Winners in all three categories--plastics, metals, and laminates--were announced March 1. The top winner in the laminates category was Cool Mint Listerine® Gel, marketed by Warner Wellcome Consumer Health Care, Morris Plains, NJ. Graphics, which include the familiar Listerine logo against a bright teal background, were designed in-house. The tubes, available in three sizes, are offset-printed in five colors. American National Can (Chicago, IL) provides the foil/ high-density polyethylene laminate tube and the polypropylene screw-on cap. The Plastic Tube of the Year award went to consumer direct marketing company Melaleuca, Inc., Idaho Falls, ID, for its Mate® Shower Gel. Introduced in May of 1995, this five-product men's line boasts the somewhat unusual use of gray as a primary color. Melaleuca designed its own graphics. The tube stands out among others on the shower shelf--and stands up, as well, thanks to its inverted PP dispenser. Its one-piece "twist-open" design can't get lost in the shower. Tubed Products (Easthampton, MA) supplies both the "Center Dispense" closure and the 7.1-oz HDPE tube. It's offset-printed in five colors. Revlon, New York, NY, won the Metal Tube of the year award for its new Rev Up® semi-permanent color enhancer. Victor Tube (Harrisonburg, VA) provides the aluminum tube, which uses a proprietary internal coating for product compatibility. The tube's clean graphic look was designed by Revlon. Tubes are offset-printed in four colors. Victor Tube also manufactures the HDPE puncture-tip cap, which facilitates easy opening of the tube's foil seal. Introduced in June, 1995, 12 varieties of Rev Up each retail at around $4.99.
