Fine Mist Sprayers
ture. If you skimp on one
area, I think it can have a
significant impact in that
overall consumer experience.”
Newmaster recalls a
recent client who had a
dispenser problem. He
said the specified fine
mist sprayer worked for
the first 10–15 sprays, and
then it wouldn’t work as
promised. Complaints to
its customer service department
increased and repeat
customers decreased. It
shows that the pressure on
a dispenser to help deliver
the brand experience is
only going to increase.
“I think in today’s world,
where returns are literally
a click of a button, that it’s important that you don’t have any
cold pricklies,” Hurley said.
What can a brand do to ensure it gets the right fine mist
sprayer experience?
“Test. Test. Test,” said Hofmeister. “I think many companies
spend a lot more time on product development than they do
34 Spray May 2021
on product delivery. That’s a mistake because consumers will
suffer from what I’d call ‘anticippointment’—they’re excited,
and then can’t get the stuff out of the bottle,” she noted.
Keating, Palmer and Newmaster all said testing is a critical
step. They encourage clients to get spray pump samples and
then test them with the product before committing to a fine
mist spray pump supplier. That testing on new products can
even lead to a rethink of pumps on current products.
“I have a client now that has gone through lots of different
pumps and tested them with all their different products,”
Newmaster said. “They settled on two versions that work, and
they have actually swapped out some other products to go with
the same dispensing technology.”
Testing exposes a pump’s design and engineering. It shows
whether the fluid is compatible with the plastics in the dispenser.
There is no way to rush it. Testing lead times can range
from a couple of weeks to several months. The fluid and the
plastics in the dispenser need a long period of time to interact
with each other and only time will expose issues and problems.
Testing how-tos
Ballot of FLOCON, Inc. breaks testing into three “C”s: Compatibility,
Consistency and Company.
Compatibility is the first test. One needs to check to see if
the plastics in the fine mist sprayer resist the chemistry in the
fluid. The plastics should not swell, shrink, become brittle or
crack. This can be as easy as filling a bottle with fluid, twisting
on a sample sprayer and pumping fluid through it.
However, it’s not that easy. One has to think about the
product’s use environments; the tests have to mimic those
conditions. For example, consider a product made for use in
a shipyard or manufacturing facility. Temperatures can range
from below freezing to very hot. The spray pump has to remain
stable and viable through those temperature swings.
Further consider a personal care product that will spend
most of its time in a gym bag. That means it’s getting thrown
Glade Essentials Room Mist Collection
Bonbon Instant Hand & Trolley Sanitizer