Bag-On-Valve vs Traditional Aerosol Systems

Key Differences that Affect Performance and Sustainability

Product Purity and Stability

Bag-On-Valve aerosol systems offer a key advantage: they act as a true barrier packaging solution, keeping the formula completely separated from the propellant. This protective barrier helps reduce the risk of contamination and oxidation, preserving product integrity, stability, and quality over time. Unlike traditional aerosols, where the formula is mixed with the propellant, BOV systems ensure that consumers receive only the pure product (and not a blend of product and propellant). This results in higher product quality, greater safety, and better protection for sensitive formulations.

Another significant benefit is that because the product remains in a protected environment, BOV formulations often require fewer or no preservatives. This allows for “cleaner” and natural formulations, which is a major advantage in today’s cosmetics, health and food markets where consumers are increasingly looking for purity and transparency.

Dispensing Flexibility

With its bag attached to the valve and the propellant outside the bag, the design of a Bag-On-Valve system allows dispensing from any angle, providing better convenience and reducing product waste. Traditional aerosols typically require the can to be upright to work properly, which limits flexibility and can lead to uneven sprays. While there are special actuators that allow traditional aerosols to spray upside down, they still offer far less flexibility and cannot match the true 360° spraying performance of a BOV system, which delivers the same high-quality spray at any angle. 

Propellant Types

Bag-On-Valve aerosols use compressed air or nitrogen as propellants. These propellants are safe and environmentally friendly gases. Traditional aerosols often rely on chemical propellants like hydrocarbons or HFCs. While effective at generating spray pressure, these substances raise environmental and health concerns. 

Environmental Impact and Waste Reduction

Bag-On-Valve systems ensure nearly complete product evacuation and reduce environmental impact by using eco-friendly propellants such as compressed air or nitrogen. 

At Power Container Corporation, we designed an exclusive mono-material PET pouch for our BOV solution which represents a lower-impact alternative to the conventional multi-layer bag. This innovation is also fully compatible with PCR (post-consumer recycled) PET, enabling an even more sustainable packaging solution.

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