I'm sorry to hear about the trouble you've experienced when applying the labels to your dropper bottles. Our weatherproof polyester material has been tested extensively on glass bottles and jars, and the labels typically hold up very well even when exposed to moisture. Regardless of the type of material or adhesive being used, applying labels to a very small, curved container can be tricky. There are a few steps you can take that should promote better adhesion on these types of applications.
- The first step is cleaning the surface of the container, which you're already doing. This is important because any dust or debris on the surface of a bottle can definitely impact the permanence of adhesion. In some cases, empty bottles will have a slightly oily residue as a result of the manufacturing process. This can cause adhesive issues as well. Wiping the containers down with alcohol and letting them dry completely should alleviate these concerns.
- The manner in which the label is applied can have a significant impact on the adhesive strength as well, especially on small containers with a very tight curve radius. Excessive surface tension can result in weak adhesion and cause the labels to lift away from the surface more easily. To reduce surface tension you'll want to apply the center of the label first, and then apply pressure evenly going outwards in both directions. Applying one edge of the label first and then wrapping it around the bottle will result in excess surface tension and make the labels much more prone to lifting at the edges. The adhesive on our label products is pressure sensitive, so make sure you're applying significant pressure when placing the labels to ensure the strongest possible adhesion.
- The size of the label can impact the strength of adhesion on small wrap-around applications as well. Ideally, you'd want a label size that wraps around and overlaps onto itself by at least a quarter of an inch. If the label only overlaps by a small amount the exposed edge may be more prone to lifting. If there's no overlap at all then the application method detailed above becomes even more important. In this scenario, using a larger label size and incorporating an overlap may help resolve the issue as well.
If you're interested in trying samples of any of our other label sizes for testing purposes you can enter a request at the link below:
https://www.onlinelabels.com/samplesIf you find that you're unable to use the labels and would like to initiate a product return you can do so at the following link:
https://www.onlinelabels.com/support/returnsI hope this helps. If you need any additional information please just let us know. If you'd like to speak with one of our team members for additional trouble shooting please just give us a call directly at 1-888-575-2235.