Tactility and Matte Surfaces: What Lies Behind the Trend "Tangible Packaging"

At the shelf, buyers decide within seconds. What is now becoming just as important as visual stimuli such as colour, effect and shape ist tactility. Tactile appeal, matt surfaces and understated, authentic design are demonstrably gaining relevance. Anyone relying on visual impact alone is leaving potentail on the table.
 

Why Tactility Is Becoming an Increasingly Important Purchase Argument 

A 2025 study by Sappi North America and Clemson University reaches a striking conclusion: just two touches of a high-quality packaging design increase purchase probability by roughly half. Put differently: reaching for the product is often already half the buying decision. For brands and converters, the surface thereby shifts from mere protection to an active sales space. But what does "high-quality design" actually mean today in tactile terms? 

Do Matte Plastic Surfaces Feel More Valuable Than High-Gloss Ones? 

For a long time, perceived value on the packaging shelf worked almost like an equation: the glossier and more flawless, the higher the quality impression. 
A research team at Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU Wien) demonstrated back in 2019 an interesting correlation: a matte surface makes a product appear more natural — and this impression of naturalness translates positively into perceived quality and purchase intent. 
These purchasing preferences are also supported by trend research, which points to a broader cultural movement. Younger consumers in particular are meeting smooth flawlessness with growing scepticism. What is increasingly regarded as credible is that which feels honest, original and a little unfinished. 
Authentic packaging with warm, emotional colours, matte surfaces and reduced forms and designs can meet this shift in values and give it visible expression in packaging.

Technical Routes to a Matte Plastic Surface

What looks understated is rarely straightforward to produce. In practice, four approaches are available for achieving a matte appearance in plastic, differing markedly in cost, material purity and process complexity: 

→ In the material itself: additive or combination masterbatches, added to the polymer directly during processing in a single step, with no additional stages. 
→ In the component structure: multi-component processes such as 2K injection moulding or co-extrusion, which combine a matte outer layer with a functional core. 
→ Via the mould: textured mould surfaces, for example produced by erosion. 
→ Via downstream process steps: such as matte varnishes or soft-touch coatings. 

Each route has different implications for cost, recyclability and process reliability. The route via the polymer itself — that is, via functional or combined masterbatches — offers, in many applications, the most efficient combination of visual effect, material purity and cost-effectiveness. 

Lifocolor Solutions for Greater Tactility and Tangible Packaging

We develop masterbatches that create a pleasant tactile appeal and surface effect directly in the plastic — without any additional processing step. 
 
Velvet PET: The Soft, Matte Tactile Feel of HDPE for (r)PET Bottles 

With Velvet PET, the characteristically soft, matte grip of an HDPE extrusion blow moulded bottle can, for the first time, be transferred to PET bottles produced in the injection stretch blow moulding (ISBM) process. Packaging manufacturers in cosmetics, personal care, food and pharma thus gain a sensory quality that many brands have been missing when switching material from HDPE to PET.  

Velvet PET can be integrated into existing ISBM lines as a combination or additive masterbatch and is approved for food contact. Every formulation is tailored individually to the polymer, the recyclate content and the desired colour and opacity. Alongside the process advantages of the ISBM route, the sustainability and economic benefits of PET as a material are also preserved. 

LIFOPAL: Frost and Frosted-Glass Effects for Transparent Plastics 

For highly transparent polymers such as PMMA, SAN, PC or PET, the LIFOPAL diffuser masterbatch delivers homogeneous light diffusion with a distinctive frosted-glass appearance. The formulation is approved for food contact under EU Regulation 10/2011 and is effective from a let-down ratio of two per cent. The result is translucent, gently matte surfaces with a high-quality look and feel — particularly for cosmetic, personal care and premium household packaging that seeks a balance between visibility and restraint. 

Effect Masterbatches for Authentic and Textured Surfaces 

Authentic and rougher tactile qualities can also be achieved via pigment size and structure. Our Granite masterbatches, for example, can be felt on the outer surfaces of the finished product thanks to differently sized pigments — giving imitated stone effects the tactile expression they call for. Depending on the processing method, careful attention has to be paid to the grain size and dimensions of the colourants. We are happy to advise on which ideas and requirements can be realised.

In Packaging Design, Is Less Increasingly More — and More Sustainable?

Perhaps. There will always be different target groups, requirements, needs and trends. At present, emotional colours dominate — either deeper, earthier, warmer and more natural, or with less chroma, more pastel and softer in tone. Those who prefer a more transparent look will find equally reduced design options in our additive solutions. 

With regard to sustainability and the implementation of the European Packaging Regulation (PPWR), contaminants in the recycling stream — for example from printing inks and post-processing finishes — present a real challenge. Substituting “perfect” electroplating or lacquering with, for example, NIR-detectable silver masterbatches or further Metal Look masterbatches for authentic metallic effects can offer a viable alternative.