[Candace]

Thank you @Belassi and @”DRBOB@VERDIENT.BIZ” - I didn’t realize that!  
I can definitely eliminate the Castile Soap. 

[Candace]

Thanks “DRBOB@VERDIENT.BIZ” for the reply - that’s what I needed to know.  Appreciated! 
For surfactant- I was using BASF Platapon (Sodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate
(and) Sodium Lauryl Glucoside) as well as an organic castile soap base.  

[Candace]

@johnb - thank you for these ideas to note.  We do use distilled water - I’m quite certain the colour isn’t due to Fungi or Mould.  We will check the pH out of curiosity. 

@crillz - This sounds very similar to our situation!  It takes a couple days to turn pink.  We also suspect it’s the citric oils causing the reaction.  I wish I knew how to explain what is happening.  And strangely it doesn’t happen with every batch.  

[Candace]

Thank you very much @crisbaysauli and @Bobzchemist 
This is very helpful.  

[Candace]

Interesting, thanks for the comments @Bobzchemist !  

We would produce 1000-5000 units per shade.  It sounds like we will just stick with our regular pressed powdered products and wait for the “baked” trend to pass.  

[Candace]

In my opinion there are too many heavy oils/butter in your formulation.  If you used lighter oils (combined with a wax of some kind to thicken it), the product would absorb into the skin, leaving the pigment on the surface.  This would make it longer lasting - rather than sliding right off with the heavy oils.
  
Maybe even replace some of the thicker oils with a triglyceride to make it lighter.  I would never use Castor Oil or Shea Butter in a concealer. 
Hope this helps!  

[Candace]

Leucidal Liquid PT  (INCI Lactobacillus Ferment) seems like an acceptable natural preservative for a pressed powder. 

http://activemicrotechnologies.com/product/leucidal-liquid-pt/

[Candace]

@MarkBroussard

Yes, our facility is certified organic.  We went through the process this past year.   We received an audit and certificate from Pro-Cert (in Canada) to produce USDA certified products, as well as an audit and certificate from the OFC in Australia.  The products we produced for our client met the % requirements by both certification bodies.   

It was a huge accomplishment. 

Our client is also certified organic. So I appreciate your suggestion that we will reveal the information directly to the auditor moving forward.  This makes sense to me.

Thanks for your input based on your experience!  These responses have given me confidence to respond to my clients. 

Appreciate your time.

Candace 

[Candace]

We have a Cavalla mid-range powder press.

http://www.cavalla.com/

It has worked very well for us over the years.  We can press around 80 pans an hour. 

We purchased it used from Champion Trading. 

http://www.champtrading.com/

@Bobzchemist is right.  New or used, it will cost as much as a car.

[Candace]

Wow, thank you all for this very helpful advice.

I can see that I am right to be hesitant about flippantly passing on the quantitative formulas directly to my clients.  

Your responses give me confidence to be adamant about dealing directly with the government agency or regulatory body in these situations.  

[Candace]

My advice for long-term success is NOT to purchase from re-packers (distributors) such as TKB, unless you only intend to formulate as a hobbyist. 

I started out as a hobbyist, purchasing ingredients from TKB.  All of the sudden, my formulas were “off”.  I thought I was going crazy!  Eventually, I found out that they changed suppliers for their red oxide without letting me know.  I was inexperienced, and wasn’t aware how many varieties of “red oxides” there are in terms of density, particle size, shade, etc. 

Then the same thing happened a few years later with yellow oxide.  Let me tell you this is a PAIN! I was dreading reformulating all my shades AGAIN, so set out to find a perfect match.  Eventually I did, but it took scouring the world over to find it. 

I began to purchase directly from the manufacturer at this point, which I highly suggest right from the beginning.  If only I would have known.    EMD Chemical and Sensient are my favorites.    

If you are looking for a small re-seller who discloses who the manufacturer of each item is, I recommend http://www.mineralmakeupsupply.com/. 

[Candace]

Bobzchemist is correct. Lipstick is one of the most difficult products to formulate. It took me years to nail down a beautiful vegan formula for our brand.

It is the product we private label and contract manufacture the most for other brands. Obviously because it’s most difficult to formulate.

Research, try, test, and try again is my best advice.