Cosmetic product development: formula and PIF

Our approach to Developing a New Cosmetic Product

Our cosmetic product development service covers the full path from the initial concept to a finished product prepared for market. The process includes:

• Research and Analysis: Once you have presented your idea and vision, we support you with in-depth research into the market for similar products and an analysis of your target customers’ needs. Together we can then build a comprehensive product concept that fits your vision, the desired effect, appearance and quality, customer expectations and, not least, cost-efficient production.
• Formulation Development: Once the final vision is set, your idea will come to life in the hands of our development chemist, who will create an innovative and effective formulation for your product. We use carefully selected, certified raw materials, and the result is a prototype sample for you to test. We then refine the prototype on your feedback, new ideas and comments until it is right.

The goal is a safe, effective and commercially relevant formulation tailored to your brief, supported by current scientific knowledge, suitable raw materials and the testing required for the intended market.

• Testing and Validation: Once the prototype is complete, it undergoes rigorous tests and evaluations following European and global regulations to ensure safety, efficacy, and compliance throughout the product’s expected lifespan.
• Optimization and Customization: Based on feedback and test results, final technical adjustments are made to the formulation to achieve optimal results.
• Product Information File (PIF) Generation: The PIF is the central technical file required for a cosmetic product placed on the EU market. It brings together the product description, the CPSR, manufacturing and GMP information, supporting evidence for claims where relevant, and other documentation required by EU cosmetics legislation. It documents the basis on which the product’s safety and regulatory compliance are assessed. When developing products with us, the PIF is included as part of the final deliverable.

Alternative Approaches to Cosmetic Formulation Development

• Formulation Adaptation to qualify for different Certifications: We also adapt formulations to the requirements of various quality certifications. Since standards differ between international and European certifiers, please tell us which certificate you have in mind before development begins.
• Reverse Formulation: This service involves analysing and emulating an existing product by another supplier that you like and that inspired you. The final product will still be unique and chemically distinct from its inspiration; the aim is to achieve similar visual characteristics and skin benefits.
• Safety Assessment and Testing for Existing Products: If you already have a product developed and manufactured outside the European Union, remember that a PIF document is still mandatory for the product to go on sale on the EU market – including a mandatory safety assessment. We offer testing and safety evaluation services for existing products intended for import into the EU.
• Note: Test results and safety assessments for products not developed with us can turn out negative or insufficient, or show that the formulation needs to change. We offer preliminary consultations, interpret the final results, and advise on the adjustments and solutions needed. For products we develop, we are committed from the start to delivering a product that passes every safety assessment.