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What Label Materials are Best for Beer Bottles?

Choosing the right label material for your beer bottles matters more than most people think. A smudged label or one that peels off in a cooler can make a high-quality beer look second-rate.

Beer Bottles with custom labels

BOPP Labels

Pros: BOPP (biaxially oriented polypropylene) labels are versatile, water-resistant, and oil-resistant. They perform exceptionally in refrigerated and wet conditions, making them ideal for beers stored in coolers or ice buckets.

Cons: Less eco-friendly compared to paper (but keep in mind, paper labels will have problems with moisture and durability).

Best applications: Standard production lines, large batches, breweries looking for consistent performance.

Finishing options: Compatible with lamination, UV varnish (a protective coating that adds gloss or matte texture), hot foil stamping (metallic accents pressed with heat), , screen printing, and spot UV (selective gloss coating to highlight areas).

Environmental factors: Performs well across cold storage, shipping friction, and handling. Resistant to moisture, abrasion, and temperature shifts. These labels won’t smudge or slide off when pulled from a cooler full of ice.

Shrink Sleeve Labels

Pros: Shrink sleeves offer 360-degree branding, meaning the label wraps entirely around the bottle, maximizing design space. They work perfectly for bottles with unique shapes and are highly durable and abrasion-resistant.

Cons: Higher upfront cost; you or your co-packer will need to have specialized application equipment to apply the shrink sleeves to the container. Less environmentally friendly and more difficult to recycle compared to pressure-sensitive options unless you add a perforation and the consumer removes from the container prior to recycling

Best applications: Premium products, uniquely shaped bottles, full coverage branding.

Finishing options: UV varnishes, cold foil, screen printing, spot UV, tactile (sand) varnish.

Environmental factors: Resistant to moisture and abrasion; heat sensitivity requires careful application control. Inner-printed sleeves are protected from scuffs during shipping and shelving.

Paper Labels

Pros: More extensive embellishment options and good for a rustic or artisanal brand look.

Cons: Vulnerable to moisture unless coated or laminated, which can increase cost. In refrigerated or damp environments, untreated paper labels may absorb water and wrinkle or peel.

Best applications: Small batch, premium artisan beers, or products stored in dry conditions.

Finishing options: Die cutting, lamination, UV varnish, hot foil stamping, embossing, screen printing, and spot UV.

Environmental factors: Must be protected from moisture; less suitable for refrigerated or wet environments unless heavily treated.

Vinyl Labels

Pros: Durable, moisture-resistant, excellent for outdoor exposure and long-term storage.

Cons: Higher cost than paper or BOPP; adhesive compatibility is an important factor. May not be the best fit for high-volume runs due to cost.

Best applications: Beers frequently exposed to outdoor environments or harsh storage conditions—think beer garden seasonals or special event releases.

Finishing options: Compatible with die cutting, lamination, UV varnish, hot foil stamping, embossing, screen printing, and spot UV.

Environmental factors: Excellent performance in moisture, cold storage, UV exposure, and abrasion conditions. Maintains label clarity and adhesion even after extended outdoor use.

Quick Comparison Table

Material	Durability	Moisture Resistance	Cost	Best Application
BOPP	High	High	Low	General-purpose labeling
Shrink Sleeve	Very High	Very High	High	Unique shapes, premium branding
Paper	Low	Low (unless treated)	Moderate	Dry environments, artisanal look
Vinyl	High	High	High	Outdoor, harsh conditions

Choosing your label material means considering your production scale, product storage conditions, and desired brand impact. Need help deciding which material suits your specific needs? Contact us or request a sample pack and we’ll guide you through it.

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What Is Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene (BOPP) and Why Is It Good For Product Labels?

Choosing a label for your packaging is a big deal. You need something that sticks out, but also sticks on. Enter biaxially oriented polypropylene, or BOPP for short.

It’s a to-go choice for several food and beverage, beauty, household, and even medical equipment brands. But is it the right choice for your products? Let’s walk through the benefits of BOPP, its applications, options, pricing, and customizability.

Understanding BOPP

Considering how commonly it’s used, you’ve probably passed by BOPP labels a million times at the store. BOPP is a type of plastic film commonly used for product labels. In simple terms, it’s a durable, clear material that’s been stretched in two directions during manufacturing. This stretching process enhances its strength and clarity.

Benefits of Choosing BOPP Labels

Ask a brand using BOPP for their product labels why they prefer it, and they’ll tell you it’s highly versatile. These are some of the benefits that make BOPP the perfect fit for product labels.

