Evaluating formulations – Establishing salient specifications

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The development of cosmetic product requires the consideration of a large number of properties that will determine the commercial success of a particular formulation. During the development process, the salient specifications and the methods of testing for them need to be developed. It is crucial for the formulator to deal with a variety of potential issues that can occur during the products life and anticipate and deal with these. As the market moves to more biodegradable ingredients, preservation will become more and more an issue. Simply put, when we require biodegradable ingredients, we need to select preservatives that are potent enough to prevent biodegradation during the products shelf life, but in addition do not interfere with the functionality of bacteria that are biodegradation process.