FORMULATION 101: Navigating the basics

Cosmetic formulation is part science, part art and a lot of planning. While it’s exciting to create a new product or range, it can also be daunting to figure out how to convert your idea into a real product with shelf appeal – especially if you are new to the cosmetics industry. In this article, Botanichem and Stability Testing Services take you through each step of process involved in developing your own cosmetic product.

Formulation is the blending a of raw ingredients and carefully selected actives into a single product. The process takes several factors into account including the unique properties of raw ingredients and the chemical changes that occur when they are combined together in different ways. According to Robyn Brown of Botanichem, the ultimate goal is to create a safe, stable, effective and long-lasting product that meets the needs of your target market. In order to achieve this, it is important to find a formulator who can guide you and to have a comprehensive brief. The actual formulation process differs depending on the type of product being developed, however the starting point is always a comprehensive and detailed brief.

“I cannot emphasise how important it is to put together a good brief with a solid plan and reasonable timelines,” says Brown. “So many good products never get off the ground because of poor planning.”

Prior to the physical formulation of any product, take time to produce the brief. Do as much research as possible and include as many details as you can. The brief needs to take the following into account: quality expectations; compliance needs; budget; timing; quantities; packaging design; marketing strategy and general aesthetics.

It is a good idea to have competitor products or popular concepts to use as benchmarks for your ideas. And be open to adapting your idea – very rarely does the first concept work 100%.

Only once the brief has been accepted and agreed upon can the formulator move forward to source raw materials and start with product development.

1. Creating the brief

• Is the launch date achievable? Allow enough time for each step in the process, as this will ultimately deliver the best results. Rushing product formulation often leads to recalls and long-term damage to a brand or product’s reputation.

• Is this a new concept, line extension, competitive activity or market segmentation? If you are launching a new product it will take a lot more time. A line extension or competitive activity are slightly easier as you already have a starting point.

• What is the desired market image of the product? How would your target consumer perceive the product. This includes everything from its appearance and feel to the product’s fragrance and any attributes it conveys.

2. Market positioning

• Is it a competitive product? Know the brands you’re competing against and what differentiates your product from theirs – is it price, ingredients, results or all three?

• Who is your target market? Be clear about this and include information on the gender, age, lifestyle and purchasing habits of your target consumer.

• What is the user’s LSM? This is a major consideration when it comes to costings, as it will determine what ingredients and actives are available to you.

3. Advertising and sales

• How is the product to be advertised/marketed? This may not have a direct impact on formulation, but certain ingredients are easier to market than others. If you are using a new active, you may need to allocate a bigger budget to educating potential customers as they will not be familiar with the ingredients. Botanichem encourages its customers to have a thorough understanding of their market as you cannot blame the formulator or the formulation for a poor-selling product, when in fact the reason is a lack of research or marketing.

• Where is it to be sold? This will influence the choice of ingredients. For example, if you are aiming to sell your products in wellness stores, you will need to include botanical and natural ingredients. And if your product needs to be stored in a certain way – Botanichem can formulate for that type of storage.

• Monthly, how many units will be sold? This impacts production and batch size, which may affect ingredients as certain ingredients have to be purchased in large quantities. Sometimes the costs of these larger pack sizes can be prohibitive.

• What claims will be made? Label claims must be truthful and accurate. To make certain claims, you must ensure that the ingredients and actives are able to deliver on them. Should you include a sunscreen in the formulation, SPF testing is compulsory.

• How will you substantiate the claims? Being able to prove label claims are true is not only important but also governed by law. Claim substantiation requires testing in the form of independent clinical trials or independent marketing trials. Ask yourself if you are prepared to do comprehensive testing, because prices can be exorbitant.

4. Ingredients

• What fragrance will you use? If you’re launching a range will all the products smell the same? The positioning of a product will determine whether you want to go with a natural fragrance or something more luxurious. It can be conflicting or confusing when products in the same range have different fragrances. Fragrance allergens need to be listed on the product’s ingredients listing. Bear in mind that many essential oils are phototoxic and even more allergenic than using fragrances.

• What skin feel is intended for your product? How consumers experience a product will determine whether they use it again or not. This impacts the formula as certain ingredients impart a more luxurious skin feel and will impact on cost. What the formulator perceives is often very different to what the marketer perceives or describes. A benchmark feel is often requested so that the formulator understands exactly what the marketer desires to achieve.

• Ingredients and marketing claims If you want to formulate a product around a claim, you will need to include a specific ingredient or combination of ingredients which deliver on the claim. Ingredient compatibility is key – are they suitable for use in your product’s formulation? Are they being used at correct or legal limits?

• What are the product’s principal characteristics? Decide on the physical properties of your product – will it be a gel, cream, lotion or milk.

5. Packaging

• Type of packaging It is important to know whether you want to use a bottle, tube, tub, pump bottle etc. from the outset as this impacts certain aspects of the formula such as viscosity.

• Material Is the packaging going to be plastic or glass. Some ingredients are not stable in plastic and require glass packaging or airless tubes.

• Colour What colour container would you like, or would you prefer a clear, colourless or white container?

• Pack sizes Will you use a standard size packaging or would you prefer a bonus or jumbo size pack to offer consumers more value? Are the pack sizes legal, according to trade and metrology. Avoid misleading packaging – you can’t put a 50g product in a 150g container to fool the customer into believing they receiving more value.

• Labelling Will the label be self-adhesive, shrink-sleeve or silkscreen i.e. printed directly onto the packaging? When will the labelling be done – before or after filling? Is your product’s label compliant with regulatory requirements?

6. Testing

• Stability testing A product should be tested for stability to determine its shelf life, safety for use and any potential issues, such as the product separating at high temperatures. Stability testing should be done once the formulation has been finalised but before final production and distribution. This is necessary to prevent recalls and damage to your reputation. The shelf life, specifications and certificate of analysis or COA should be drawn up once stability testing has been completed.

• Preservative challenge testing This determines the efficacy of the preservatives in your product by exposing it to specified types of bacteria and fungi. These test results provide data on whether the product is adequately preserved. Preservative challenge testing is very necessary to avoid products becoming contaminated on shelf. The health risks associated with using a contaminated product include mild to severe reactions, skin irritation and illness. Product recalls are costly and they can be damaging to your brand and the company’s reputation.

• Patch testing This test determines if any ingredients in the formulation are likely to cause an allergic reaction. Sometimes a combination of chemicals can cause skin to react. In order to claim ‘dermatologically tested’ on your product’s label, you need to have patch testing done independently which shows a non-irritant status result. A dermatologist is also required to sign off the results before the claim can be made.

• Clinical trials Not only does clinical testing of your cosmetics and personal care products play a key role in substantiating label claims, it also ensures that your products are safe for consumers to use. But these tests can be expensive and time consuming. SPF testing is mandatory if a product contains a sunscreen and a sunscreen claim or SPF claim is made. The CANSA Smart Choice Seal can only be used on a product’s packaging if you have applied for and paid to use it.

• Marketing trials These are also known as consumer trials whereby your product is trialled by a sample group of volunteers who then give feedback. Marketing trials are not as scientific as clinical trials and do not carry same weight but they are more cost effective and can be used in marketing campaigns.

• SPF testing Sun protection has become one of the more regulated areas of cosmetics. An SPF test measures the ability of a sunscreen to protect the skin against sunburn. Broad spectrum tests determine a product’s ability to protect against both UVA and UVB radiation. •

Botanichem – www.botanichem.co.za