Debunking Cosmetic Cream Jar Myths
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When asked to formulate a new product, what requirements are you given? Are there any common challenges you face when developing something new?
The cosmetic industry is mostly run by the Marketing departments. They work with the Market Research department to figure out what type of products that consumers want. Once that is determined the two groups sit down with the R&D department and work out the details like the type of formula, the color, the fragrance profile, the formula cost, the packaging and some of the feature ingredients. Also, the types of claims they want to make are described too. With that information the cosmetic chemists create products to meet the pre-determined goals. The biggest challenge in developing something new is to keep the formula within the cost constraints of the product. It is extremely difficult to make something that is truly innovative but still in the cost range of the type cosmetic product.
Are there any regulations for Cosmetic Cream Jar manufacturers products? Does the FDA or similar agencies in other countries have any say in what can and can’t be included in a formula?
Yes, there are regulations in skincare products. The regulations state that it is illegal to sell an unsafe cosmetic. If companies are selling unsafe products they are breaking the law and their products can be recalled & the company can be fined or even shut down. In the US, the FDA regulates cosmetics. Around the world there are other agencies that regulate cosmetics and each country is a little different. As a formulator you have to understand the regulations of wherever your product is going to be sold and formulate accordingly.
What are some of the methods used for product testing? Are they tested for efficacy as well as safety?
There are a number of things that are done for testing products. First, there are quality control tests. The products are tested to ensure they meet pre-determined specifications such as the color, odor, thickness, appearance, etc. Cosmetic companies strive to make consistent, high quality products and testing on both finished products and raw materials has to be done frequently.
To ensure that products are safe and will remain safe, stability testing is done. This type of testing exposes the product to different temperature and lighting conditions to see how well it maintains its quality over time. Products are not sold if they can not pass stability testing. This testing also involves microbial testing which ensures that the products will not get contaminated over time. Bacterial contamination in cosmetic products is easy and can spread disease. This is why a preservative is extremely important in producing a safe cosmetic.
Finally, if the product is using new to the world raw materials some countries require animal testing to be done. The EU recently banned animal testing of cosmetics but it is still done for products made in the US and China. Note that the vast majority of cosmetics are not tested on animals because they use raw materials that have already been safety tested. It’s only products that use brand new raw materials that get tested. Another type of safety testing that is done is on human volunteers. These are typically patch tests and sensitization testing for which the volunteers are paid.
In addition to these tests, performance tests are done to ensure that the cosmetic product meets the functions and claims of the product. This is really product specific. For example, when Fructis claims their hair products make hair 5 or 10 times stronger they have to conduct a test which proves this is true. It is illegal to lie in your advertising about cosmetics.
Mineral oil has really been getting slammed these past few years. I see many people claiming it causes cancer because it’s a petroleum product, and others who say it’s no good because it “doesn’t provide any real skincare benefits.” Is there any truth to these criticisms?
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