let's talk formulas and compliance.

by Chaymae Samir

we love getting questions like these because we’re so proud of customers that desire transparency and honesty through every part of the product development process and so we tend to overshare. 

1. ingredient research: our development and testing processes are quite extensive, especially for our size. before we even start thinking about the formula, we dive into researching ingredients that will support our goal or what we’re trying to achieve with a type of product. we then chose ingredients that we genuinely believe in, not just some trendy marketing gimmick, by looking at the analytical and clinical data.

2. use level and pricing: this is essentially the percentage of that ingredient that our supplier would recommend using, to get the product to achieve what it says it does. we also look at other similar products in the market or products using the same ingredient if any, and we look at the pricing. we then try to offer the higher end of that percentage at the lowest price possible, in order to maximise the benefits to our customers (both in terms of product efficacy but money wise too). for example, the effective range for basic b*tch is that we use hyaluronic acid at 1-3% without it being too harsh on the skin, so we use 3% and offer the cheapest price for the highest percentage in the market atm.

3. test, improve, launch, repeat: by now we kinda have everything we need to know the product will perform, so it’s about testing it. we end up making a few versions of formulas before sticking to the best one. and we test. test and test. think all skin types and ages. then when we’re proud of the result, we launch it. but even after a product is launched, we keep testing and improving and updating our formulas. with all natural skincare that works, we always strive to provide the most stable and effective formula, and that’s a constant work in progress.

4. compliance and regulations: the final layer to our formula and to our claims is abiding by all UK and EU regulations, which are by far a lot more stringent than the US or FDA ones. this is more of a continuous collaborative work during the formulation process. we work with Oxford University trained chemists to conduct safety assessments and approve our formulations so we can legally sell them. with their help we also conduct a Microbial Challenge Test and a Preservative Efficacy Test, both part of our process.

as with everything we do, this is always a work in progress, meaning we’re constantly reiterating and improving our formulation process to bring conscious and accessible products that actually work. 



leave a comment

please note, comments must be approved before they are published