A refill pod system with a stock outer vessel and a custom pod starts from about 1,000 units through partner factories already tooled for it and runs 40–55 days at the factory gate; a fully custom outer with new tooling starts from about 3,000 units plus a mould at roughly RMB 25,000–70,000 (≈USD 3,500–9,700) and takes 90–110 days. Refill spout pouches run 25–35 days on stock film; large-format HDPE refill bottles are stock from about 500 pieces. The interface is tested, not assumed: engagement and release force across 100 cycles on 20 samples, and the pod seal held at 5°C and 40°C.
Five refill formats and where each fits
"Refillable" covers five quite different pieces of engineering. Choosing the wrong one for the formula is the most common early mistake, so start from the product, not the story.
| Format | Outer kept / inner replaced | Where it fits | Interface and test | Indicative minimum and lead time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Refill spout pouch | Rigid HDPE or PET bottle kept; mono-PE laminate pouch replaced; PCR laminate options | Shampoo, body wash, lotion, hand wash, 250–1,000 ml | Spout and screw cap sized to pour into the bottle neck; seal strength and burst tested on sample batches; barrier matched to the formula | Quantity set by the print run on stock film; 25–35 days stock film and print; 55–75 days custom structure or spout tooling |
| Inner pod (jar) | Glass, aluminium, heavy acrylic or resin outer kept; PP, PCR-PP or mono-PE pod replaced | Face cream, body butter, hair mask, balm | Click-in pod: engagement and release force across 100 cycles on 20 samples; pod-to-outer seal at 5°C and 40°C; pod compatibility with the bulk | Stock outer + custom pod from about 1,000; fully custom outer from about 3,000 plus tooling; 40–55 days stock, 90–110 days custom |
| Cartridge (bottle) | Outer sleeve kept; airless or pump cartridge replaced; twist-lock or click-in | Serum, lotion, foundation | Tested as an airless bottle: −0.08 MPa 15 min ≤0.5%, inner-to-outer pull ≥50 N, priming ≤8 strokes | Airless assemblies carry a higher floor, around 10,000 for custom; stock airless 20–30 days |
| Jar refill cup | Double-wall PP or glass jar kept; inner cup with lid replaced | Cream, mask | Inner-lid seal by colour-water test at −0.06 MPa for 5 min; cup fit to the outer bore | Stock jars low thousands; 7–25 days undecorated |
| Large-format refill bottle | Small bottle kept; 750–1,000 ml HDPE refill | Wash-off products | Same neck standard on both so one closure fits | Stock from about 500 pieces; 7–25 days |
For a first refillable SKU, the jar pod on a stock glass or PP outer and the spout pouch on a stock HDPE bottle are the two routes that reach a small brand's numbers. The airless cartridge is the premium option for actives but carries the airless floor; see airless pump bottles from China. The cost comparison between the three is in refill pouch vs cartridge vs jar pod.
Specifying the outer and the inner
The outer is the brand on the shelf for years; the inner is a consumable that touches the formula. They are specified differently and usually come from different partner factories, which is why one party has to carry the drawing, the force band and the golden sample across both.
| Element | Outer vessel | Inner pod / cartridge |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | Glass (flint, high-flint, frosted or sprayed), anodised aluminium, heavy acrylic (PMMA, never touching bulk), resin, double-wall PP | PP or PCR-PP (default), mono-PE where the recyclability claim matters, airless PP/PETG cartridge |
| Capacities | Jar systems 15–100 ml; bottle cartridges 15–50 ml (airless sweet spot); refill pouches 250–1,000 ml | Pod nominal fill matched to the outer bore; airless cartridge 10–100 ml |
| Interface | Bore, click or twist geometry drawn to the pod; magnetic or click-secure lids on premium jars | Click-in, twist-lock or docking; engagement and release force specified as a band |
| Neck finish (bottle systems) | 18/410, 20/410, 24/410 for pump-on-cartridge; airless uses its own collar | Same standard on refill and outer so one closure fits |
| Wall and tolerance | Glass wall per drawing; PP double wall ≥0.8 mm typical partner-factory range | Pod wall ≥0.5 mm typical partner-factory range; bore-to-pod clearance agreed on the drawing |
| Seal | Lid gasket or foil seal on the pod | Inner lid + foil seal on pods; airless piston seal on cartridges |
| Decoration | Hot stamp, laser engrave, screen print, spray, anodising | Usually undecorated or single-colour print; label space for the market's recycling mark |
Neck standards for bottle systems are on neck finish and closure standards.
