British Science Week starts today and the theme this year is exploring ‘Time’, a concept that’s always top of mind for us in our beauty labs and cosmetics manufacturing facility.

We’re using it as an opportunity to celebrate some of the technology that’s the heartbeat of our cosmetics laboratory and factory operations. Each machine, from our precision filling lines to the agile packaging systems, plays a vital role in streamlining THG LABS manufacturing processes, ensuring we produce high-quality beauty products with remarkable speed and efficiency.

Time is of the essence in the beauty industry, where new trends are quick to take off. The machinery in our factory allows us to stay ahead of these changes, providing our beauty brand partners with the agility to meet market demands swiftly without compromising on quality. The benefits are twofold: brands can accelerate product launches to captivate the market, and consumers enjoy the latest beauty innovations faster than ever before.

Here we explore just some of the key machines that empower our cosmetics factory and R&D Labs which means we offer our partners not just speed, but the ability to respond to customer needs with flexibility and precision.

HOT FILL MACHINE 

Powering through 60 units a minute, our bespoke hot fill machine efficiently fills, cools and caps various product formats while maintaining formulation integrity and consistent quality across balms, sticks and hard waxes.

“With demand to increase our hot fill capacity, we invested in a state-of-the-art complete line solution which as well as filling, cooling and capping products from 10ml-500ml, also provides an additional jar cleaning station, tightens caps, has an advanced 90-metre long cooling tunnel and vision system batch code verification” 
Andy Mason – Packaging Development Manager

AUTO CARTONER 

With a capacity of between 40 and 60 units per minute, our automatic vertical cartoner is able to meet a diverse range of client needs, seamlessly accommodating beauty products of various shapes and sizes, and handling both pre-packaged and loose items.

“Our auto-cartoner is the most bespoke machinery solution in our factory – it has been designed to meet our customer demands while improving efficiency, and embodies our commitment to innovation and continuous improvement.” 
Yichen Wang – Continuous Improvement Lead

3D PRINTER

Our 3D printers enable us to create custom parts ourselves in-house which means a significant cut in tooling costs for new projects while also helping us accommodate quick line-fixes to limit down-time of equipment in the factory.

“By investing in additive manufacturing we’ve expanded our output capacity for printed parts, leveraging the high-speed capabilities of our new machines. Additionally, we can now utilise a variety of robust materials, including carbon fibre, which extends the possibilities for crafting durable concepts in our future designs.
Peter White – Feasability & NPD Line Setter

FIBRA.ONE

Our hair tress testing equipment is able to instantly evaluate the performance of our products and is equipped with multiple accessories, including combing, hair friction and curl compresson to support claims such as ‘detangling’, ‘hold’, ‘smoothness’, ‘softness’ and ‘damage repair’.

5 TONNE VESSEL

Used for our larger batch sizes, our 5 tonne process vessels are work horses whipping up everything from oils and creams to lotions and scrubs. Their features include heating and cooling jackets and an advanced agitator system that ensures precision in every formulation.

“While the initial investment in our 5 tonne vessels was substantial, their capabilities in terms of volume have been instrumental in facilitating the growth of our customers’ brands and business”
Andy Mclean – Process Supervisor