How You Get a Cosmetic Formula You’ll Love

How You Get a Cosmetic Formula You’ll Love

We make custom cosmetic formulas


Since our founding in 1995, formulating a personal care product that uniquely fits your market and brand has been the goal. We have created thousands of unique formulas with care and dedication. Whether you have an existing formula or product idea, our laboratory can bring enhancements that go beyond the value of a back-of-the-box cosmetic formulation.

In this article you will read:

  • How you can have a new product formulated
  • How you can transfer a product formula
  • Who owns a formula developed by BPI Labs
  • What our fees are for formulating
You’ll love our custom formulas

Each formulation is uniquely designed to deliver the benefits of the claims you would like to make. This will be done with an intimate understanding of how preservatives work in acids and bases, emulsion technology, natural and organic substitutes, and suspension technology among many other cosmetic technologies. After we’ve developed a sample, we’ll ask you to approve the sample. If you’re not satisfied then we’ll change it to suit your marketing needs.

How do we begin formulating?

We begin formulating after we’ve received some information from you on what you would like. The best possible information we can get are examples of product already in the market you would like to mimic or position nearby. Then we need a list of all your formulation requirements, including: ingredients you want used or not used, including categories of ingredients; whether your product should be organic; a fragrance you would like used; and any other requirements you may have.

The samples come next

BPI Labs will begin by developing a ‘dry’ formulation, which is a written set of instructions for completing a sample. These written instructions will instruct our laboratory to use certain chemicals and processes. Some of these chemicals may need to be shipped to BPI Labs, which may take up to two weeks. We’ll complete a sample and ship it to you, and we’ll retain some of the sample for stability testing and reference.

You have a formula you would like to use

If you have a formulation you would like BPI to use then we’ll have our companies sign a non-disclosure document (NDA) prior to BPI Labs receiving your formula. Then we’ll get to work evaluating and validating your product formula.

We’ll verify we can produce your formula

The process for using your formula is much like the process for new formula development. We’ll ask for a sample of your product for our laboratories reference. Next, we will develop a sample of your formula and send it to you while keeping some of the same for stability testing and reference. If we don’t have the materials in stock to complete your sample, we may need to wait up to 2 weeks for them to arrive.

What if we cannot successfully complete the sample

It is not unusual that some aspect of a formulation we receive from a customer is incomplete or misidentifies an ingredient or process step. Fortunately, we can usually extrapolate from what is available and design a solution. We will notify you if we do this and update you with any changes to the listing of ingredients if any were made.

A few last things you should know:

Formula Approval

If you love one of our samples, then we’ll ask you to approve the formula for manufacture. If you need changes to the formula, then our laboratory can usually create a new sample quickly since most or all the ingredients are already in-house. The important thing is that the formula meet your brand requirements.

Formula Ownership

BPI Labs is not in the business of selling formulations. Our company only makes money when we have long and fruitful manufacturing relationships with our customers. So if we develop a formula then we are going to retain the rights to that formula. However, we can offer these services to you free of cost. You can generate entire product lines with BPI Labs and request product improvements over time that keep your product fresh and appealing. We don’t charge for these services.

Formula Fee

Sometimes we do ask for a formula fee. Customers who are new to the cosmetics and personal care industry and who do not have a history of selling into this market may be asked to pay a $2,500 formulation fee. However, once we go into manufacturing, we’ll return this fee to you as a discount off your first order.

Conclusion

Formulations from BPI Labs are packed with value. The formulation process may take up to 3 or 4 weeks to complete. Sometimes it is much faster. The better our customer understands what they would like and can describe that need to us, the more likely we get the product right, quickly. Subsequent attempts at sample development usually have quick turnaround because we have all the ingredients in-house. We do all this, free of charge, because we want to earn your loyalty and business for the long-term.

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    Part 2: Choosing an Organic Standard

    Part 2: Choosing an Organic Standard

    How an organic cert. was made for personal care

    Previously discussed was the USDA NOP’s organic standard and the inherent challenges in using it to certify organic personal care product. 

