acticospack is an active packaging initiative being developed to help extend the shelf life of cosmetics. the technology is based on the interaction between the package and the cosmetic product. this project will develop an innovative active package that will act as a reservoir of preservatives which will be released into the cosmetic products due to the migration properties given by many polymeric materials like those used in packaging. the acticospack project is developed by a consortium of five sme businesses and is funded from the european union&rsquos seventh framework programme. it is not clear when the development work will be complete and the innovation will be commercially available. it is able to produce packaging that has the ability to release natural preservatives at the necessary rates and quantities into the actual cosmetic product. this mode of preservation enables the reduction of preservatives in the cosmetic formulation and last longer than the actual direct preservative addition, thus prolonging the shelf life of the cosmetics.   it is focused in the development of active packages for the preservation of three common cosmetic products active bottle based on pet for shampoo, active bottle based on pp or hdpe for sun lotion, active pot based on pp or hdpe for skin care cream.
