What is a Shrink Sleeve Label? Here’s Everything You Need to Know.

What Are Shrink Sleeves?
Shrink sleeves are a specific type of product label that is essentially heat-wrapped around an entire product, such as a bottle or can. These labels completely and seamlessly conform to the shape of the product or container. Most often, Shrink Sleeve Labels are made of a polyester or plastic film material.

Types of Shrink Sleeves：
At Lehua packaging, we’re proud to offer a wide range of Shrink Sleeve Label options to suit your needs. Some examples include:

Full-body shrink sleeves – the label wraps around the full product, which may or may not include the cap (depending on client specifications).
Neck-band sleeves (also known as tamper-evident sleeves) – perforated neck-bands go over the lid of a product for added protection.
Partial-body sleeves (also known as belly bands) – the label wraps around a portion of the product, but not the entire thing.
Multi-pack sleeves – body- or belly-band sleeves that wrap around more than one product to group them for sale.

Common Uses for Shrink Sleeves
While the applications for shrink sleeves are essentially endless, there are a few industries where we tend to see the heaviest use of this type of labeling.

①Food and Beverage
From condiments and snacks to beverages and more, many food and beverage distributors are now using shrink sleeve labels on their products. They enjoy the ability to implement a 360-degree design while also enjoying the tamper-resistant functionality of these labels.

②Pet Care
The pet care industry is also embracing the use of shrink sleeves; you’ll often see this type of labeling used on pet products like food containers, snack packages, and pet shampoos/conditioners. Pet care companies enjoy that shrink sleeve labels provide tamper-resistance and easy branding while also conforming to the shape of any bottle or container.

③Nutraceutical
More nutraceutical companies are also using shrink sleeve label technology to create eye-catching package designs on things like vitamin/supplement packages, protein powder containers, and the like.

④Home and Personal Care
Shrink sleeve labels are frequently used on home and personal care products, including cosmetics that need to be sealed with a tamper-evident label while retaining an eye-catching and appealing aesthetic. On some cosmetic products, such as pressed powders, shrink sleeve labels can also help to reduce unwanted movement or shifting of the product itself.