Skin pack, or skin packaging, is a type of carded packaging where a product (or products) is placed on a piece of paperboard

Paperboard

Paperboard is a thick paper based material. While there is no rigid differentiation between paper and paperboard, paperboard is generally thicker than paper. According to ISO standards, paperboard is a paper with a basis weight above 224 g/m2, but there are exceptions. Paperboard can be single...

, and a thin sheet of transparent plastic is placed over the product and paperboard.

The printed paperboard usually has a heat-seal coating. The plastic film (LDPE, PVC, ionomer, etc.) is softened by heat and draped over the product on the card. Vacuum is sometimes used to assist a firm fit. The film bonds to the heat-seal coating on the paperboard. The skin-packed piece then may need to be cut into individual units.

Skin packaging somewhat resembles a blister pack

Blister pack

Blister pack is a term for several types of pre-formed plastic packaging used for small consumer goods, foods, and for pharmaceuticals.The primary component of a blister pack is a cavity or pocket made from a "formable" web, usually a thermoformed plastic. This usually has a backing of paperboard...

, with the major difference being that the plastic surrounding the product is formed over the product, instead of being pre-formed.