Tube Packaging Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Material (Plastic, Aluminum, Paper), By Application (Personal Care, Healthcare), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2019 - 2025

Industry Insights 

The global tube packaging market size was valued at USD 31.9 billion in 2018 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 6.5% from 2019 to 2025. A tube is a cylindrical container generally made up of plastic, aluminum, or paper, used to store/package products such as essential oils, ointments, toothpaste, and face cream. Tube packaging containers are differentiated and customized in order to create a functional and distinctive platform based upon different products and their applications. The use of tubes as a packaging material helps improve the shelf life of the material by offering larger protection against bacteria and other micro-organisms, thereby augmenting the demand for the product.

Growing demand for cosmetics and personal care products is driving the tube packaging market globally. Most of the face creams and toothpastes are packaged in a plastic tube for the convenience of mass consumers. Moreover, rising demand for convenient packaging, especially in the pharmaceutical industry, due to its efficiency to prevent microbial growth and oxidation of the ointment/cream will propel the growth over the forecast period. For instance, Soframycin, an antibiotic to treat bacterial inflammations, is usually packed in an aluminum tube to give a better control to the user while applying it and also increases the shelf life of the chemical composition of the ointment.

Rising demand across the cosmetic and personal care industry, along with increased per capita consumption in India, China, and Brazil, is augmenting the growth of the market. Availability of effective technologies for manufacturing of plastic, aluminum, and paper tubes based upon the industry/material requirement has contributed to the growth of the market in recent years. For instance, Fevikwik is a super glue manufactured by Pidilite, which uses an aluminum tube packing of 3 grams for distribution. The aluminum tube can bear the reactiveness of the chemicals present in the glue and hence, is a suitable choice of packaging than any other resources available.

Plastic is a key material as it has huge applications ranging from cosmetics to personal care and from household to commercial use. Increasing demand for beauty creams has led to the modification in tube packaging, especially in case of affordable brands such as Hindustan Unilever and Emami. The global industry is witnessing growth, particularly in the healthcare industry as a number of pharmaceutical brands such as Ranbaxy and GSK are adopting environment safe packaging with a future purview of easy recycling. This, in turn, is augmenting the demand for aluminum and paper tube packages worldwide.

The healthcare sector is expected to witness significant growth over the forecast period. This growth can be attributed to excellent barrier properties such as damage proof, non-toxic, and hygiene of aluminum tubes. Such material is extensively adopted across various pharmaceutical companies due to high availability of aluminum as a resource and presence of a large number of manufacturers in the market.

Asia Pacific accounted for a substantial market share and it is estimated to lead the overall market in the coming years. Improved standard of living, coupled with rising disposable income of the working middle-class population in emerging economies such as India and China, is expected to drive the demand for convenient packaging, thereby drive the global market. For instance, LED bulbs from manufacturers such as Syska and Crompton are using hard-bound paper tubes for cost efficient packaging.

Material Insights

The plastic category held a share of 40.2% in 2018 and is expected to witness substantially growth over the forecast period. Plastic is amongst the most used resources for manufacturing tubes across various industries. Thus, with the rise in population, a cheaper resource for packaging is necessary on a large scale. This has encouraged many FMCG companies across the globe to package and distribute their products in plastic tubes such as toothpaste, face creams, and ketchups by automating their assembly lines for mass production.

However, with growing environmental concerns regarding water and soil pollution, BPA free plastics are used for packaging, which can be recycled with minimum efforts. For instance, MPack Poland provides eco-friendly tubes for packaging to major manufacturers in cosmetics, household chemicals, and pharmaceutical companies in the Europe market.

The paper category comprises of hardbound paper and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 6.9% over the forecast period. Paper tubes are used to pack lightweight products such as bulbs, cotton, and shuttle corks. It is an eco-friendly, recyclable, and cost efficient packaging material and hence, is used by various other industries as a container for distribution. For instance, Jonesville Paper Tube Corp. provides customized paper tubes for retail and industrial packaging across U.S.

Application Insights

The personal care category held a market share of more than 35.0% in 2018. The global market has beheld a high demand for BB and CC creams, which are applied with bare hands and are packaged in tubes. Majority of this demand is expected to grow due to its flexibility, thereby driving the personal care category in this market. Furthermore, technological advancements in cosmetic packaging due to focus on enhancing the user's experience such as by including a brush or sponge head, on a tube with a pump, and other innovative applicators, is likely to drive the market demand. For instance, Ponds and Garnier have a wide range of cosmetics in economical tube packs of varied sizes for its consumers.

The healthcare sector is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 6.8% over the forecast period. The pharmaceutical category in the healthcare industry is driving the demand for tube packaging, especially for medicines that are used in dermatology. The tube packing is extensively used for ointments with anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-inflammatory properties. In 2018, global pharmaceutical sales were USD 110 billion according to AstraZeneca and hence, the growth of the pharmaceutical sector is expected to augment the demand for tube packaging, particularly in this sector.

Regional Insights

In terms of value, Europe held the largest share of 35.0% in 2018. Growing trends in cosmetic and pharmaceutical products, along with growing consciousness regarding health and hygiene in this region, is driving the market, especially in the consumer goods segment.

Improving lifestyle and living standards in developing countries such as India and China is a major factor for the growth in these countries. Moreover, there has been a significant transition in end-users’ preference from traditional packaging to innovative packaging in major parts of Middle East and Africa such as South Africa and Saudi Arabia, which is ultimately helping the market to growth in the near future. For instance, Farsali is expected to launch its new cosmetic line with eco-friendly plastic tube packaging for its consumers in the APAC region.

Tube Packaging Market Share Insights

The global market is moderately fragmented with major players such as Sonoco Products Company, Essel Propack, Visipak, Huhtamaki OYJ, Amcor Limited, Albea Group, Montebello Packaging, Unette Corporation, and Worldwide Packaging.

With the presence of large and small manufacturers competing in terms of quality and prices, the market is vastly organized with a few major players across regions. In addition, there is a fairly high probability of new players entering the market, further intensifying the competition. 

Therefore, the market incumbents have been identified to adopt powerful competitive strategies, characterized by mergers and acquisitions and strong emphasis on R&D. For instance, Amcor and SIG partnered for aluminum sourcing. The collaboration aimed at ensuring the supply chain of aluminum foil meets the statutes of the Aluminum Stewardship Initiative (ASI) in March 2018.

Report Scope

Segments Covered in the Report

This report forecasts revenue growth at the global, regional, and country levels and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2015 to 2025. For the purpose of this study, Grand View Research has segmented the global tube packaging market report on the basis of material, application, and region:

• Material Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2015 - 2025)

  • Aluminum

  • Plastic

  • Paper

• Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2015 - 2025)

  • Personal Care

  • Healthcare

  • Others

• Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2015 - 2025)

  • North America

    • U.S.

  • Europe

    • Germany

    • U.K.

  • Asia Pacific

    • India

    • China

  • Central & South America

  • Middle East & Africa