What cosmetic and surface defects are found on vials and ampoules?

Cosmetic and surface defects are appearance flaws on the container that do not involve particulate matter. They include colour variation, stains on the component, scratches on the component, and general cosmetic blemishes.

These defects rarely affect sterility but matter for product quality, brand integrity, and regulatory acceptance, and they are typically graded as minor or major rather than critical. Colour variation can signal a formulation or fill problem as well as a cosmetic one, so it is inspected carefully; stains arise from product residue, water marks, or handling; scratches from line contact and handling; and cosmetic blemishes cover marks, spots, and surface irregularities on the glass. Because amber glass, opaque barrels, and coloured solutions change how these show up, inspection conditions must be matched to the container.

FTI builds cosmetic-defect units --- colour variation, stain, and scratch --- into its challenge sets so inspectors are qualified to grade appearance defects consistently, not just detect particles.