mikethair
Forum Replies Created
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hi @PhilGeis the limited shelf life was based on a series of trials we did in our laboratory and a number of simulated shippings plus actual data from selected consumers before we shipped proper.
As a scientist, I tend to go to extreme lengths to test out our systems and products.
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Hi, @DiscoMonkeys I would be looking very carefully first at your brand ideals before going too deeply into the product. It helps if there is a common thread tying your brand and products together.
In our case with my brand, we had two themes (1) to replace more functional benefits with experiential ones, and (2) we were all about “trading down,” down to the local, the simple, the unrefined but raw and true. And we went for prestige, high-quality products, and high retail/wholesale price.
So in our case with room spray, I went for very high-quality hydrols imported from Grasse, France. There was no preservative, and the shelf life was short. So, therefore, this puts this product into the exclusive high-price category because of the source, and short shelf life. These factors provided customers with the allure of a balance between inclusivity and exclusivity so consumers experience both - belonging and longing - proximity and distance. And we did not SELL, I preferred to turn the sales pitch into the art of seduction.
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My guess is to control pH.
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And what business are you referring to @fareloz ? My company shut down last year and no longer exists.
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My thought is that after the passing of Anita, the founder, they have lost their competitive edge.
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Hi @Cafe33 yes I agree with you. Most do not care. But when building and maintaining a brand I looked at things differently.
First, I needed to differentiate my brand and products. I shared my brand philosophy and identity. This is what customers are buying into. And coupled with this I redefined skincare and set new standards. This elevates customers to a higher level of existence. As well as price. Our products were not cheap!! Our focus was to replace more functional benefits with experiential ones, namely essential oil fragrances.
Secondly, some customers are allergic to synthetic fragrances. And my wife is one of these. And I’m the same. At the slightest whiff of a synthetic fragrance, she and I have adverse reactions. And it is worse when my wife is menstruating. These people usually remain quiet, but as we discovered, this reaction to synthetic fragrances is more common than most people realise. And this drew people to our brand because we built trust.
Thirdly, we were very transparent in the sourcing of our ingredients, especially the essential oil fragrances. And this was part of our trust-building.
So yes, I agree, most customers don’t care. But with my brand, the mission was beyond filling a market gap, and beyond making a profit only. The focus was on the WHY. And this became the core of my brand and our marketing. Why the world was a better place with my products. Customers with bad reactions to synthetics could safely use my products.
And it worked. The products I formulated were enormously successful globally. And in a short time, I was manufacturing Private Label for brands globally. This became 90% of our turnover. And I spent years perfecting our essential oil fragrances, it’s something I have been doing for 30+ years. Many of our customers were drawn to our unique essential oil formulations.
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We have been down this path. The pump you have pictured is totally useless, as we found out. We purchased a metal pump that fitted into the tank lid. You need to check that the pump extends to the base of the tank. With viscous liquids there are a lot of forces in play, so this is why you need a solid metal pump that fits into the lid.
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Why become certified? Is it necessary?
In my factories, I designed the GMP SoPs that were approved by the regulatory authorities in various countries, and then I designed and set up two of our factories and in-house laboratories required by GMP.
Next, I hired a graduate and made her the QA Manager and I gave her the necessary training, then basically threw her into the deep end. She learnt, very quickly, on the job. And within the first month, she fronted a GMP inspection from the regulatory authority. There were a few issues raised, and with my assistance, she sorted these out.
My point here is that you will never get any better course than “on-the-job training.”
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@Meet yes, I would agree.
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No surprises here. Have you spent any time in India?
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Hydrosols are common, they are not an invention of mine. The hydrosol is collected directly from the still where it is sterile, and then rebottled under sterile conditions. Under the supplier’s GMP, bottles are retailed and tested beyond the designated shelf life. These products are not preserved.
With our GMP facility, we retained bottles, and these were tested regularly to well beyond the marked shelf life.
All in all, all the boxes ticked, and over many years we did not experience any issues.
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Hi @Perry44 with respect, I see riding around in a car not wearing a seatbelt akin to producing room spray without GMP compliance. It’s dangerous and can cause injury.