    In this post we’ll discuss the creation of the NSF/ANSI 305 standard, which was established in 2009, and a little of how the market is responding to this certification.

    What is the NSF/ANSI 305 standard?

    The NSF/ANSI 305 standard was created in 2009 to fill the need for an appropriate organic personal care products standard. This standard is the only American national standard for the manufacturing and labeling of personal care products that contain organic ingredients and make organic claims (Oregon Tilth).

    NSF International, the creators of this standard, are a highly reputable public health certification agency recognized by the FDA, EPA, and the USDA for their work in non-food compound product registration.  The American National Standard Institute (ANSI), a non-profit organization that assists in the development of U.S. voluntary national standards, assisted in the standard’s development and adoption.

      How ANSI/NSF 305 works

      Like the USDA NOP standard, the NSF/ANSI 305 standard places restrictions on the materials and ingredients used to formulate and manufacture products. The most beneficial element of the NSF/ANSI 305 standard is that it allows organic ingredients to be processed with manufacturing methods and with substances not authorized under the USDA organic certification. These allowed methods and substances have been examined by the NSF International Joint Committee on Organic Personal Care and approved for organic personal care use.  Check out Oregon Tilth’s NSF/ANSI 305 Fact Sheet here to learn more about the standard.

      A few of the standard’s requirements include:
      • At least 70% of your product must be made with USDA NOP approved organic ingredients
      • No GMO-derived ingredients in your product
      • No petrochemical based ingredients in your product unless they are approved by NSF International
      Labels you can use

      Certification under this standard allows personal care products to make a “contains organic ingredients” claim. Your product’s packaging can also feature the NSF International label alongside the certifying agent’s label, Oregon Tilth in our case, to assure customers the product has been evaluated and holds up to organic standards.

      ​​Wholefoods Recognizes the Importance of NSF/ANSI 305

      Wholefoods is a proponent of this new standard, and we are sure to see others.  Back in 2010, Joe Dickson, the Global Quality Standards Coordinator at Whole Foods Market and a member of the National Organic Standards Board, stated that Whole Foods Market will require any personal care product sold in their store making a “contains organic ingredients” claim to be certified through the NSF/ANSI 305 standard. Dickson explained the importance of Whole Foods Market’s decision in enforcing the NSF/ANSI 305 standard in this statement:
      “This will make it easier for shoppers to trust organic labels in our stores, and help the organic personal care products’ market evolve and grow” (Dickson)**.

      **The blog article was located at: (http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/blog/whole-story/huge-step-organic-body-care)

        Conclusion

        Two organic standards are available for your product, but only one of them was designed with personal care product in mind.  It’s important to understand the differences of these two standards since they impact how and when you can bring product to market.  Being an organically certified manufacturer for years, BPI Labs stands ready to help you organically certify your personal care product.

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        Part 1: Choosing an Organic Standard

        Part 1: Choosing an Organic Standard

        Organic certification can be tricky

        Choosing the right organic standard for your market and brand can be the difference between products that work and products that will never be manufactured.  BPI Labs has years of experience working with our certification agent, Oregon Tilth, in the development and certification of organic personal care products, and we can help you enter the organic market. If you don’t know who Oregon Tilth is or how products become certified organic, then read our article here.

        Entering the organic market successfully depends on what organic standard you’re aiming for.  In this article, you will read about the difference between the USDA’s NOP certification and the cosmetic industry’s NSF/ANSI-305 certification.  Then we will discuss the difficulty in achieving the NOP certification and why the NSF/ANSI 305 organic standard was created for the cosmetic industry.  Finally, we’ll tell you what we know about the market’s readiness to adopt the NSF/ANSI-305 standard.  Knowing these standards will help you set reasonable expectations for product development.

        The USDA organic standard, formed by the USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP), is regulated with agricultural products in mind. According to the USDA NOP, personal care products are only eligible to be certified USDA organic and to use the USDA label on product packaging if the product is made of at least 95% food-based ingredients. So achieving USDA organic certification is a challenging task as the majority of personal care products cannot be made up of 95% food-based ingredients and still be an efficacious and user friendly product.

