Microformulation
Forum Replies Created
-
What is your emulsification system? -
If you ever try to sell in any established market, the buyer will likely require full documentation for your material. That is why if retail placement is a goal, you should purchase these raw materials already validated and documented.
-
You can’t avoid the word “sulfate.” It describes a ubiquitous chemical structure. I have never had any real credible push back. Generally sulfate free refers simply to SLS/SLES/ALS/ALES. It is naive to apply it so broadly.
-
@PhilGeis can weigh in better but I will say that it is more involved than that. There are protocols. Also, I would ask if you have the background as a microbiologist to interpret the results.All I know is that the buyers my clients work with would reject that testing.Send your testing to a testing facility.
-
You can overcome these barriers to some extent;
- MOQ’s. This is a Business issue and indicative of the priority shift you must have. To succeed you must transition away from the R&D and become a Business person. Alternatively bring in a Business partner. A Cosmetic company succeeds on good Business practices. With that in mind, you should have a budget to support these MOQ’s (easier said than done I agree) and a strategy to sell this inventory.
- Validation. If you feel comfortable with your products, think about sending this testing off to some place like Microconsult in Texas. Maintain the proper documentation for each Raw material (MSDS. Technical Specs) as well.
- Using your own Sources? I wouldn’t even try and confront this. Your CM’s procurement department is (no offense) much better at this and they will use wholesale sources. If you maintain spec sheets, they can do this easily. It is only for single source materials (which are likely repacked at your retail site) that you would really want to lock these in.
All these steps reflect the CM’s philosophy and comfort for liability. For example, if your products aren’t stable, they will fail in manufacturing and the initial instinct is to blame the manufacturer, although in this case it would be a false assumption. CM’s use commercial equipment which may be much different than your equipment. As such the product needs to be scaled up. Unless you are familiar with this equipment, this could be an issue. Just this week a cient sent a CM (whom I consult with) a Formula using directions for mixing using a whisk. Obviously that isn’t a process used at a CM.Either power through all these issues (not a bad exercise as you will learn a great deal) or use a Technical consultant. -
I outsource manufacturing for clients a great deal. I will tell you in advance some issues you may encounter;
- Small batch is usually larger than you might imagine. 800-1250 pieces may be the lowest MOQ you can find.
- When presenting your Formulas, they may ask to see your validations. That would include stability and other testing.
- Unless it is a single source raw material, your manufacturers will likely want to source from their normal suppliers. Unless you have worked in contract manufacturing, you may not know the major wholesalers. Contract manufacturers generally will not buy from smaller retail/online suppliers. Simply keep your material documentation so that the CM will have specs to compare their sources to.
These are all issues my clients have dealt with and which have been barriers for my clients. -
@Cafe33 Over the years we moved away from it. Many of our clients liked Olivoil Glutamate as a direct replacement for Olivem as it solves many of the whitening/feel issues. https://www.kalichem.it/ingredients/olivoil-glutamate-emulsifier-g-pf/There are how ever too many other great emulsifiers which fortunately are available from repackers or retail sites such as Formulator Sample Shop.
-
No offense, but in my opinion most Formulators move away from Olivem and others such as they grow in skill and familiarity with better and newer emulsifiers. You rarely see either in mainstream commercial products.
-
Simply pick a different emulsifier. It is far easier and there are far better emulsifiers. It is a very detailed process and lacking a deep familiarity with the technical processes nearly impossible.
-
-
Cover Waters A and hold for 20 minutes to kill bacteria and mold spores.NO. This does not work.Use an appropriate grade of water. Use a preservative.
-
42. The answer is 42. -
Not to any real extent. Unfortunately this misconception had lead to more non-compliant and ineffective products than I can recall.
-
@Fabfo It entirely depends on the Formula. You will not find a preservative that worked in every Formula. You need to look at each Formula and decide. The Organic acids are popular. Several companies such as Lincoln Manufacturing have numerous options. You WILL NOT learn everything you need to know about preservation in a blog such as this and you really need to dealve deep into the topic.
-
This forum is not for getting Formulations outright. That is work product for many. I would suggest researching some starting Formulations. It is far deeper of a topic than you might believe.
-
-
I was able to find 11 suppliers of this oil with just a few mouse clicks.
-
You would best get this answer at the Lab bench. Try different levels.
-
What is your metric for “stronger?” Perhaps you could better say “more effective.” In that case, like in every preservation system, this could be objectively graded solely by PET/Challenge Testing.
-
First, “natural” is not a legally defined term. Rather than selecting your preservative on a monolithic standard rooted in marketing, first select an appropriate “Formula” specific preservative. There are many tried and true preservative systems that are effective and meet most raw material standards. Safety should trump marketing every time.
-
In my experience, upheld by PET Testing, it is not a very robust preservation system. And that is with the commercial product, properly standardized.
-
These samples (from the distributor) and the products themselves are intended properly for commercial manufacturing. We generally deal with or have no issue with the MOQ’s. Keep in mind that they are not targeted to home formulators.
-
These sunscreens are harder than people believe and it is a huge mistake to minimize the technical demands. Only the most experienced Formulators, with proper equipment and experience should make these products.
-
Not a bit. Generally they are used at such low levels you wouldn’t have any marked effect.