A good idea is to produce room spray with all the safeguards of GMP compliance.
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@PhilGeis there is nothing irresponsible about a short shelf life if the consumer follows the product instructions.
And of course, Hydrosols are not preservatives.
And I should add that I produced these products in a GMP Certified production facility, so we had full compliance and safety regimes.
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Hi @Abdullah
In our 20 years of manufacturing, we never had any issues with reduced foam. However, some oils we saponified produced more foam than others. For example, cocononut oil produced more foam than olive oil.
Have you experimented and done the comparison?
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Hi again, @Paprik. I have noted your comments and will keep them in mind. Thanks.
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Hi @Paprik Are you a soap maker? If not, then probably of no interest to you. And if you do make anything, it would be great if you could do a similar post exploding common myths surrounding the product type you are producing. I want to read it. I’m on a continual learning curve, yep, even in my mid-70s.
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Hi @fareloz
As identified in my post, the bone-lazy approach of copying a soap formulation from the internert and expeting it to produce a good soap bar. And the myth of shortcuts. There aren’t any, I sorry.
Most soap bars are made using soft oils, and they will not last very long. And I explode the myth of palm oil. It’s an exccellent oil that adds hardness to the bar and extends it useage time. And yes, Certified RSPO palm oil is available.
Are you a soap maker?
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As a scientist, I believe that articles written in well-known scientific books and journals are credible at the time of publishing. But having said that, we must remain open to new data which may change your mind. So, for a scientist, the mindset is that no conclusion is 100% definitive. Later articles in journals may shed new light on an issue.
There are no definitives or absolute truths in ongoing research.
For example, in my younger years, I did a lot of research on marine algae (seaweed). What I read last week completely contradicted what I had concluded so many years ago. And the focus these days includes the use of seaweed in producing skincare ingredients.
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@nielrobertlim If you are following what your competitor does and relying on what your ingredient supplier suggests, then you are certainly limited.
I have mentored a few African companies that wanted to break out of this mould. I developed their capacity to manufacture body wash, face wash and shampoo via the saponification of plant oils. I did this all remotely.
These companies are now doing extremely well, and exporting their products globally. One of them is currently attracting a lot of attention attending a trade show in Europe.
My factories were located in Viet Nam and Malaysia, so I guess we were into “Asian skincare.” But certainly not “whitening.”
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Not in our experience if the pump is made using high-quality metal.
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Hi @Perry44 , what we do is add a strong base (KOH) to olive oil to produce potassium olivate. And yes technically, this is not “natural.” But in my opinion is more natural than many of the other synthetic surfactants used in cosmetics. And, potassium olivate does not have any negative effects on health, which may not be the case with other synthetic surfactants.
And you ask “How is saponification any more natural than sulfation?” Not any more natural, but saponification is a lot more easily managed by our artisans.
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Hi @Meemcha a bold statement of yours as you have never tried this product. We sold this face wash globally, and mostly (90% of production) as a Private Label product for global brands. It sold very well, and even now one year after I stopped producing this product I still have requests from customers and brands.
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Thanks, @ketchito
I will go through and evaluate these. And yes, I may re-evaluate my stance on this issue as a result.
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Hi @PhilGeis ,
Re the position of the ASEAN standards and their position on phthalates, they identify the two most commonly used are DEP and DMP. They also identify three phthalates, DBP, BBP, and DEHP which are prohibited for use in cosmetic products in Europe and ASEAN.
They also mention that DEP and DMP, are usually used at low levels and that these have been
assessed to be safe for use in cosmetic products, including products intended for infants and children by the European Union’s scientific advisory panel, the Scientific Committee on Consumer Products (SCCP), the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel, and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). -
Hi @PhilGeis
Of course, my experience as the co-founder and Master Formulator of a
skincare manufacturing factory in Viet Nam and Malaysia since 2006
DOES NOT qualify me as a toxicologist. And I have never made this claim.From my experience, any toxicology issues are determined for each product as the product details (including the ingredient list) are presented to the regulatory authorities for Notification approval before we can release them on the market.