Supplement packaging
Tamper-evident seals for jars, tubs and bottles
Vitamins, powders, creams and oils are often sold in wide-mouth jars and bottles that are easy to open and re-close. A tamper-evident seal makes that opening visible — to the customer, to the retailer and to your quality team.
Send us the container and we will specify a seal that fits the cap, the closure and the filling line.
What happens when it is disturbed
Visible evidence on the closure
The seal does not stop the jar or bottle being opened. It leaves a clear mark — a void message, a split, or a separated layer — that shows the opening happened after the pack was sealed.
When to use it
- Screw-top and wide-mouth jars for powders, capsules and gummies.
- Bottles with flip or pump caps where the seal can bridge the cap-to-body gap.
- Flexible tubes, sachets and refill pouches where the seal closes the opening seam.
- Retail packs where the customer checks the seal before first use.
- E-commerce packs that may be opened in transit, at returns hubs or during inspection.
When not to use it
- As proof that the contents are genuine. That is authentication, which needs a different control.
- On containers that are opened and closed several times during use — the seal is for first-opening evidence only.
- As a replacement for child-resistant or product-safety closures. It is a tamper indicator, not a safety lock.
- On substrates that have not been tested. PET, HDPE, glass, aluminium and paper all behave differently.
Specification
What to specify when you order
| Format | Round cap seal, dumbbell seal, wraparound label or flat lid seal, depending on the closure geometry. |
|---|---|
| Material | Paper or film; paper suits recyclable single-material packs, film resists moisture and oils. |
| Adhesive | Permanent or clean-peel, depending on whether the container is reused or recyclable. |
| Void behaviour | Full-transfer, partial-transfer or destructible — matched to the surface and the evidence you need. |
| Brand colour, batch code, QR or barcode, warning wording, and whether the panel is write-on. | |
| Application | Hand-applied, semi-automatic or inline; tell us the speed and the gap the seal has to bridge. |
| Volumes | Seals per batch or per year, so roll or sheet format fits your line. |
What to test before you commit
01
Your container
Test the seal on the actual jar, bottle, tub or pouch, including curved and textured surfaces.
02
Closure geometry
Check the seal fits the cap-to-body gap without wrinkling or lifting when the cap is turned.
03
Line speed
Hand or machine application must keep pace with filling; a seal that slows the line will be skipped.
04
Storage conditions
Leave sealed containers at warehouse temperature and humidity, then at chilled or warm extremes if relevant.
05
Customer recognition
Show an intact and a voided seal to a sample of users. The difference must be obvious.
06
Recyclability
If the pack is marketed as recyclable, confirm the seal substrate and adhesive fit the same waste stream.
Container and closure fit
Which container, and which kind of seal
The seals on this page are pressure-sensitive tamper evident labels applied over a closure. Two other things are also called a supplement seal, and they are different processes with different equipment. Knowing which one you are asking for saves a specification round.
01
Tamper evident label seal
What we supply. Applied over the cap, lid or closure line after filling. Lifting it reveals a VOID or custom security message. It suits any closure type, can be individually numbered, and needs no capping equipment.
02
Induction heat seal liner
A foil membrane welded to the bottle neck inside the cap by an induction head on the filling line. It is a container and capping specification, not a label, so a label cannot be swapped in for it.
03
Shrink band or ring
A sleeve shrunk over the cap and neck with a heat tunnel, sized per cap diameter. It covers the closure fully but carries less print area and no per-unit numbering unless it is printed as a run.
Substrate and closure notes
| PET and r-PET bottles | Smooth and predictable for adhesion. Adhesive bond continues to build after application, so judge a removal test after full cure rather than straight off the roll. |
|---|---|
| HDPE and PP tubs | Lower surface energy than PET. A film face with a permanent adhesive is the usual route, and moulded texture or draft on the tub wall should be tested on the real tub, not a flat sample. |
| Glass jars with metal caps | The cap to glass step is the deciding factor. Dumbbell and wraparound formats bridge the step without wrinkling; a flat round seal wants a flat lid. |
| PETG and styrene jars | Behave close to PET for adhesion, but they are the substrates most worth sampling first because wall thickness and mould release vary between suppliers. |
| Card cartons and pouches | Fibre surfaces can be sealed with a paper construction that reveals a clean dry peel security message, or a permanent film where the pack is handled hard in transit. |
What a seal tells you, and what it does not
A tamper evident seal answers one question: has this closure been interfered with since it was packed. It is not a freshness, potency or sterility indicator, and it does not prevent someone opening the container. If a customer reports a broken seal, the useful record is the seal number, the batch, and where in the chain the pack was when it was noticed; that is what makes a pattern visible across returns rather than a single complaint.
Where this goes next
- Tamper evident label rangeConstructions, substrates and void behaviours in one place.
- Permanent labelsWhere the security message and residue should stay on the container after opening.
- Non-residue labelsWhere the container is reused, refilled or must be left clean and unmarked.
- Paper tamper evident labelsFibre-based construction for packs marketed on recyclability.
- Custom tamper evident labelsSequential numbering, barcodes, QR and Data Matrix on the seal.
- E-commerce and retailSealing DTC and subscription despatch, and using seal evidence in returns investigation.
- Tamper evident tape rangeFor outer cartons, boxes and larger pack closures.
- Our credentialsCertifications and standards, in one place.
Procurement questions
What we can confirm at enquiry stage
The questions buyers ask before a specification exists, answered as far as they can honestly be answered without seeing the container.
| Minimum order quantity | Confirmed against the agreed specification rather than published as one figure. It moves with substrate, size, number of colours and whether the seal is numbered, so we quote it with the specification. |
|---|---|
| Lead time | Quoted with the specification once the construction and artwork are agreed. Tell us your fill date at enquiry stage and we will tell you whether it is achievable before you commit. |
| Size and format | Set by the closure, not chosen from a list. Cap diameter, the cap-to-body step and whether the seal wraps decide it, which is why we work from your actual container. |
| UV flexo. The VOID or security message can be your own wording or mark rather than a generic VOID. | |
| Identification on the seal | Sequential numbering, barcode, QR or Data Matrix, so a reported seal can be tied to your batch and despatch records. The code identifies the pack in your system; it is not on its own proof that the contents are genuine. |
| Samples | We sample the specified construction on your own jar, tub, bottle or carton so adhesion, void behaviour and application are proven on the real pack before a production order. |
| Manufacture and documentation | Manufactured in the UK with UK technical support. Ask for the technical datasheet for the construction we specify, and see our credentials for current certifications. We do not certify the finished supplement or its claims; that stays with the brand owner. |
Send us the pack
Let us specify it against your container
Send the jar, tub or bottle you pack into and tell us how it is sealed, filled and stored. We will tell you what construction fits and voids clearly.
Talk it through
Discuss your requirement
Formats, materials, print, batch coding, volumes and lead times. UK manufacture, UK technical support.