Minimums, tooling and lead time by route
| Route | Realistic minimum | Tooling | Factory-gate lead time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stock outer + stock pod, undecorated | From about 500 pcs | None | 7–25 days |
| Stock outer + custom pod | From about 1,000 units | Pod tool (closure-size part) roughly USD 3,000–10,000; get three quotes | 40–55 days |
| Stock outer, sprayed or anodised custom colour | 2,000–5,000 sprayed per shape; anodising by batch | Spray set-up per shape; anodising fixtures | 30–40 days sprayed; 25–40 days anodised |
| Fully custom outer + custom pod (private mould) | From about 3,000 units | RMB 25,000–70,000 (≈USD 3,500–9,700) per tool, paid 30/40/30, rated 800,000 cycles, owned by the brand | 45–60 days mould; 90–110 days programme |
| Refill spout pouch, printed | Set by the print run on stock film | Cylinders or plates +5–7 days on new artwork | 25–35 days stock film; 55–75 days custom structure or spout |
| Folding carton for the starter kit | 2,000–5,000 | Cutting die, low cost | 10–15 days after artwork approval |
All figures are industry floors and partner-factory practice; they are per component and indicative. Then the calendar applies: ×1.3 buffer on the quoted cycle, +15 days across Chinese New Year (2027: 6 February), and 25–40 days at sea to Europe or the US East Coast. The custom-outer mould is quoted from eight cost lines and paid 30/40/30, with ownership written to the brand; see mould cost and ownership.
The tests that qualify the interface
Single-use packaging is qualified once; a refill system has to survive being opened, emptied and re-engaged for years in a bathroom. The battery on the quality standards page applies unchanged, and three checks are added:
- Pod engagement / release — force gauge, click in and out, 100 cycles on 20 samples; force stays inside the specified band with no cracking of the click feature. Drift over cycles means the system degrades and consumers notice. The method is in the 100-cycle engagement test.
- Pod-to-outer seal — held at 5°C and 40°C, inverted; no leakage, no gap at either temperature. A seal fine at room temperature can leak when warm.
- Formula compatibility of the pod — pod in contact with the actual bulk at 48°C for 30 days; no discolouration, odour, swelling or cracking. The pod is the contact material, so PP vs PCR-PP vs glass matters here, not on the outer.
Then the standard checks: airless cartridge vacuum leak −0.08 MPa for 15 min with ≤0.5% loss and inner-to-outer pull ≥50 N; drop 76 cm to 1.5 m with the glass outer in its carton and the pod still clicking after; heavy metals Pb + Cd + Hg + Cr(VI) ≤100 ppm; acceptance to ISO 2859-1 as a set. Pump and airless thresholds are on airless, pump and sprayer specifications.
Two boundaries on the claim
A system that mixes a PP pod, a PE label and an aluminium outer is three recycling streams, so recyclability is claimed for the pod alone and reuse for the outer. And this is empty packaging only: refill contents, filling and filled-goods shipping stay with the brand. Plan label space for the market's recycling mark on the pod before the mould; the UK and EU context is on the sustainable and refillable packaging solution.
Vella is a Guangzhou-based beauty packaging solutions provider that helps indie and emerging cosmetic brands specify, source, sample, tool, quality-control and ship refillable systems — outer, pod, cartridge, pouch and carton — from vetted Chinese partner factories operating to ISO 22716 / GMP, carrying one drawing, one force band and one golden sample across all of them. The system types are on refillable packaging; supplier screening is in how to evaluate a China packaging supplier.
Common questions
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