Custom 300ml Big Airless Pump Bottle for Little Urchin

LITTLE URCHIN wanted to upgrade the packaging for its kids sunscreen range.

Parents were asking for a bigger, family-friendly pack they could keep by the pool or toss into a beach bag, while the brand team needed a solution that would:

• handle a thick, clear zinc formula
• support the brand’s natural, gentle positioning with a soft, matte look
• keep costs under control for a 300 ml SKU sold through retail channels

UKPACK was invited to turn this brief into a manufacturable big airless pump bottle based on our UKA22 platform.

LITTLE URCHIN is an Australian suncare brand focused on natural, reef-friendly sun protection for families. Its products are formulated for kids’ and parents’ sensitive skin, with a strong emphasis on clean ingredients and everyday usability.

The hero product in this project is Kids Natural Clear Zinc Sunscreen SPF 50, 300 ml – a high-viscosity clear zinc sunscreen designed for children’s delicate skin and long days outdoors at the beach, pool or playground. Instead of a light lotion, the texture is intentionally thicker and more protective.

Because of this formula and usage scenario, the pack needed to meet several specific requirements:

• High viscosity: the clear zinc texture is significantly thicker than a standard sunscreen lotion, so the pump must evacuate the product smoothly without clogging or leaving heavy residue at the bottom.
• Outdoor usage: the bottle is frequently exposed to sunlight, heat and sand, which increases the risk of oxidation and contamination if air and light are not well controlled.
• Family-size format: at 300 ml, one pack is shared by several kids, so the packaging must be robust, easy to handle and comfortable for repeated daily use.

With many suncare and skincare brands facing similar challenges, UKPACK has extensive experience in suncare packaging and skincare packaging for high-viscosity formulas, helping formulators choose airless systems and structures that match both product performance and commercial targets.

The clear zinc kids sunscreen is much thicker than a regular emulsion.

A standard lotion pump or squeeze bottle would struggle with:

• incomplete evacuation
• inconsistent dosing
• messy application, especially when kids try to apply it themselves

As a sunscreen, the product:

• is opened and closed many times during the day
• is often left in direct sunlight at the beach or pool

The brand needed a pack that minimises air contact and helps protect sensitive UV filters and natural ingredients.

The marketing team wanted:

• a soft, matte surface to communicate a natural, kid-friendly feel
• a large 300 ml pack that still looks premium on shelf

Spray-coating a gloss bottle to achieve a matte look would add a significant cost per unit for such a big format.

UKPACK recommended our UKA22 big airless pump bottle in a custom 300 ml configuration.

Key features:

• Airless piston system to limit air ingress and help protect the sunscreen formula over its shelf life
• A pump engine optimised for high-viscosity zinc sunscreen, providing a smooth, controlled dose
• Robust bottle body and actuator designed for family use – easy for parents and older kids to press

To deliver the desired tactile experience without expensive secondary spraying, our engineering team proposed a tooling-led solution:

• We developed a new matte-texture injection mold for the UKA22 components.
• Injection parameters were optimised so the bottle comes out of the mold with a matte finish, no extra coating required.
• The result is a uniform, scratch-resistant matte surface that feels soft in hand and supports the natural brand image.

This approach removed the spray-coating step completely and reduced packaging cost by around US$0.60 per set at scale.

Beyond the engineering, the final pack was tuned for real-life family use:

• 300 ml capacity makes it easy for one bottle to serve several kids
• The rounded, easy-to-press actuator works well even with wet or sandy hands
• The matte texture improves grip and hides minor scuffs from bags and beach use
• The silhouette keeps the bottle looking fun, bright and reassuring in lifestyle photos and on shelf

Fit for a high-viscosity kids sunscreen: the UKA22 airless system delivers consistent doses of a thick zinc formula while helping reduce waste at the bottom of the bottle.

Improved formula protection: compared with a traditional open-neck bottle, the airless design helps limit air exposure during everyday use.

Cost-efficient matte finish: by integrating the matte texture into the mold, UKPACK helped Little Urchin save approximately US$0.60 per set versus a sprayed-matte solution.

On-brand look and feel: the large, cheerful yellow bottle supports Little Urchin’s natural, family-focused positioning, reinforcing product trust for parents.

This project is a good example of how packaging engineering and tooling design can answer multiple commercial pressures at once:

• Packaging that protects delicate, high-viscosity formulas
• A large-format, airless solution that still feels premium and easy to use
• Smart tooling decisions that control cost without compromising design

For sun care and skincare brands planning family-size formats, working with an experienced cosmetic packaging manufacturer like UKPACK can unlock both better performance and better economics.

Whether you are upgrading an existing SPF product or developing a new high-viscosity skincare formula, UKPACK can help you:

• choose the right airless pump bottles for your formula
• fine-tune pump performance for real-life use
• balance aesthetics, sustainability and cost through smart tooling and material choices