What should be focused on in skincare product development？

Successful products are consistently comparable; however, failed products have various issues. What processes are easy to fail and need special attention?

1. Product Concept

To some extent, a product concept determines whether a new product is a hot product or a flop. In 2019, an internet celebrity named Wei Ya created a brand named Four Seasons Diary. The brand’s facial mask product line is a very typical case of flopping.

Four Seasons Diary put out the concept of customized skin according to different ages and skin type. There are five types of skin: dry skin, oily skin, mixed dry, oil dry, and sensitive skin. In addition, three age groups of under 28 years old, 28-38 years old, and over 38 years old were divided. The facial mask line included 11 models, and each box of masks was designed to achieve different skincare effects each day for the entire week.

It sounds great, but tailor-made is a joke. Anyone who has little experience in the cosmetics industry will know that skin customization is impossible in the cosmetic, commercial system.

From the moment of choosing the concept of customized skin, Wei Ya has been on the verge of screwing up. She attempted to attract all consumers with 5 skin types, 3 age groups, and 11 SKUs, which showed guilt of being greedy. Each face mask did not have distinguishing advantages. It was easy for consumers to find more suitable alternatives.

2. Feasibility Analysis

After the confirmation of the product concept, a prototype of the product idea comes out. However, only the product idea that has passed the feasibility analysis can be finally approved for development. As a skincare product developer, you should screen the prototype of product ideas to eliminate unreasonable ideas, and avoid messing up.

· Formula feasibility: Under the current formula level, you have to confirm whether the formation and efficacy of the ideal product can be realized and ensure the safety, efficacy, and usability of the final product.

· Production feasibility: Does the cooperating OEM company has the appropriate equipment and filling conditions to produce the products?

· Cost feasibility: Can the product be realized within your acceptable cost range of raw material, packaging material, production, transportation, time, etc.?

· Concept feasibility: Can the concept of the product be accepted within the understanding of the existing consumer? If the concept is too advanced, can it be transformed into a concept that consumers can easily understand for promotion?

3. Product Testing

· The brand vendor and the OEM factory will check formula development and packing design together, which is not easy to cause issues. In contrast, product testing is a vital link and should be given much importance. If there is a slight error in product testing, the product will be a flog.

· Efficacy evaluation test: Under the new regulation, efficacy claims should have a sufficient scientific basis. The basis for efficacy claims included human efficacy evaluation tests, a consumer using test, laboratory tests, literature data or research data.

· Stability test: Generally, it is usually a 12-week period of high temperature (40 degrees), medium temperature (25 degrees), and low temperature (-4 degrees) test. And it is mainly to investigate whether the material will have any abnormalities under extreme temperatures, such as appearance, color and luster, fragrance, PH, etc.

· Packaging material compatibility test: This includes putting the material into the actual package and place it at different temperatures to see if it will react with the package, penetrate and leak.

· Anti-corrosion testing: It aims to examine whether the current anti-corrosion system can inhibit the growth of microorganisms. Different formulation systems and PH require a different preservative.

· Simulation transportation testing: In the delivery process, the product will inevitably encounter the violent drop of the courier, so it is necessary to do an excellent job of product stability and a break-proof packaging program.

4. Production

Before mass production, a pilot-scale experiment is strictly done. The pilot-scale experiment is being done to connect laboratory proofing and mass production. It is the packaging material that determines the appearance of the product. So, pay more attention in the inspection and acceptance of the packaging material.

· The appearance inspection

-All printed copy on the package is consistent with the sample, no typos or missing words

-The color of the same batch of packaging materials has no noticeable color differences

-The packaging material’s surface is smooth, flat, clean, no wrinkles, no roughness

-There is no glue overflow in the packaging materials that use glue

· The function test

-The size and material match the model

-Mouthful capacity is greater than or equal to the identification amount

-All packaging accessories are complete

-No peeling or color fading when tested by spraying and wiping

New product development is easy to fail, so finding a reliable OEM factory to cooperate with is essential. Ariel Biotech supplies private label cosmetics by assisting companies and individuals in building brands that reflect and enhance your company’s unique image easily. We develop, create, manufacture, and ship private label products to make-up artists, e-commercial owners, salons, spas, and various beauty brands and manufacturing facilities worldwide.

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