These Sleek Toiletry Bottles Keep Your Products Airtight. But Are They Any Good?

New York Times

16-04-2025

Although Ries bottles are sleek, easy to fill and clean, and hygienic, they put you in a bit of a double bind. Because they only pump out a bit of liquid at once, they're more suited to products where a little goes a long way.
Yet the Ries bottles are designed for toiletries you need a lot of, like shampoo and conditioner, and they only come in two relatively large sizes. They're also bulky and have a limited (and hard-to-read) labeling system. At up to $18 per bottle, they feel pricey for what they are. Ries bottles (left) use an airless pump, Cadence Capsules (middle) are an open jar, and Sea to Summit offers a simple squeeze bottle (right). Maria Adelmann/NYT Wirecutter
Still, people who generally use small amounts of product might be fine with the bottles' modest dispensing. I could potentially see using Ries bottles for select parts of my travel toiletry kit, like a facial moisturizer.
Some people might prefer Cadence Capsules, which come in a wider range of sizes and have endless interchangeable label options, making them especially alluring for those who use a bunch of different products in smaller quantities. With satisfying magnetic parts, they're also surprisingly delightful.
But Cadence Capsules concede some practicalities to aesthetics. They're heavy, they're bulky for how much they hold, they're expensive, and the open-jar concept, which requires scooping out product, isn't for everyone. (Notably, while writing this piece, Cadence released adapter lids that may mitigate the latter issue, though we haven't tried them yet.)
These plastic travel containers are chic, stylish, and come in a range of sizes. Plus, they have satisfying magnetic sides and interchangeable magnetic labels. But they're pricey, heavy, and the open-jar style isn't for everyone.
If attractiveness isn't a big concern, the Sea to Summit bottles are simple, lightweight, and take up very little space. For me, they were hands-down the easiest to use for dispensing everyday hygiene items like shampoo, conditioner, and body wash.
Each Sea to Summit bottle has a screw top to prevent leaks and a removable insert in the mouth to control how much liquid is squeezed out. They're also translucent, so you can see how much product you have left.
However, Sea to Summit's bottles are difficult to label and have a narrow mouth, so they're annoying to fill, empty completely, and clean. At about $33 for six bottles and a TSA-compliant liquids bag (which we like), they're not cheap, but they are the cheapest of the bunch.
These basic toiletry bottles are simple, lightweight, and not bulky, plus they have a removable insert to control how much liquid is squeezed out. But the narrow neck makes them more difficult to clean and fill.
Maybe there's a reason why toiletry bags are a hodgepodge. If Goldilocks is out there somewhere applying product from the perfect set of containers, I haven't gotten word of it yet.
This article was edited by Hannah Rimm and Maxine Builder.