Security Labels 

Security labels serve a vital function in the converting space, especially with the rampant rise of counterfeit goods. These labels must accomplish numerous goals, which go beyond surface adhesion and standing out on crowded shelves. Security labels are often relied upon to protect products, brands, and consumers. 

Protection can occur in a multitude of ways. Tamper evidence is a popular method, which often utilizes destructible films,  VOID patterns, checkerboard patterns, or residue-revealing constructions. Meanwhile, security labels must possess strong adhesion to challenging substrates such as plastics, metals, cartons, and coated surfaces.  

Additionally, they must show durability against chemicals, abrasion, moisture, UV exposure, and environmental conditions.  

“The most effective security labels are those that combine several layers of protection in one integrated concept,” remarks Stefan Wiedemann, senior director of strategic marketing and business development, Schreiner MediPharm. “This includes tamper evidence, product authentication, and clear identification or traceability. Depending on the product and specific threat scenario, these layers may range from overt, semi-covert, and covert features to digital elements such as NFC, RFID, or smartphone-enabled authentication.”

“The best approach to brand protection is a layered technology, composed as needed for the product,” adds Carolyn Burns, business development manager, Durables, Avery Dennison. “This can include frangible and VOID materials for tamper evidence, overt technologies for consumers to distinguish between ‘real and fake,’ and covert or forensic technologies that the brand owner can use to identify fakes via buy-backs or on-site analysis.”

Plus, there should be no mistaking when a security label does its job. “Security labels need to show tampering the moment it happens, without any guesswork,” states Ben Shively,  product manager, industrial label solutions, UPM Adhesive Materials, Americas. “A VOID pattern is one of the most reliable ways to do that. When someone tries to remove the label, it leaves behind a ‘VOID’ message or checkerboard pattern that’s impossible to miss. Destructible film facestocks work on the same principle. The label splits or fragments into pieces the instant someone tries to peel it off, so it can’t be reapplied cleanly. On corrugated boxes, fiber tear does similar work.”

Authentication capabilities are crucial, too. This often includes serialization, QR codes, covert markings, RFID/NFC technologies, holography, and forensic security features. Finally, the labels must print compatibly with conventional and digital print technologies for variable information and traceability.  

“Security labels must provide clear evidence of tampering while preserving brand integrity and product authenticity,” explains Shreyas Chakravarti, manager, product management, Flexcon. “As supply chains become more complex and counterfeit threats increase, brand owners are increasingly seeking multi-layered security solutions that combine visible tamper evidence with authentication and tracking technologies.

“Security labeling has evolved far beyond simple tamper evidence,” adds Chakravarti. “Today’s brand owners are looking for solutions that protect products throughout the supply chain while supporting authentication, traceability, and consumer confidence.”

When designing a security label, understanding the job’s requirements is paramount. Security labels often differ in the levels of protection they need for the brand.

“A successful security labeling program begins with a clear understanding of the brand owner’s security concerns, the value of the product being protected, and the level of authentication required,” explains Andrew Wasserman, managing partner and co-founder, Cyngient. “Not every product requires the same degree of protection, so security solutions should be tailored to the specific risks associated with counterfeiting, diversion, tampering, or product authentication.”

There are functional and durable aspects that determine a security label’s success. “The label needs to remain legible, scannable, and functional throughout the life of the product,” remarks Diane Merzbach, PPG strategic market manager, Teslin Substrate. “That makes the choice of facestock critical because it has to be highly printable, protect embedded or printed security elements, and withstand every environmental condition that the product encounters.”

Equally important is developing a solution that aligns with the customer’s budget while delivering the appropriate level of security for the product’s value. “By balancing risk, performance, and cost, converters and brand owners can implement security features that provide effective protection without unnecessary complexity or expense,” says Wasserman.

“Adding more sophisticated security features increases the cost of the label, which can be difficult for consumer goods and private-label products operating within already-tight margins,” adds Merzbach. “Brands and label buyers have to determine which protections are appropriate for the level of risk without creating a solution that is economically impractical.”

Since there are a wide variety of security components available to brands, selecting the right fit for an application is crucial. Often, collaboration between converters and suppliers can help develop the right security label.

“Two key details are needed in order to determine a best-fit labeling solution: how the product is being distributed, and who will inspect the product to determine if it is counterfeit,” says Burns. “Some products may be sent from a manufacturer directly to a distributor. They could then continue on to a retailer to be purchased by a consumer, or in the case of pharmaceuticals, could be sent to a doctor’s office or hospital where they would be administered by a healthcare professional. Understanding the journey of the product will help to identify each touchpoint at which it could be inspected for counterfeiting. These pieces of information will also guide the selection of a labeling material that is difficult to reproduce and has an identifiable characteristic that indicates that counterfeiting has occurred.”