        One of the other great difficulties in producing efficacious personal care products is in the creation of preservatives that can keep your product within the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) guidelines for product contamination.  Organic matter is a natural breeding ground for all manner of microbiological cultures including some pathogens.  The FDA’s guidance on Title 21 of the CFR suggests that zero pathogens can be present and under 500 colony forming units (CFU) for products applied to the face and 1000 CFU’s for products applied to the body.  If microbiology is found in excess of those guidelines then the FDA considers your product adulterated and will take action to prosecute your company under federal law.

        If microbiology is found in excess of those guidelines then the fda considers your product adulterated and will take action to prosecute your company under federal law.

         

        The USDA’s focus is on the preservation and consumption of agricultural products, and their guidelines leave out many possible candidates for organic personal care ingredients and preservatives.  However, BPI Labs has found some suitable ingredients and preservatives that can be considered USDA NOP qualified. however, they are not guaranteed to work in many personal care products.  Consequently, formulation work for an organic product that satisfies the USDA’s NOP standards is difficult and usually prolonged.

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        Certify Your Personal Care Product as Organic

        Certify Your Personal Care Product as Organic

        Introduction

        As consumer demands for organically certified personal care product rises, it might be time to think about creating a product that meets organic standards. We work with Oregon Tilth, one of the most trusted and accredited, organic certifying agents to create organic products with our clients. BPI Labs relationship with Orgeon Tilth enables you to have product certified either USDA NOP or NSF/ANSI 305 organic.  Take a look at our registration with Oregon Tilth here. Read on to learn how to have your product certified organic.

        By the end of this post you will understand how you can benefit from BPI Lab’s relationship with Oregon Tilth and make sense of the USDA’s role in regulating organic personal care products.  This article will also introduce the purpose and significance of the NSF/ANSI 305 organic standard and how Oregon Tilth will organically certify your personal care product.

        Image Left: This is the Oregon Tilth brand, and if your product is certified organic then you can display this image on your packaging and promotional materials.

        Who is Oregon Tilth?

        Oregon Tilth is one of the largest and most well-known USDA and NSF/ANSI 305 accredited organic certification agencies. They have grown to become the leading certifier, educator, and advocate for organic production and manufacturing since their establishment in 1974 (Oregon Tilth).

        The expectations set by Oregon Tilth for organic standards played a role in the USDA’s establishment of the National Organic Program (NOP) and the formation of the Organic Materials Research Institute making Oregon Tilth a crucial mover and shaker in the industry.  Oregon Tilth provides us with knowledge on how to formulate your product to meet organic standards, and our partnership with them enables you to have your product organically certified through the NSF/ANSI 305 or USDA NOP standards.

        What is the USDA’s role in regulating organic personal care product?

        The USDA has no authority to regulate personal care products that make organic claims. This means organic personal care products are not legally being held to any organic standard. Personal care products can make organic claims without going through organic certification, but consumers lack confidence in organic claims that are not proven to be true through certification.

        Moreoever, the USDA does not itself certify products as organic. Instead they created a set of standards and authorized 3rd party certifiers, like Oregon Tilth, to evaluate product according to the USDA’s standards. After Oregon Tilth inspects your product formulation it can then certify your product as USDA NOP certified.

         

         

        Certifying your Product

        Once we create a formula of a personal care product you love, we will submit your formula to Oregon Tilth and ask them to evaluate your formula as either USDA NOP or NSF/ANSI 305 organic. Once they’ve looked over the ingredients they will authorize you to make claims regarding your organic certification.

        You will be able to market your product as “Certified Organic” and feature the Oregon Tilth and NSF International or USDA NOP labels on your product’s packaging. Your personal care product will also be featured as an organic product on Oregon Tilth’s website.

          Pictured Left: The Oregon Tilth brand.

          Conclusion

          We are confident we can work with you to formulate a personal care product that Oregon Tilth will certify under an organic standard. However you should read about the differences in NOP and NSF/ANSI-305 standards in our article written here.

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