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Replicating a formula
Hi, I’m new to the group so forgive me if this has been covered in another discussion thread (although I couldn’t find one). I have a list of ingredients for a natural deodorant I’d like to replicate. Curious as to what’s involved, resources and rough budgets. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
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9 Replies
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What’s involved?
I tried to copy a body / hair shampoo product soon after I began formulating. It had a huge list of ingredients which I slavishly tried to obtain. Needless to say I couldn’t obtain them all. I was unable to make a copy. However, later, I designed an identical product and it was easy.
So what had changed?
Simply, my experiments in formulating had educated me as to the properties of the materials I had available. It wasn’t the ingredient I needed to copy - it was the function of the ingredient. My own version of the product I had tried to copy is at least as good, and has half the number of ingredients. -
1. List the performance and aesthetic characteristics of the product.
2. Figure out which ingredients are responsible for those characteristics
3. Make a guess as to what the ingredient levels are.
4. Make a batch and see how it compares to the product you’re trying to copy.
5. Adjust formula, make a new batch, and test it again.
6. Repeat until satisfied. -
All of the above …
I would suggest you start by laying out the LOI of the product you’re trying to copy. See if you can figure out where the 1% line is … it will generally be one of the preservative components. Then take a look at the ingredient manufacturer’s recommended use % range of each ingredient.
Put together a model formulation and then develop the LOI for your formula. Compare it to the order of ingredients in the LOI of the product you are trying to copy. See if the ingredients line up in the same order (this will work for everything above the 1% line … below the 1% line it is not possible to really compare the ingredient order, but it will get you close enough.
If your LOI does not match the LOI of the product you are trying to copy, revise your formula until the LOI’s match. Then proceed to make your first prototype.
One issue you need to be wary of is multicomponent ingredients, where the individual components may not appear grouped together, but interspersed within the LOI in accordance with the individual percentage in the entire formula. If you run into a multicomponent ingredient, you can request a Compositional Analysis from the ingredient manufacturer.
Then test as recommended in the comments above.
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One issue you need to be wary of is multicomponent ingredients
Too true! I forgot that. Things like geraniol, linalool and so on. And preservative components. -
Thanks all, very much appreciate the comments and insight. One quick question, I’m trying to purchase Glyceryl Caprylate and Glyceryl Undecynlenate but can’t seem to find an online resources that sell them. Any suggestions?
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I’m trying to purchase Glyceryl Caprylate and Glyceryl Undecynlenate
- - those are components of the preservative KEM NAT, which we use here. -
You can buy small quantities of Glyceryl Caprylate (and) Glyceryl Undecylenate from http://www.ingredientstodiefor.com … they call it “VegeCide”
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Thanks guys, very much appreciated!!!
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Another great post to bookmark!
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