What It Is
A formula built for your brief, not adapted from a catalogue
Formulation development is the part of the work that decides whether your product is genuinely yours. We start from your brief rather than from an existing base, which means the texture, the actives, the sensory experience and the claims are chosen for your customer rather than inherited from whatever the lab already had on the shelf.
Our R&D is led in-house by a formulator with more than fourteen years in cosmetic science. That matters most when a brief is difficult: a high active percentage that needs to stay stable, a preservative system that has to satisfy a natural positioning, or a texture that has to feel a particular way on the skin without a silicone doing the work.
You end up with something a competitor cannot buy from the same catalogue, and with the documentation to prove what is in it.
What You Get
Everything the product needs to exist legally and commercially
- Two to three prototype directions from your brief, so you are choosing rather than accepting
- Up to two rounds of refinement on the direction you pick
- Stability testing, so the product survives its shelf life rather than separating in month four
- Compatibility testing against your chosen packaging, which is where a surprising number of launches fail
- A complete INCI list in the correct declaration order, ready for your label
- Safety and supporting documentation for your regulatory file
- Formula ownership transferred to your brand, so you are never locked to one lab
The Brief
What we need from you to start
The strongest briefs are specific about the outcome and flexible about the route. Tell us what the product should do, who it is for, roughly what it should cost to make, and what it must not contain. We will tell you what is achievable and what is not.
You do not need a technical document. A reference product you admire, a short description of the feel you want, and your ingredient boundaries are usually enough for a first conversation.
Formats we develop
- Serums, essences and treatment concentrates
- Moisturisers, creams and lotions
- Cleansers, balms and oils
- Masks and exfoliants
- Haircare: shampoos, conditioners, masks and scalp treatments
- Body, wellness and pet care
If you would rather start from a proven base and move faster, private label is the shorter route. The trade-off is that the formula is not exclusively yours.
Is It Right For You
When custom formulation is worth it
Custom development earns its cost when the formula itself is part of why someone buys from you: a claim you want to own, an ingredient story that is central to the brand, or a texture nobody else has.
It is the wrong choice if you need product on shelf in weeks, or if your differentiation is really in the brand and packaging rather than the contents. In that case we would point you at private label and say so plainly rather than sell you development you do not need.
Ideal for
Brands whose product claim or ingredient story is the reason customers choose them, and established ranges adding a signature hero product.
How It Works
From brief to approved formula
- Intro call. Fifteen minutes on the product, the market and the constraints, and an honest read on whether we are the right lab.
- Brief and quote. We agree the target, the boundaries and the budget, then price the development.
- Bench work. Prototypes are developed and evaluated in the lab.
- Samples and feedback. You test the directions and tell us what to change.
- Refinement. Adjustments to texture, scent, actives or performance.
- Testing and documentation. Stability, compatibility, INCI and safety file.
- Handover. The approved formula is yours, and production can be scheduled.
Once a formula is approved, most brands move straight into a small batch production run of 250 units or more.
Tell us what you
want to make
Bring a rough idea or a finished brief. We will tell you what is achievable, what it will take, and whether custom development is really the right route for you.