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Diana Ross, Photo: Richard Avedon, 1970
What Fun! My latest order of perfume samples has arrived. So many 1ml vials – but no worries. I'm a pro. I've dealt with countless little tubes like these and have perfected my wiggle/pry technique. I can open just about any vial and rarely spill the contents. But, even with my experience, there are times when I can't get the damned stoppers off and in despair simply throw piles of discarded vials into the "sample sea".
I can see for vials and vials (Photo; Gail Gross)
Sadly about three percent of the thousands I've opened over the years have splattered all over the place. I've twisted my fingers, the tubes have cracked open and cut my hands, I've broken nails. And how is it that the samples I can't open manage to leak in transit? These days, when the little packages arrive, my family is prepared for the vile expletives that fill our home with local color. They know that opening perfume samples drives me into "wrap rage", the same anger I experience when dealing with clamshell packaging. Even though the "kids" stay clear of the action, I've had numerous complaints and requests to shut-up and stop the verbal violence.
Perfume Sample vials (Gail)
Stop the violence? Yes, and stop the VIAL-ence as well! That's easy to say, but hard to put into practice. 1 ml vials are often the only option provided to sample a fragrance. The more I think about vials the angrier I get. Not only do they spill, crack, and injure they also hold a miniscule amount of fragrance (.7 ml if you're lucky), so little that it is often difficult to form an opinion from a single sample. Also I have yet to figure out, aside from decanting, a useful repurpose for the empties. Then there is the controversial issue of "Dab versus Spray"!
More Perfume sample vials EDPS and EDTs
Many of the samples we receive in vials should NOT be dabbed. The EdCs, EdTs, and to some extent the EdPs are more accurately evaluated via a spray or a very lavish splash. These concentrations are best appreciated "air-born". As the perfumer's alcohol wafts through the air it releases notes and nuances, smells that are hard to detect when just a tiny dab of fragrance is applied to the skin. Like wine, the higher the alcohol content the more the fragrance needs and deserves to breathe! Dabbing actually does violence to some of these volatile beauties! Don't get me wrong, "dabs", and their related "smears" and "rolls", have their place in testing and are the preferred modes of application for many pure perfumes, extraits, essential oils, CPOs and other concentrated formulas. Sometimes I wonder how many samples I've relegated to the "Meh" bin just because I had not applied them properly.
That being said, I suppose I shouldn't complain and simply be grateful that I receive any samples at all – even if I have to pay for them! Too many companies today won't go to the trouble and expense of creating samples for anyone. They expect that their ad campaigns, websites, scented magazine strips, blogs and vlogs will be enough to generate all the blind buys they need. Some of the more prestigious houses imagine that their customers in the hinterlands will be willing and able to make the pilgrimage to the brick and mortar flagship stores just to experience (and hopefully purchase) quality perfumes in atmospheres of luxury and glamorous excess. One of the reasons I own so many indie fragrances is that many of these small companies do the majority of their business online and know how important it is to provide samples. They are usually savvy enough to package their samples in small sprayers as well as in roll-ons and vials, giving customers a choice of application resulting in a better understanding of the perfumers' wares.
Perfume sample "Nips" (Gail)
To be fair, perfume sampling has evolved over the years. Today's vials are, I my opinion, a vast improvement over their predecessors – the perfume nips. From the 1920s through the 1950s a variety of businesses used perfume nips not only for sampling but for targeted advertising and corporate gift giving as well. The nips – closed, sealed, pointy glass tubes – held even less product than today's 1 ml vials. To release a single application of fragrance, the ends of the nips were broken or nipped off.
I may be a bit of a Pangloss, but I'm convinced that someday someone will come up with a better, low cost, user friendly sampling system (no "smell phones" please) and that all of us will understand when best to dab or spray. I am aware that perfume vials are far from the biggest problem we face on the planet, but I'm hoping that, in this best of all possible worlds, the same stingy companies who now lure customers to blind buys will themselves evolve – after all, corporations are people too! I am looking forward to the day when these big players will learn to share the love, even if it means a lower profit margin, and provide much needed fragrance samples, in vials, roll-ons and sprayers, to perfumistas everywhere – for free – including shipping!
What is your take on sample vials? Would you rather all EDP and alchohol based fragrance samples be sold as sprayers. Have you experienced perfume Vial-ence? Do you dab or do you spray? Do you blind buy for lack of samples? Perfumers, if you are reading this, what's your point of view? Readers, let's talk about it!
Gail Gross – Sr. Contributor
Editor's Note: Happy birthday to Gail and to Elise Pearlstine; fabulous Capricorn women
Cryogenic storage vials are small, capped and cylindrical containers designed for storing and preserving samples at ultra-low temperatures. Although traditionally these vials have been made from glass, now they are much more commonly made from polypropylene for convenience and cost reasons. Cryovials have been carefully designed to withstand temperatures as low as -196℃, and to accommodate a wide variety of cell types. These vary from diagnosis stem cells, microorganisms, primary cells to established cell lines. Beyond that, there may also be small multicellular organisms that are stored within cryogenic storage vials, as well as nucleic acid and proteins which need to be stored at cryogenic storage temperature levels.
