Experienced cosmetic formulation developers can help you create a variety of beauty products, including natural, organic, over-the-counter, and medical-grade items. Partner with these professionals to develop cleansers, shampoos, sunscreens, lip products, and baby care products. They’ll also help you formulate solutions for patients or clients with specific needs to boost your product’s usability. Here are some key ingredients to use in the cosmetic formulation process:
Emollients
Emollients are waxy agents used for lubrication in cosmetic products. Mixing emollients with other compounds in a cosmetic formulation helps soften and hydrate the skin. Emollients have an occlusive effect that produces a protective layer on the skin and prevents water loss. This increases your skin’s moisture content and makes it appear more youthful. Common emollients include shea butter, cocoa butter, fatty acids such as lanolin, and stearates.
Polyphenols
Polyphenols are phytochemicals or micronutrients that naturally occur in fruits, red wines, plant oils, teas, and vegetables. Include phytophenol ingredients in your formulation to access their potent antioxidative features. They shield cells from free radicles to give you younger-looking skin with minimized wrinkles and dark spots.
Some polyphenols, like ferulic acid and pycnogenol, add skin-lightening properties to your formulations. These polyphenols inhibit melanin production by calming inflammation that causes an increase in the melanin skin pigment. Some of the main varieties of polyphenols that you can add to your formulation include stilbenes, flavonoids, lignans, and phenolic acid.
Emulsifiers
Emulsifiers support the formulation process by keeping substances such as water and oil from separating. Cosmetic products with emulsifiers may have improved application and functionality, leading to the expected skin benefits. Experienced formulators will test the properties of different emulsifiers to help you select the most effective one for your formulation.
The right emulsifier enhances the final product’s sensory appeal by offering a non-greasy and velvety after-feel. It also makes skin products such as lotions smoother and creamier. Emulsifiers help improve the spreadability of skin care products for more even distribution. They also enable fast absorption of beneficial skin care ingredients to make cosmetic products more effective.
Thickeners
Thickeners help cosmetic formulation developers adjust the product’s viscosity and texture. A balanced texture makes the product more enjoyable and easy to use. Thickeners come in different forms, including lipid, natural, mineral, and synthetic thickeners. Thickeners derived from natural sources have polymers that absorb water and swell up. This characteristic increases the cosmetic product’s viscosity. Synthetic thickeners like water-soluble carbomers aid in the formulation of clear gels. These gels are useful for body and face moisturizers and cleansers.
Surfactants
Surfactants are common in cosmetic products because of their chemical composition, which includes hydrophobic and hydrophilic portions. The hydrophilic portions are attracted to water, and the hydrophobic portions are attracted to oil. These properties support the cleansing and functional purposes of surfactants. Surfactants allow water to mix with dirt, impurities, and oils, enabling them to be rinsed away when cleansing your skin.
Surfactants work by lowering surface tensions between liquids to enable a combination of more cosmetic ingredients. This allows you to test and implement more skin care product combinations, leading to broader cosmetic product lines. You may add surfactants to formulations like shampoos and shower gels. Using surfactants in these formulations enhances cosmetic products’ stability and applicability. Experienced cosmetic teams test and select surfactants that are good for skin care products that enhance soft, moisturized, and clean skin. You can also choose to develop a surfactant-free formulation for more gentle cleansing products.
Colorants
Cosmetic colorants include synthetic and organic coloring agents that dissolve in water or oil. They give color to personal care and beauty products like nail polishes, lipsticks, foundations, and eyeshadows. Choose bold colorants to achieve fashionable shades that appeal to trendy clients. Neutral tones are good for creating an inclusive beauty brand. Cosmetic ingredient providers will help you customize colorants depending on your brand identity and customer preferences. Professional formulators will tailor the shades of your skin care products to particular skin tones and changes in beauty trends.
Work With a Cosmetic Formulation Team
Cosmetic development teams assist you with establishing your product’s concept and branding. They create test batches of your custom formula to make sure the final product meets your expectations. Contact a cosmetic product development company today to learn more about their cosmetic formulation processes.