Ultimately, the success of a security application can have massive ramifications. “If security labels fail, the consequences can be significant,” states Wiedemann. “Counterfeit or manipulated products may enter the market undetected, which can lead to financial losses, reputational damage, and loss of trust in brands and healthcare systems. In the pharmaceutical field, the impact can be even more serious because falsified or compromised medicines may pose health risks to patients.”

“Beyond the individual product, failed security features open the door to counterfeit goods entering the supply chain,” adds Shively. “Once a fake label can pass as genuine, it becomes much harder for brand owners to protect their customers or their reputation.”

Ink Considerations

Inks often serve as a critical component of a security label. In the case of these complex labels, tailor-made ink solutions are often required. For example, Cyngient works collaboratively to evaluate security objectives and develop customized ink and coating solutions that provide the right level of protection, performance, and value for each application. The company partners with both converters and brand owners to develop customized security solutions rather than relying solely on off-the-shelf products.

Ink capabilities have advanced considerably, too. “Security labeling has evolved significantly over the past two decades, driven by major advancements in both printing technology and specialty ink chemistry,” Wasserman says. “Early flexographic printing was often limited by lower-resolution platemaking, inconsistent press controls, and equipment that could not reliably reproduce the fine detail required for sophisticated security features.

“Today, modern flexographic presses, high-definition digital plate imaging, advanced anilox engraving, servo-driven press technology, and automated color management have dramatically improved print quality and consistency,” Wasserman continues. “These advancements allow converters to produce extremely fine line screens, microtext, hidden graphics, and intricate security patterns that were difficult – or impossible – to achieve with earlier equipment.”

Meanwhile, digital printing has made its mark, as well. High-resolution digital presses now enable variable data printing, unique serialization, QR codes, barcodes, and individualized authentication features on every label without slowing production. 

“This has made product traceability and brand protection more accessible and cost-effective than ever before,” notes Wasserman.

According to Cyngient, modern security inks boast a wide range of features. They include high-performance UV fluorescent inks with greater brightness and longer-lasting performance, invisible UV and infrared (IR) security inks for covert authentication; thermochromic and photochromic inks with improved stability and repeatability; machine-readable inks for automated verification systems; enhanced chemical, abrasion, moisture, and UV resistance; digital-compatible security inks designed for hybrid production environments; sustainable formulations with lower environmental impact while maintaining high performance; and customized security ink systems tailored to specific products, brands, and levels of counterfeit protection.

“Together, advances in press technology, digital workflows, platemaking, and specialty ink formulations have enabled converters to produce highly sophisticated security labels with greater precision, consistency, and cost efficiency,” concludes Wasserman. “The result is stronger brand protection, improved product authentication, and security solutions that are more difficult for counterfeiters to replicate.”

Evolving Security Capabilities

Security labels have been required to evolve with a changing landscape. Counterfeiting has become quite sophisticated, making the label a key component in brand protection. 

“In today’s world, counterfeiting is becoming more prevalent and harder to spot,” states Avery Dennison’s Burns. “With technology playing a large role in the increase of global counterfeits, it has never been easier for counterfeiters to find, copy, and sell fakes. Brand owners and converters will need to think about how easy the information is to duplicate. If the label includes variable information, such as a serial number or expiration date, this will be easy to replicate, but every counterfeit label may contain the same information and it will no longer hold any meaning. There must be a way to authenticate this information and ensure that it is unique and corresponds with the product it has been printed for.”

There are obviously inherent challenges to overcome in this segment. “The biggest challenges are increasingly complex global supply chains, rising counterfeit risks, gray market activities, and the illegal reuse of original packaging or containers,” explains Schreiner MediPharm’s Wiedemann. “We work closely with our pharmaceutical customers to understand the product, the packaging format, the supply chain, and the threat scenario before recommending a tailored security concept.”

According to Flexcon, growing levels of product counterfeiting, diversion, and warranty fraud are just the start. There is also a need for labels to perform on an increasingly diverse range of packaging materials.

“There are regulatory requirements in markets such as pharmaceuticals, medical devices, electronics, and automotive,” notes Sara Livingston, director, product management, Flexcon. “Maintaining tamper-evident functionality while supporting high-speed converting and dispensing is critical, too. There are also consumer expectations for sustainability, recyclability, and reduced material complexity.  Brand owners increasingly need both overt and covert solutions that show evidence of tampering, protect products across global supply chains, and support digital product authentication strategies.”

To meet market demand, security labels have adopted advanced features. “The result is a shift from simple tamper indication toward comprehensive brand protection systems that combine physical security, authentication, and product tracking,” adds Livingston.

Security elements can also be incorporated directly into label material. “Taggants, luminescent additives, security fibers, and other covert features may be embedded within the substrate rather than added only as a surface treatment,” explains PPG’s Merzbach. “The substrates themselves have evolved, as well. Historically, paper was often selected for printability and film for durability. Synthetic substrates can now combine high-quality print reproduction with water and chemical resistance, dimensional stability, tamper evidence, and compatibility with both conventional and digital printing processes.”