Cryogenic storage vials come in various different forms, and finding the correct type that fulfils all your needs will ensure that you maintain sample integrity without overpaying. Read through our article to learn more about the key buying considerations when selecting the right cryovial for your laboratory application.
People often make this choice based on personal preference, but there are in fact key functional differences to consider between to the two types of thread.
Many laboratories often opt for internally threaded vials to minimise tube storage space to allow a better fit into freezer boxes. Despite this, you may consider that the externally threaded option is the better option for you. They are considered to carry a lower contamination risk, due to the design which makes it is even harder for anything other than the sample to enter the vial.
Externally threaded vials are generally preferred for genomic applications, but either option is considered suitable for biobanking and other high throughput applications.
One last thing to consider on threading - if your laboratory uses automation, you may need to consider what thread can be used with the instrument grippers.
Cryogenic vials are available in a variety of sizes to cover most needs, but mostly they range between a capacity of 1 mL and 5 mL.
The key is to make sure that your cryovial is not overfilled and that there is extra room available, in case the sample swells while freezing. In practice, this means that laboratories opt for 1 mL vials when storing samples of 0.5 mL of cells suspended in cryoprotectant, and 2.0 mL vials for 1.0 mL of sample. Another tip for not overfilling your vials is to make you use cryovials with graduated markings, which will make sure you prevent any swelling which could cause cracking or leaking.
The type of top you choose depends chiefly on whether you will be using liquid phase nitrogen or not. If you are, then you will need screw capped cryovials. This ensures that they can’t pop open accidentally due to mishandling or temperature changes. Additionally, screw caps allow for easier retrieval from cryogenic boxes and more efficient storage.
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However, if you are not using liquid stage nitrogen and need a more convenient top which is easier to open, then a flip top is the better option. This will save you a lot of time as it much easier to open, which makes is particularly useful in higher throughput operations and those that use batch processes.
The best way to ensure a secure seal is to make sure that your cryovial cap and bottle are both constructed from the same material. This will ensure that they shrink and expand in unison. If they are made using different materials, then they will shrink and expand at different rates as the temperature changes, leading gaps and potential leakage and consequent contamination.
Some companies offer dual washers and flange for the highest level of sample security on externally threaded cryovials. O-Ring cryovials are considered the most reliable for internally threaded cryovials.
For safety and convenience, many laboratories now use plastic, usually polypropylene, instead of heat-sealable glass ampules. Glass ampules are now considered to be an outdated choice as during the sealing process invisible pinhole leaks may develop, which when thawed after storage in liquid nitrogen may cause them to explode. They are also not as suitable to modern labelling techniques, which is key to ensuring sample traceability.
Cryogenic vials are available both as self-standing with star-shaped bottoms, or as rounded bottoms. If you need to place your vials on a surface then make sure to choose the self-standing
This area of cryogenic storage is often overlooked but sample tracking and traceability is a crucial aspect to consider. Cryogenic samples can be stored for many years, over which time period staff can change and without properly maintained records they can become unidentifiable.
Make sure to choose vials which make sample identification as easy as possible. Things you should look out for include:
Large writing areas to record sufficient details so records can be found if a vial is located in an incorrect location - usually cell identity, date frozen, and initials of the person responsible are adequate.
Barcodes to aid sample management and tracking systems
Coloured caps
A note for the future - ultra-cold-resistant chips are being developed which, when fitted within individual cryovials, could potentially store a detailed thermal history as well as detailed batch information, test results and other relevant quality documentation.
In addition to giving consideration to the different specifications of vials available, some thought also needs to be given to the technical process of storing cryovials in liquid nitrogen.
There are several storage methods for the cryogenic storage of samples, each operates at a specific temperature. Options and the temperature they operate at include:
Liquid phase LN2: maintain a temperature of -196℃
Vapour phase LN2: are capable of operating at specific temperature ranges between -135°C and -190°C depending on the model.
Nitrogen vapour freezers: -20°C to -150°C
The type of cells being stored and a researcher's preferred storage method will determine which of the three available options your laboratory uses.
However, due to the extremely low temperatures employed not all tubes or designs will be suitable or safe. Materials can become extremely brittle at extremely low temperatures, using a vial not suitable for use at your chosen temperature could cause the vessel to shatter or crack during storage or thawing.
Carefully check the manufacturers’ recommendations on proper use as some cryogenic vials are suitable for temperatures as low as -175°C, some -150°C others just 80°C.
It is also worth noting that many manufacturers state that their cryogenic vials are not suitable for immersion in the liquid phase. If these vials are stored in the liquid phase when returning to room temperature these vials or their cap seals may shatter due to a rapid build-up of pressure caused by small leaks.
If cells are to be stored in the liquid phase of liquid nitrogen, consider storing cells in suitable cryogenic vials heat-sealed in cryoflex tubing or storing cells in glass ampules that are hermetically closed.
Clinical samples and some scaled-up processes can potentially become contaminated during storage and filling. Choose sterility-assured gamma-irradiated at a level of 10–6 according to ISO 1137 to ensure absolute sterility. Internally threaded vials are preferable to prevent contamination during filling.
Any cryogenic vials used to preserve cells for human therapy will need to meet any additional regulatory requirements including the absence of bioactive leachables and other particulates as well as closure integrity during storage.
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