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.

3 Key Considerations When Designing Labels for Bottlenecks

A good bottleneck label can help set your product head and shoulders above the competition. Like a good tie for a nice suit, a bottleneck label adds an intriguing element to the overall look of a bottle. As such, it’s important to devote enough time to designing these companion labels. Here are some key factors to consider when designing bottleneck labels.

Use Your Extra Space Wisely

Bottleneck labels provide you with a very important gift: more design space. Once you have more design space, you need to figure out what you want to do with that space to showcase your branding and attract consumers. You could use it to showcase your logo, add additional information that couldn’t quite fit on your main product label, or use it as a decorative seal for spirits and other classy products.

Want to add a show-stopping pop to your bottleneck? Hot foil stamping makes your logo stand out on the bottleneck in a whole new way, or simply mirror the design on your main product label. You can also opt for a new twist on your branding, such as an alternate logo or variable bottleneck labels catered to specific versions or flavors of your products.

When it comes to adding information, you can utilize the bottleneck to showcase certain messaging. Have a company motto, saying, or some other language to intrigue buyers? A bottleneck label is a perfect spot for these types of branding efforts. You can even use the extra space to make intriguing health claims for food or dietary supplements, as long as they comply with FDA guidelines.

You can also use the bottleneck as a place to include certain regulatory info to free up space on your body label. This is particularly useful for alcohol and other heavily regulated products, although you need to make sure you follow the rules for mandatory label information placement. Whether it’s decoration or compliance, bottlenecks give you the space you need to do what you want to showcase your bottled product.

A spirits bottle featuring a bottleneck label.

Taper Your Bottlenecks (if Necessary)

The shape of a bottle plays a major role in how you design a label. That same philosophy extends to bottleneck labels as well.

The neck and body of a bottle can have different shapes. For example, a standard beer bottle has a cylindrical body, but the neck has a slight taper to it. Other containers, such as spirits or wine bottles, may have cylindrical necks as well as bodies. As a result, you’ll need to measure both the body and the neck to see if you should taper one or both labels.

If the neck of your bottle is tapered, you’ll need to adjust your design. A standard label shape placed on a tapered container will look uneven and can cause the label itself to crease or bulge. The tapering process is a bit tricky, so we’ve provided guidelines on how to taper labels in another blog post for you, just in case.

Factor in Bottle Conditions

Sometimes designing labels is like picking out an outfit – a snazzy dress shirt with no jacket isn’t going to help if it rains. If you want that design to shine, you better consider potential environmental factors so that you can protect it from damage. Water resistance is one typical consideration for bottle labels, but everything from sunlight to scuffs and scratches pose future problems for all parts of your bottle.

Protective coatings like laminates and varnishes help shield your design from outside factors that will cause your labels to warp, scratch, or fall right off the bottle. This extra level of defense can help you ensure that your label design stays looking great. A varnish can double as a decorative effect as well. For example, a spot varnish can add a gloss sheen to a specific element of your design, helping your bottle neck label stand out even further.

A digital label printing expert looking over labels for bottles.

Find the Right Printing Company

A great label still needs a printing company that can do your design justice. Not only is it important to find a printer that has all the technical capabilities required to bring your design to life, it’s also key that this company works with you to identify any specific issues and potential solutions to make sure your labels both look great and perform as expected.

Blue Label is ready to work with you to print the perfect bottle labels for your products. Contact Blue Label today to talk to one of our experts about your next label project and how we can help.