NBR Powder Sponges How to Specify the Component Inside a Compact

What NBR is and why it is used here

NBR is a synthetic rubber foam. In cosmetics it is chosen for powder applicators because it holds a clean cut edge and has a fine, comparatively closed cell structure.

That combination is what keeps powder on the surface of the sponge, where it can be transferred to skin, instead of inside the sponge where it is simply lost. It is also why item 50009 is specified as an NBR sponge rather than an open-cell cosmetic foam.

Three properties worth writing down

A sponge specified only as 'soft' will vary between runs. These three lines fix it:

• Cell structure - fine and closed enough that loose powder does not sink into the body.
• Density - firm enough to press powder off a cake, soft enough not to drag on skin.
• Edge quality after cutting - the cut face should be clean rather than feathered, because a feathered edge is what crumbles first.

Cut size is a packaging decision

A powder sponge is made to a compact cavity. A sponge cut to a generic size rattles inside the cavity, sits proud of the rim so the compact does not close flat, or falls out when the compact is opened upside down.

Send the cavity dimensions rather than a sponge size. The item is cut to the compact, not the other way round, and this is the single most common cause of a re-cut.

Refill programs need run-to-run consistency

Where a compact is sold with replacement sponges, the replacement has to feel like the original. A density change between runs is immediately noticeable to a customer who has used the first one for three months.

Order refills against the same item number and confirm the cut size in writing on each repeat order.

The second use: soft deep cleaning

The catalog describes item 50009 as both a powder applicator and a soft deep cleaning tool, and that second use is why it is also bought outside compact programs - as a standalone accessory rather than a component.