Vial handling and dispensing: flip, draw, never dip

The rule in one line

Flip off the cap, leave the ring and stopper in place, draw through the stopper with a syringe, and dispense. Never dip into the vial and never return product or an applicator to it. After the first draw, refrigerate and use within 28 days.

What the vial is

The vials and stoppers are sterilized before filling. Each ampoule is filled and sealed immediately under a butyl stopper and a 20 mm aluminum crimp with a flip-off cap. The serum is a preserved cosmetic formulation. The stopper is re-enterable: the vial is drawn from, not opened. Each vial holds three full applications of 1.5 ml, thirty per box. Why the format exists is covered on the sealed vial format.

The use path

1. Check the carton. Confirm the expiry date and note the lot number in the client record. Every carton carries both.
2. Flip off the cap. Lift the colored plastic button with a thumb. That is all it does. The aluminum ring stays crimped and the stopper stays in the neck.
3. Label the vial. Write the date of the first draw on the vial label.
4. Swab the stopper. Wipe the exposed rubber with an alcohol swab and let it air-dry before every draw.
5. Draw through the stopper. Use a new, unused syringe for every draw. Pierce the center of the stopper, draw one 1.5 ml application, and withdraw. The stopper reseals behind it.
6. Dispense into a dish. Expel the portion into a fresh disposable dispensing dish, used for one client and then discarded. Apply from the dish.
7. Return the vial to the refrigerator. Upright, in its carton, away from food.

Each application is 1.5 ml per client per treatment, three applications per vial. Where a protocol applies the serum in two layers, the layers total 1.5 ml: 1.0 ml, then 0.5 ml. Where the serum step sits in a treatment is set in each protocol, for example dry-skin hydration.

Storage

Unopened. Store unopened vials below 25 °C, away from direct light. Do not freeze. Use by the expiry date on the carton.

After the first draw. Store the vial refrigerated and use it within 28 days. Discard it at 28 days or after the third application, whichever comes first. The consumer version of this answer is on how long an opened vial lasts.

Disposal

• Syringes and needles go into a sharps container, and the container is disposed of under your local rules for clinical sharps.
• The empty vial is glass with a rubber stopper and an aluminum crimp. Leave the crimp and stopper in place and dispose of it under your local rules for glass from a treatment room.
• The dispensing dish is discarded after each client.
• Product left in a vial at 28 days, or after the third application, is discarded with the vial.

Handling rules

• Do not pry off the aluminum ring or pull out the stopper. Once the stopper is removed, the vial is an open container.
• Do not dip a pipette, spatula, fingertip or applicator into the vial.
• Do not return unused product, or anything that has touched skin, to the vial.
• Do not reuse a syringe between draws.
• Do not apply product directly from the syringe to the skin; dispense first.
• Do not refill a vial or decant product into another container for later use.
• Do not freeze a vial, and do not leave an entered vial out of the refrigerator between treatments.
• Do not use a vial past the expiry date on its carton.

Where to go next

Choose the formula on the ampoule selection guide. Lot, expiry and ingredient documentation sits in the documentation center. The 30 ml and 250 ml bottles have their own handling notes on professional formats. More answers on storage and in-use windows are in the professional FAQ. To order, open a professional account, or go back to Beauty Science Professional.