Custom Lotion Boxes
Custom lotion boxes built around the bottle, pump or tube you actually fill, from 100 units. We size for the pump head, choose a board that shrugs off a greasy thumb, and keep the panel with the ingredient list readable — dieline and price the same working day.
Built around a bottle that is rarely the shape it says it is
- Board
- 18–24 pt SBS, kraft-faced, or recycled board; laminated as standard
- Styles
- Straight tuck, reverse tuck, auto-lock base, sleeve and tray, two-piece gift
- Bottle holding
- Collar platform for pumps, base platform for jars, tray for sets
Get a price for Lotion Boxes
Send the size and quantity — we reply the same working day with a price, a dieline and a date. Artwork optional at this stage.
- Free dielineThe flat drawing comes with the quote, before you commit.
- Proof before pressNothing is printed until you have seen it laid on the dieline.
- Die kept for reordersTooling is paid once. Every reorder skips straight to press.
- Quoted in four marketsUS, UK, Canada and Australia, in the delivery currency.
The pump head problem
A pump adds height and a nozzle that sticks out to one side. Box the bottle to its body and the pump crushes the top flap; box it to the pump and the bottle rattles below. The answer is a carton sized to the locked pump height with a top platform that has a hole for the pump collar, so the neck is held and the body hangs plumb underneath. For a shipped pump we specify the locked position, and for an unlocked pump we ask you to reconsider.
| Pump bottle | Carton to locked pump height, collar platform, body clearance 2 mm |
|---|---|
| Flip-cap tube | Carton to tube plus cap, crimp end at the top so it stands in the box |
| Jar | Square carton with a platform under the jar, or a sleeve over a tray |
| Airless dispenser | Same as a pump, with a deeper platform for the wider base |
A board that survives a greasy thumb
Lotion gets on hands and hands get on cartons. Uncoated board shows every fingerprint as a translucent patch that never goes away. Coated SBS with a matte or soft-touch lamination wipes clean, and it is the reason nearly every lotion brand ends up with a laminated box even when the design is plain.
Where a kraft look is part of the brand, a kraft-faced board with a thin aqueous coating keeps the texture and stops the marking. For the sustainability side of that choice, our plain-language guide to packaging sustainability claims sets out what a coating does and does not change.
What has to be on the panel
On a tall narrow carton, the ingredient list fits the back panel comfortably. On a short wide one for a jar, it often forces a side panel to be all text, and the artwork should be planned around that rather than squeezed after.
- Product name and function, and the net contents in both units.
- The full ingredient list in descending order — long for lotion, and it sets the minimum panel size.
- Directions and any warnings, which for SPF products are extensive.
- The responsible party's name and address, and the lot or batch mark, usually inkjet coded after print.
Retail carton, or gift box
A single tuck-end carton is the retail standard and runs cheaply many-up on a sheet. A gift build — a two-piece box or a magnetic lid over a die-cut tray holding a bottle and a companion product — is a different construction, closer to what we make for bath salt gift boxes with fitted trays. Most brands run both: the carton for the shelf, the gift box for the set.
Airless and pump bottles are heavy for their size. A crash-lock or auto-lock base holds them; a plain tuck base can open under the weight in a shipping carton.
Lotion Boxes — specification
The rows that are specific to this build first, then what applies to every job we run. Anything not listed is a question, not a limit — send the brief.
This build
- Board
- 18–24 pt SBS, kraft-faced, or recycled board; laminated as standard
- Styles
- Straight tuck, reverse tuck, auto-lock base, sleeve and tray, two-piece gift
- Bottle holding
- Collar platform for pumps, base platform for jars, tray for sets
- Finishes
- Soft-touch or matte lamination, foil, spot UV, aqueous on kraft
- Panels
- Ingredient panel planned into the artwork; batch code space reserved
- Minimum
- 100 boxes
On every job
- Print process
- Digital below about a thousand, offset above it. One side or both, with spot colors where a match has to hold.