BOPP is Durable

Many packaging and labeling professionals consider BOPP to be one of the most durable label options available. It’s not susceptible to common problems affecting different labels like peeling, wrinkling, and lifting. Whether you use them on jars, bottles, or tubes, BOPP can last a long time.

BOPP is Resistant to Moisture, UV Light, and Oil

Because BOPP labels are durable and made from plastic, they can resist most types of liquids. Something spills or splashes on your label? It won’t smear the writing on the label if you’re using BOPP.

Meanwhile, BOPP’s moisture and solvent resistant qualities make it a great choice for household products people keep in their bathrooms and kitchens. BOPP is also acid resistant, which makes it suitable for food and beverage product packaging. You won’t have to worry about products containing tomatoes, coffee, condiments, or citrus, which have a low pH content, degrading or discoloring your BOPP labels.

BOPP Labels are Ideal for Printing

The polymer film used for making BOPP labels accepts both water and solvent-based inks, giving you more options when choosing effects for your labels. Ink adheres well to BOPP because it goes through several treatment steps to improve its printability. The final treatment also improves the ink’s ability to stick to the label material.

Sauces and seasoning products with custom labels and packaging

BOPP is Flexible

Another interesting aspect of BOPP is its flexibility, which makes it easy to apply on rounded and flat surfaces with ease. And since it’s very thin, BOPP labels can look as though they’re directly printed onto their container.

BOPP Applies to Glass, Plastic, and Metal

BOPP is compatible with all types of packaging containers commonly used for consumer goods. From metal cans and glass jars to plastic containers, the right combination of BOPP film and adhesive is sure to stick.

BOPP is Compatible with FDA Food Packaging Requirements

Food labels made from BOPP film are FDA compliant as long as they mention the following:

A statement of identity
Net quantity of contents
List of ingredients
Name of manufacturer, packer, or distributor.

BOPP labels designed and manufactured by companies like Blue Label Packaging meet FDA compliance standards for food packaging.

BOPP is an Affordable Label Choice

When it comes to cost, BOPP is more affordable than options like PET, while giving you the same level of durability and moisture resistance. While paper labels are cheaper to produce, they might not last as long, making BOPP a cost-efficient alternative.

Different BOPP Label Options

You don’t have to settle for a simple, generic label when you choose BOPP film. Here are some of your available BOPP label options:

Pressure Sensitive Labels on honey jars

White BOPP Labels

Though BOPP film labels come in different options, white is the most common choice. It’s used in the health and beauty, personal care, and cosmetic industries. You’ll also see white BOPP labels on food products by companies looking to make their branding stand out.

Clear BOPP Labels

Transparent BOPP labels can give your product a sleek, no-label look, and is often used on beverages, household products, specialty foods, and cosmetic products. It has the same moisture resistant qualities of white BOPP, except that it’s almost invisible.

Wine bottles with custom pressure sensitive labels

Silver And Gold BOPP Labels

For a more luxurious appearance, you can also choose silver or holographic BOPP product labels. These have the same capabilities as clear or white labels, but offer a metallic finish.

Squeezable BOPP Labels

BOPP-squeezable labels are made for product containers that contort with handling, like shampoo, condiment, and lotion bottles. They give you the flexibility, moisture resistance, and durability needed for products that take on frequent handling.

BOPP Label Applications

BOPP is a popular option for label materials—it offers impressive affordability and durability making it desirable for a wide range of products and industries.

Food And Beverage

Numerous food and beverage companies use BOPP labels because it’s waterproof, looks great, and is easy to read. It’s durable against acidic foods that might typically leave labels smeared or stained. The flexibility and thinness of BOPP labels make them easy to apply to round surfaces of food and beverage containers.

Health and Beauty

Packaging for health and beauty items like cosmetics require specific product information on the labels, so protecting against smudging, fading, and tearing is critical. These labels need to hold up in humid and damp environments. BOPP product labels are resistant to water from showers and sinks, oils that come off users’ hands, and the products inside them.

Choose BOPP Labels for Durable and Attractive Product Labeling Solutions

To sum it up, BOPP film is a versatile solution to labeling your products, whether you operate in the food and beverage, cosmetic, or household goods industry. It’s resistant to moisture, comes in various finishes, and is compatible with glass, metal, and plastic containers.

If you want to start printing BOPP film labels for your products, contact our team at Blue Label Packaging to request a quote.