THE DECISION IN BRIEF
Our mist passes upright but leaks after lying sideways in a carton. What should we request?
Reproduce the actual storage orientation with identified filled packs, locate the leak path, and review the pump and packing configuration before approving shipment.
Describe the real route
Record how the package is packed, stored, and moved. Identify whether the sideways condition occurs inside the retail carton, a shipping case, or an individual parcel. Duration, temperature, loading, and prior actuation can matter to the investigation, so preserve them as test conditions.
Do not infer storage suitability from a successful tilted spray. Dispensing and prolonged containment ask different questions. A cap may protect the actuator but does not automatically prove that the entire filled assembly is sealed for every orientation.
Locate the liquid before changing parts
ISTA emphasizes selecting evaluations from the actual distribution environment. Use that principle to define the relevant exposure rather than adopting an arbitrary inverted-storage ritual.
| Where liquid appears | Next comparison |
|---|---|
| Nozzle or cap interior | Outlet, actuation history, and cap contact |
| Bottle closure region | Application and matched interface |
| Only under packed load | Protection and force transfer |
| Only after prior use | Used and unused assembly comparison |
Keep packing in the investigation
Inspect whether carton pressure displaces the cap or head. Compare an unpacked orientation control with the actual packed configuration. If only the loaded pack fails, a seal-only explanation may miss accidental actuation or mechanical movement.
Ask the supplier to review the proposed corrective change for the actual formula and route. Replacing a cap, lock, gasket, or engine can have different consequences. Identify the changed component and repeat affected functional checks as well as the original exposure.
Set acceptance criteria with the product and packaging teams. Record where any liquid is observed and how condition is assessed. Do not declare universal leak-proof performance from a passing trial limited to one orientation and formula.
Release the final bottle, pump, cap or lock, carton arrangement, and test conditions together. Reassess changes to packing count, transport orientation, or protection. This ensures that purchasing retains the configuration that passed, rather than only the pump SKU while the warehouse changes how it travels.
Sources & further reading
Use the references below alongside the selected component drawing and agreed sample plan. Product-specific claims need product-specific evidence.
PRODUCT REFERENCES
Components to discuss with your supplier.
These references share the component type discussed here. Confirm the selected assembly and application with samples.
Related articles
VIEW THE COMPONENTS