- Color
- CMYK as standard. Uncoated and kraft stocks print lighter and warmer; a spot color is the only exact match.
- Tolerance
- Cutting plus or minus 1 mm, creasing plus or minus 0.5 mm, confirmed on a plain sample before the run.
- Tooling
- A cutting die per size, made once and kept. Foil and emboss dies per artwork, also kept.
- Food contact
- Food-grade board and inks where the carton touches food, with the interior left plain.
- Sustainability
- Mono-material board wherever the product allows; recycled-content and FSC stocks; no claim printed the pack does not earn.
- Artwork
- Vector PDF or AI, 3 mm bleed, 4 mm safe area, fonts outlined. We check every file and send a proof before press.
- Dieline
- Supplied free with the quote, before you commit. Yours whether or not you order.
- Sample
- A plain unprinted sample at the finished size on request, for fit and construction.
- Reorders
- Skip the tooling and go straight to press at a lower unit price.
- Lead time
- Quoted with the price against your fill date rather than promised before we have seen the spec.
- Markets
- United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia — priced in the delivery currency, freight included.
Boards and films we build lotion boxes on
A folding carton is one sheet of board, so the board is the product. These are the stocks we run for cartons, what each is good at, and where it lets you down.
Natural kraft
Unbleached folding board. Warm, hides marks, costs least. Mutes color — one or two flat colors print well, photographs do not.
250–350gsm sleeves; 14–24pt cartonsWhite SBS
Solid bleached sulfate: bright, coated, the retail carton standard. Takes accurate color and every finish. Shows scuffs sooner than kraft.
14–24ptWhite lined chipboard
A recycled gray core under a white printing face. Cheaper than SBS and slightly duller; the back of the sheet stays gray.
16–24ptKraft-look coated
A kraft face over a coated inner. The natural look with a barrier behind it — the answer where oil, grease or moisture would mark plain kraft.
14–20ptRecycled-content board
Post-consumer fiber with a gray-brown cast. Right for outers and inner components; poor for bright whites and photography.
16–22ptMicro-flute E and F
A fine corrugated layer where a carton needs structure it cannot get from board — a large panel, a heavy product, a box that ships alone.
E 1.5 mm; F 0.8 mmUncoated and textured
No clay coat, or a linen or laid grain. Print reads softer and warmer; a deboss goes deeper. Photographs do not sit well on it.
280–350gsmMetallised and pearlescent
A metallic or pearl face for a shelf that needs to catch light. Costly, and it fights a photograph — a mark or a pattern suits it better.
16–20ptNot sure which? Say what goes in it and where it is sold — the material follows from that. Our notes on recycled, recyclable and compostable cover which claims each stock can honestly carry.
- 01
Send what you have
A dimension, a photograph beside a ruler, or the product itself. No technical drawing needed — that part is ours.
- 02
We quote and draw
A price, a dieline and a date come back together. If a different build would suit the product better, that is in the reply too.
- 03
Approve the dieline
The flat drawing is yours to check: which panel is the front, where the folds fall, how deep the cavity really is.
- 04
Artwork on the dieline
You place your design on the flat we sent, or we place it for you, and you see a proof before anything goes to press.
- 05
A sample if you want one
A plain unprinted sample at the finished size shows fit and construction — the things a drawing cannot.
- 06
Cut, printed, shipped
The die is cut once and kept, so every reorder skips the tooling and goes straight to press at a lower unit price.
Format
Vector PDF or AI where possible. Raster artwork at 300dpi at final size, in CMYK.
Bleed
3 mm past every trim line, so a fraction of drift on the cutter never leaves a white edge.
Safe area
Keep type and anything important 4 mm inside the cut and away from every fold.
Color
Convert to CMYK before sending. Uncoated stock prints lighter; a spot color is the only exact match.
Fonts
Outline them or supply the files. A missing font substitutes silently and the proof will not match.
