Product
packaging is much more than a marketing tool. Beyond the logo and protecting
the product, safety is also an important consideration. Child resistant
packaging, with features like Mylar film, were developed to ensure
the safety of curious little hands, but what is Mylar and what, exactly, makes
mylar bags child resistant?
Mylar
The Mylar brand is a registered trademark of the DuPont company that refers to a type of film used in plastic packaging. The term Mylar is often used to refer to any brand of plastic film (like the Kleenex brand name is used to refer to all brands of facial tissues). The generic terms for Mylar are polyester film or plastic sheet. These sheets are made from a resin called Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), which is a thin and extremely durable plastic.
The strength and quality of the packaging isn't exclusive to the mylar brand name but rather to the strength and quality of the plastic film itself, which is what makes custom mylar bags and similar packaging so popular. And, while the strength of "mylar" packaging makes it nearly impossible to break, tear, or shatter, it isn't just the plastic film that contributes to making the packaging child resistant.