR laminate, the spout and cap are standard parts sized to the bottle neck, and the only thing made for you is the print — cylinders or plates that add 5–7 days on new artwork. That is why the quantity is set by the print run rather than by a tool, and why the cycle is 25–35 days from stock film. A mono-PE spout pouch also uses up to 80% less plastic than a rigid bottle, which is the sustainability number the format is usually chosen for.
The caveats: barrier has to be matched to the formula, so the pouch is a wash-off and lotion format rather than an actives format; over/under delivery of ±10% is industry practice on printed runs, and someone pays for the surplus; and a custom structure or a custom spout moves the cycle to 55–75 days and adds tooling. The bottle it refills is a stock HDPE item from about 500 pieces with the same neck finish on both so one closure fits. Pouch specifications are on flexible packaging & pouches.
Why the jar pod is second
A jar pod system costs one closure-size tool — the pod — and borrows everything else. The outer is a stock glass, aluminium or double-wall PP jar decorated by hot stamp, laser engraving or screen print; the pod is drawn to that outer's bore. Because the pod is a small part, its tool is quoted at roughly USD 3,000–10,000, and because partner factories already run pod systems, the minimum on a stock outer is about 1,000 units. The 40–55 day cycle includes the interface qualification: 100 click-in / click-out cycles on 20 samples and the seal held at 5°C and 40°C.
The commercial logic is that the outer is produced once per customer and every later sale is a pod. The trade-offs: the pod is the contact material, so its resin has to pass the 48°C / 30-day compatibility test with the actual cream; PMMA on the outer must never touch the bulk; and a fully custom outer moves the entry to about 3,000 units plus an RMB 25,000–70,000 mould and 90–110 days. Jar formats are on cosmetic jars.
Why the airless cartridge is dearest to start
An airless cartridge is an airless bottle without its outer. It is a multi-component assembly — body, piston, pump, actuator — from separate lines, which is why airless carries a floor of around 10,000 for custom work whoever asks. It is also the only refill format that gives oxygen-sensitive actives a barrier: vitamin C, retinol and peptides need airless or EVOH, because single-layer PE passes oxygen at roughly 150–300 units against about 0.2 for EVOH. Stock airless cartridges run 20–30 days; a custom programme is 90–120 days. Non-piston self-sealing valve versions suit mono-material projects. If the product is a serum, this is not a choice but a requirement; see airless pump bottles from China.
Launch budget: what each format makes you pay for
| Cost line | Refill spout pouch | Jar pod | Airless cartridge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tooling | None on stock film; plates USD 120–210 per colour (RMB 850–1,500) on new artwork | Pod tool USD 3,000–10,000; none on the stock outer | RMB 25,000–70,000 per custom component; none on stock |
| Outer decoration | Label or print on the stock bottle: screen print from 2,000; label ~100–500 | Hot stamp small die; laser engrave no tooling; sprayed colour 2,000–5,000 per shape; anodising by batch | Sprayed outer sleeve 2,000–5,000 per shape on top of the assembly |
| Starter-kit carton | Folding carton 2,000–5,000; 10–15 days after artwork | Same | Same |
| Qualification tests | Seal strength and burst; formula barrier check | 100-cycle engagement on 20 samples; 5°C / 40°C seal; 48°C / 30-day compatibility on the pod | Vacuum leak; pull ≥50 N; pump life ≥1,500 cycles; 48°C / 30-day compatibility |
| Delivery tolerance | ±10% over/under on the printed run | Moulded parts to count; AQL to ISO 2859-1 | Moulded parts to count; AQL to ISO 2859-1 |
| Calendar | ×1.3 buffer; +15 days across Chinese New Year; 25–40 days sea to Europe / US East Coast | Same | Same |
Read per component. A jar pod launch is an outer, a pod, an inner lid, a foil seal and a carton, each with its own minimum; a pouch launch is a bottle, a pump, a pouch and a carton. Tooling on a custom outer or cartridge is quoted from eight cost lines and paid 30/40/30 with ownership written to the brand: mould cost and ownership. The sixteen-format view is on the MOQ index and the lead time index.
Let the formula make the decision
- Face cream, balm, body butter → jar pod: glass or PP outer, PP / PCR-PP pod; PMMA never touches the bulk.
- Serum with vitamin C, retinol, peptides → airless cartridge in a decorated sleeve; it needs the barrier.
- Toner or mist above ~30% ethanol → glass outer with a PP or PETG cartridge; never PET; check the sprayer gasket against the alcohol level.
- Facial oil with essential oils → glass outer, PP or HDPE pod with a silicone gasket; essential oils attack AS and craze PMMA.
- AHA / BHA at pH below 4 → glass or PP pod; 316-stainless or plastic pump spring.
- Shampoo, body wash, hand wash → HDPE bottle kept, mono-PE spout pouch or 750–1,000 ml HDPE refill with the same neck.
The full rules are on the formula–packaging compatibility matrix; the sourcing route for each format is in sourcing refillable cosmetic packaging from China.
Vella is a Guangzhou-based beauty packaging solutions provider that helps indie and emerging cosmetic brands specify and source refill systems from vetted Chinese partner factories operating to ISO 22716 / GMP, quoting stock-outer and custom-outer routes side by side so the launch cost of each format is visible before a tool is cut. The range is on refillable packaging and the method on the sustainable and refillable solution.
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