While the substrate plays a critical role in security labeling, the adhesive is just as important. Adhesive innovation in recent years has helped boost this market sector. “Adhesive performance is where our expertise matters most in this segment,” says UPM’s Shively. “Security labels need to bond reliably to substrates that fight back: low surface energy plastics, rough or textured containers, and packaging exposed to high moisture. A label that performs perfectly on a smooth glass bottle can struggle on a textured plastic pouch in a humid warehouse.”

Digital printing and variable data have helped to more seamlessly include information such as unique identifiers in each label. Flexo presses with digital stations allow for variable information printing with ease, whereas in the past this process would have had to be taken off-line, and came with more limits as to what information could be unique. “The resolution of printing has also improved, allowing for techniques like microprinting that can aid in preventing counterfeits,” notes Burns. “Additional technologies are in development, many of which can be incorporated into labels. It is critical to stay aware of these and build layers of protection. As technology and counterfeiting practices advance, innovative labeling solutions that include hard-to-replicate features can help to ensure security.”

Brands also expect a combination of secure features in their labeling solution. With the complexity of today’s counterfeiting market, what was once acceptable might no longer be passable.

“Security label technology has evolved from single anti-counterfeiting features toward holistic, connected security concepts,” explains Wiedemann. “In the past, features such as holograms were often used individually. Today, brand owners increasingly expect comprehensive solutions that combine tamper evidence, authentication, product identification, and digital traceability in one label-based concept.”

New Products

Avery Dennison manufactures PS security materials that fit a range of applications. Its portfolio includes adhesives that are built for fiber tear and VOID, facestocks that are built to break apart, and coatings for fluorescence and printability. “We offer a range of RFID inlay solutions for authentication,” states Burns. “Our portfolio of NFC products provides intuitive, simple, and secure communication of small amounts of data between a mobile device or card and an electronic reader.”

Flexcon has engineered the Flexcon TamperMark and Flexcon Pharmcal TamperMark platforms. “These products are engineered to destruct upon removal by tearing the package or label, helping prevent reuse and relabeling while supporting product authenticity throughout the supply chain on these highly regulated products ensuring patient safety,” says Livingston.

PPG’s Teslin facestock provides a combination of durability, broad print compatibility, and inherent tamper-evident performance. “The material’s microporous structure forms strong bonds with inks, adhesives, coatings, and laminating films,” states Merzbach. “Attempts to separate these components can permanently distort the material, providing visible evidence of tampering.”

Schreiner MediPharm is particularly active in highly functional labels for pharmaceutical packaging and medical devices. “A recent example is our Cap-Lock Label for syringes and vials that combines irreversible first-opening indication with RFID and NFC functionality for digital first-opening detection, unit-level tracking, and smartphone-based authentication,” says Wiedemann. 

UPM Adhesive Materials also has a wide range of solutions designed for security and brand protection. The company offers VOID materials that leave a clear permanent mark when a label is removed, along with destructible facestocks that fragment on removal so they can’t be reused. UPM also produces fiber tear materials for corrugated packaging.

Identiv analyzes the label as proof

Brands are under growing pressure to prove that the product a customer receives is genuine, uncompromised, and consistent with what was promised. Counterfeit goods and unauthorized resale increasingly reach customers through channels brands cannot see or control. 

“When those products fail, customers rarely separate the unauthorized seller from the name on the package,” explains Ashley Burkle, director of sales and business development, Identiv. “The brand is left to manage a flood of complaints and false warranty claims, while its reputation takes the hit for a product it never made or approved.”

Physical tamper-evident features show whether a package has been opened or disturbed, while NFC strengthens that evidence by tying it to the secure identity of the specific product or container.

“At Identiv, we developed the ID-Safe portfolio to bring these physical and digital layers together,” says Burkle. “Unlike seals or holograms, which can be copied and difficult to verify by eye alone, a uniquely encoded NFC tag allows a brand, retailer, or consumer to authenticate the exact item with a smartphone tap. If the package is opened or interfered with, the recorded tamper event gives brands actionable signals to investigate and isolate affected inventory.”     

Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) additionally allows brands to layer temperature and location tracking in transit on top of tamper evidence and NFC authentication. For temperature-sensitive products in industries like pharmaceuticals and food and beverage, BLE smart labels can monitor cold-chain conditions and flag threats to product integrity. The result is a stronger chain of evidence across the product lifecycle. 

“Brands gain real-time visibility into tampering and product status, making it harder for compromised goods to re-enter the supply chain undetected,” comments Burkle. “Together, the technologies function as physical and digital layers that turn packaging into a more reliable source of traceability.”