Beauty News
Process of customizing your own formulations
Published: 2023-10-23
Last Updated: 2024-12-05
@debbie
Have you ever wondered how skincare products are brought to life? We'll take you through the step-by-step journey in formulating your own skincare product using our custom formulation service.
Conceptualization of Your Skincare Product
Creating your unique skincare brand begins with a deep dive into your beauty brand's identity and the target audience you intend to serve. This phase involves market research, identifying your brand's unique selling points, and defining the specific needs of your audience. Your brand's philosophy, values, and mission should be crystal clear during this phase. For example, if you're targeting an older audience, you may want to create a skincare line focused on anti-aging (or now trending as well-aging/slow-aging). Or if you're targeting younger audience such as teens, you may want to create a skincare line focused on acne and breakouts.
Selecting Key Ingredients for Your Skin Care Product
This is the core of your skincare line. The choice of key ingredients should align with your brand's identity and the desired product outcomes. You may opt for natural, organic, or scientifically proven ingredients, depending on your brand's ethos. Ingredient selection also considers factors like sustainability and ethical sourcing, which resonate with today's conscious consumers. Following our earlier example, if you want to create an anti-aging line, you may want to select your star ingredient as one with strong anti-aging effects and known to fight signs of aging, such as retinol, adenosine, vitamin C, peptides, collagen, etc.
It is also important to know your core marketing message - are you going to focus on the concentration of the key ingredients? That means taking time to observe your competitors (and future competitors) whether they are competing using percentages of concentrations of their active ingredients. For example, some brands may focus on having the 'strongest' vitamin C serum in the market, while some brands may want to focus on having a multitude of active ingredients that deliver more benefits instead, such as having niacinamide, vitamin C and vitamin E and focusing on their synergistic benefits, without emphasizing on percentages or concentrations. Having a clear vision of this puts you in a better place to start, as then you can save time and energy on the ingredient selection as well as formulation. For more information on ingredient concentrations, read our blog here.
Formulation Expertise
Skilled chemists and formulators come into play here. They are responsible for transforming your chosen ingredients into well-balanced formulations that achieve the desired results. The expertise of these professionals is crucial in ensuring the quality, safety, and effectiveness of your skincare products. That is why, selecting the appropriate manufacturer with research capabilities is crucial here.
South Korea is known as the mecca of beauty or the beauty capital of the world for a reason. Korean skincare manufacturers are skilled in formulating effective formulas for various skin concerns, with cutting-edge technologies and research capabilities. At MAYK, you will be presented with choices to work with any established Korean skincare factories within our Korean manufacturer network, all with certified capabilities to produce outstanding formulas. You can even find hidden gems in the manufacturing industry, such as those reputable manufacturers that unfortunately do not have overseas business development resources and limited global presence. For more information related to custom formulating your skincare, ingredients and processes, read more of our blogs here.
Sampling and Refinement of Your Skincare Formulations
Sampling offers you a preview on what your final product may turn out to be. This includes the texture, scent and color aspects of the product. Any necessary adjustments are made during this phase to perfect the formulations, ensuring they meet all your requirements and preferences. It's also important to understand what your target audience prefers so that you can reflect that in the product during this stage. This is crucial because the sensory experience of your product will determine your relationship with your customers.
Packaging and Design for Your Skincare Products
Packaging is more than just a container; it's an extension of your brand's identity. The design should align with your brand's aesthetics and values. Whether you prefer minimalist, eco-friendly packaging or vibrant, attention-grabbing designs, the goal is to make your products visually appealing and memorable to your target audience. For example, a beauty brand targeted at people with more purchasing power may want to package their brand as a luxury brand, with beautifully crafted, unique packaging designs.
When it comes to packaging, do keep in mind that there may be different MOQs for packaging, which are different for formulations. Sometimes, the MOQ for formulation is 5,000 units, but the MOQ for your desired packaging is 10,000 units. Especially for packagings with unique designs, the MOQs can fluctuate significantly on a case to case basis.
Manufacturing Skincare Products and Quality Control
Once the formulations are perfected and you are satisfied with the final sample, they enter the manufacturing phase. State-of-the-art facilities handle production with precision and consistency. Quality assurance is maintained throughout the production process to ensure that every batch meets your brand's standards. Once you entrust MAYK to produce your products, our team of experts will handle the quality checking processes directly with the manufacturers to ensure that each batch produced is up to your standards.
Regulatory Compliance
Navigating complex regulations can be a daunting task. However, with the right partner, your custom skincare products can seamlessly meet all necessary standards. Regulatory compliance is critical to ensure that your products are safe, properly labeled, and legally marketable. With MAYK, creating Korean beauty products to sell in your country has never been easier, as we have the experience selling in various countries. Communication with the Korean skincare manufacturers is also easier as we can help you request for the necessary legal documents and paperwork for you to safely sell in your target country.
Packaging and Distribution
After production, your skincare products are carefully packaged to maintain their quality. Comprehensive packaging services can include labeling, batch coding, and more. Additionally, distribution assistance helps you get your products to the market efficiently and ensures they reach retailers or consumers intact. At MAYK, we also offer an exclusive go-to-market service to our clients, providing them an additional sales channel via our B2B wholesale cosmetics network comprising of buyers from various countries.
In summary, the journey of creating custom skincare products is a meticulous one, but can be made easier with a trusted partner. Your vision, combined with the expertise of a trusted partner like MAYK, brings your skincare brand to life in the simplest way. MAYK specializes in making your skincare dreams a reality, helping you shine in the beauty industry.