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Testing the actives
I was wondering what’s the best way of testing the claims and efficacy of various raw materials and actives?
In your lab do you have a ready-made base cream or do you custom make the samples every time which sounds so tedious. And if you do make the samples from scratch what are the smallest quantities to make the samples. -
5 Replies
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The tests you run and how you make the sample depends on the formula, the actives and what you are testing.
I would suggest starting with some base formula. Just a simple oil in water emulsion. If there is some test you can do that doesn’t require the product to be stable, you can just mix the ingredient into the formula and run the test.
Of course, for most things you won’t be able to do this. So, I’d suggest having a standard formula you use for testing. You can make a big batch of the oil phase. Then store this for later use. Then when you want to test something, mix the oil phase with the active and then blend with water. That should make a good test prototype. I personally wouldn’t make a batch smaller than 200g but 400 g is preferred.
This is just rough screening of materials though. If something makes it through the screening process, you’ll want to do a more formal, start-from-scratch formula.
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Perry said:The tests you run and how you make the sample depends on the formula, the actives and what you are testing.
I would suggest starting with some base formula. Just a simple oil in water emulsion. If there is some test you can do that doesn’t require the product to be stable, you can just mix the ingredient into the formula and run the test.
Of course, for most things you won’t be able to do this. So, I’d suggest having a standard formula you use for testing. You can make a big batch of the oil phase. Then store this for later use. Then when you want to test something, mix the oil phase with the active and then blend with water. That should make a good test prototype. I personally wouldn’t make a batch smaller than 200g but 400 g is preferred.
This is just rough screening of materials though. If something makes it through the screening process, you’ll want to do a more formal, start-from-scratch formula.
Hi Perry
Thanks for response. I am sorry can you please elaborate on the batch of oil phase. Would I add the emulsifiers to it and heat it to dissolve as we do but wouldn’t they solidify at room temp? -
Yes, I would think you would add the emulsifier to the oil phase. Although you might also have a water soluble emulsifier too and if that was the case, that would go in the water phase.
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@Perry Thanks, Perry. That means there is no shortcut.
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Yep, very few shortcuts in formulating.
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