Bottle Lids and Caps – Everything You Need to Know

There are many different bottle lids and caps all suited to different purposes across industries from cosmetics and household goods, to food and drink or medical uses. Whether you are looking for the perfect bottle lid/cap for your luxury beauty serum or a new drink product, this handy guide will help.

Here are some of the most popular lid and cap types used on bottles. Although not all types listed are commonly referred to as lids or caps, they are used on bottles to aid product dispersion and therefore should be considered when packaging a product.

When choosing the perfect lid or cap for your bottle there are many considerations. Aside from looks, one must consider functionality and whether the lid or cap suits the product, as well as longevity and effectiveness at keeping a product preserved. 

Screw Top Lid

Screw top lids are very popular and familiar to consumers. From jam jars to drinks bottles, screw top lids are used often. They come in a range of sizes and materials, such as aluminium or plastic, and can therefore be adapted for many uses.

When used on jars, screw top lids are usually large and house luxurious cosmetic creams or preserved food stuffs. When used on bottles, screw top lids are comparatively smaller and are often favourable for carbonated or alcoholic drinks.

There are also child-resistant alternatives, whereby the user must press down while turning to unscrew the lid. These are favourable for medicine or pill bottles which could be harmful if left easily attainable for children.

Flip Top Lid

Although usually having the mechanism of a screw top lid to fix the lid onto the bottle, flip top caps have one central hole for dispensing which is covered by the flip top when not in use.

Flip top lids work with many different liquid/semi-liquid products from shampoos and conditioners to oils and lubricants. Due to the one, usually rather small, dispensing hole, flip top lids allow for the consumer to have control over how much product is dispensed and therefore waste less. Flip top lids are commonly used on squeezable bottles or tubes; it is unlikely the product would dispense easily from sturdier bottles that the consumer cannot squeeze to promote dispensing.

Sports Cap

While popular for energy drinks or water bottles, a similar style can be adapted for cosmetic products such as creams or hair products.

Sport caps, or similar styles, have ‘open’ and ‘closed’ modes. When closed, no product can get out. When opened, the lid is popped up and product able to leave through the now-exposed middle section.

Cork Stoppers

There are various types of stoppers such as ceramic, cork, and glass. Stoppers are simple bottle closures and simply fit in the top of the bottle and can be lifted out. Although perhaps more rudimentary, stoppers are liked for their ease and aesthetic value.

Cork stoppers may be synonymous with red wine or champagne; however, they have great visual appeal and, therefore, are sometimes used for novelty on products such as bubble bath. Ceramic stoppers with metallic swing mechanisms are similarly popular for their looks, with consumers actively seeking these ceramic swing top stoppers for their aesthetics.

Metal Bottle Cap

Traditionally used on beer bottles, metal bottle caps are popular for drinks products. As the cap cannot be easily put back in place, metal caps suit products that are onetime use.

Because metal caps cannot be reused and the product protected, their use is rather limited. Cosmetic products or other products made for multiple usage would not suit metal caps.

Spray Top

Spray tops have a multitude of uses and come in three distinct styles, each with individual applications.

Atomisers are popular spray tops and produce a fine mist usually in concentrated amounts. Perfect for perfume bottles or body sprays, atomisers usually also have a protective cap so as to prevent accidental pressing down and subsequent dispersion. Atomisers for perfumes usually come in either plastic or metal, with metal usually being the more high-end, luxurious alternative.

Trigger sprays, on the other hand, disperse product over a larger area and have a special trigger attached to the bottle whereby users can pull to dispense. This spray mechanism is often used for cleaning products.

Nasal sprays are another spray mechanism designed for specific use. Nasal sprays are made to fit smaller bottles, usually of medication such as cold or hay fever remedies.

Pumps

Pumps are somewhat similar to sprays, however the product dispensed by pumps is usually thicker, such as lotions or creams. Pumps almost exclusively suit bottles and aren’t often found on tubes or other packaging types.

There are two versions of pumps; long spout or without a spout. Generally, there is no real difference in either and both disperse product evenly by being pressed down by the user.

Droppers/Pipettes

Droppers, or pipettes, are often applied to products which should be used sparingly. Featuring a rubber teat on top of the bottle to get and release the product, droppers and pipettes are very easy to use.

As the user can be very precise and even control the number of drops, droppers and pipettes are ideal for more expensive products or ones that require exacting control, such as eye drops.