Home Cosmetic Science Talk Formulating How much for a product Certificate of Analysis??

  • How much for a product Certificate of Analysis??

    Posted by dmh0023 on November 6, 2014 at 7:15 pm

    Hi guys,

    I am in talks with a contract manufacturer for a couple of products. They’re asking for a Certificate of Analysis. We don’t yet have a Certificate of Analysis for the two products we’ve formulated, and they are telling us it’ll be an exorbitant amount to get it done because I think they just want us to use their private label products instead. Is there anywhere to get a CofA done at a reasonable cost??
    Best,
    D
    DavidW replied 9 years, 6 months ago 4 Members · 4 Replies
  • 4 Replies
  • Bobzchemist

    Member
    November 7, 2014 at 12:47 am

    I need a better explanation - why can’t you issue your own Certificate of Analysis?

  • belassi

    Member
    November 7, 2014 at 1:32 am

    @Bobzchemist=D> excellent!

  • Bobzchemist

    Member
    November 7, 2014 at 9:46 am

    Maybe I should explain further - a Certificate of Analysis is not some mysterious document - it’s just a signed, written statement of test results measured against a set of specifications. And YOU set the specifications! (unless you are making an OTC drug - that’s different). I’ve seen CofA’s written on just appearance alone. 

    I think that this contract manufacturer is not being honest with you. If you have any choice at all, get rid of them. If you have to work with them, first find out what exactly they are going to do to earn that exorbitant amount for testing your product. Make them provide exact details, and then let us know what they say.
    On the slim chance that they are being honest, and there’s just some confusion with terms, you should also find out if they are actually asking for the specifications that they have to meet when they make a batch. In that case, you can send a sample of your product to any product testing lab and have them test the color, odor, viscosity, specific gravity, flash point, pH and any other property that is integral to the performance of your product for a few hundred dollars at most. Then you set your specifications at +/- 10% of the values that came back from the lab, and issue your own certificate.
    This is an example of a CofA generated automatically by a computer system. Notice that it’s nothing more than a list of test results and specifications:

  • DavidW

    Member
    November 9, 2014 at 10:22 am

    Depending on if your product is OTC or not it isn’t too expensive.  Maybe around $200 or less.

    The real question is, if you are providing them with a formula only and they are going to manufacture it why do they need a COA?  We are contract manufacturers and when a customer gives us a formula to make we NEVER have requested a COA for the product.  If the customer wants one then we provide it to them for a charge.

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