Barcodes
On a light, matte, unvarnished patch with the quiet zone clear — a code on gloss fails the scanner.
Not set up that way? Send it anyway — fixing a file is a short conversation, and we check every one before press. Our guide to preparing print files covers each point.
Every finish here is a decision about light on a shelf, not about luxury.
Matte lamination
Reads considered, hides marks, takes a ballpoint.
Gloss lamination
Lifts color; glares under shop lighting.
Soft-touch
Velvet in the hand; shows fingerprints in a bag.
Hot foil
Real metal leaf — the most reliable premium signal.
Emboss / deboss
Shape with no ink; works in the dark.
Spot UV
Gloss shapes on a matte field.
Uncoated kraft
Warm, natural, mutes color.
Textured stock
Texture in the paper; cannot scuff off.
Not sure which suits the shelf it sells from? Say where the product is sold and we suggest one — our notes on specialty finishes show them on real boxes.
Sizing a folding carton so the die comes out right: lotion boxes
Measure the product, not the box it is in now. A carton is built around what has to fit inside it, assembled — cap on, lid fitted, folded if it folds — at its widest point in each direction. Send those three numbers and say which is which.
- Length x width x height
- Internal, always. External dimensions include the board and are what the carrier measures, not what the product needs.
- Clearance
- 2–3 mm a side for a snug fit; more where an insert or void fill goes in. A carton cut exactly to the product is slow to pack and transmits every knock.
- Board thickness
- Heavier board takes internal space from the product. It matters most on small boxes, where four walls of 24pt is a real share of the cavity.
- Varies between batches?
- Glass, textiles, molded parts and cured soap all do. Measure several and build to the largest.
- Cutting tolerance
- Plus or minus 1 mm on folding board. Confirmed on a plain sample before the run.
- Units
- Metric or imperial, as long as you say which. Mixing them in one spec is where mistakes happen.
Not sure your numbers are right? Send the product dimensions rather than the box dimensions and we work the box out — the full method is in our guide to measuring for a box.
Interactive · five steps · no sign-up
Build your Lotion Boxes in 3D
Pick a shape, type a size, choose a board and a finish. The preview on the left redraws as you go, and the spec lands with us exactly as you set it.
Frequently asked questions
Got a question about lotion boxes? The answers below cover what we get asked most. If yours is not here, send it with a brief, message us on WhatsApp, or call +1 503-461-4788 — we reply the same working day.
Do you size for the pump?
Yes — to the locked pump height, with a top platform that holds the collar so the bottle hangs straight and the pump does not push on the flap.
Can the box hold a tube instead of a bottle?
Yes. Tube cartons are sized to the tube plus cap and usually stand the tube crimp-up so the cap sits on the base.
Why is lamination recommended?
Lotion on hands marks uncoated board permanently. A matte or soft-touch lamination wipes clean and keeps the box looking new on the shelf.
Can I have a kraft box?
Yes, with a light aqueous coating to stop fingerprints from marking it. The texture stays; the staining does not.
Where does the ingredient list go?
Usually the back panel, set at the legal minimum size. On a short, wide jar carton it may take a full side panel, so we plan the artwork around it.
Is the base strong enough for a heavy bottle?
With a crash-lock or auto-lock base, yes. We recommend it for any pump or airless bottle over about 150 ml.
Can you do a gift box with two products?
Yes, a two-piece or magnetic-lid box with a die-cut tray that holds the bottle and its companion. Send both items and we cut the tray to fit.
Will you leave space for a batch code?
Yes. We reserve a clear area on the base or back panel for inkjet coding after print.
What is the minimum order?
100 boxes. Cartons run many-up on a sheet so short runs are practical.
Do you supply the bottles?
No, only the packaging. Send us the bottle or its drawing and we build the carton around it.
How long does production take?
It depends on the finish and the quantity. We give a date with the quote rather than a number before we have seen the spec.
Will you send a dieline before printing?
Always, with the quote, and a white sample on request so the bottle fit is confirmed.
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