How to formulate cosmetics for rapid results?

Rapid cosmetic results tip #1: Provide an instant effect

Make sure your cosmetic product ‘appears’ to be working straight away by including an ingredient that gives an instant effect. For example:

• in tanning products, this would be using colourants to give an instant ‘brown’ stain to the skin while the active takes time to develop.
• for whitening products, it means adding a soft focus or light altering material so the consumer perceives an instantly brighter complexion while the actives can do their job within the skin over a longer period of time.
• for anti-ageing products, it means including a soft focus ingredient so that lines and wrinkles seem to instantly ‘vanish’ on application, while your actives will give the true anti-ageing benefits over a more reasonable period of time (e.g. 1 – 2 months).
• for skin firming products, use a material that will pull the skin taught within minutes of application while your actives take their normal time to produce the required results.

Consumers want products that work – but formulating chemists creating the products know that to get truly visible results will take time. Unfortunately, some consumers don’t stick with a product for a reasonable amount of time to get the results they are hoping for, so by providing them with some ‘instant’ results, they will use your product long enough for it to provide the more dramatic results provided by a good selection of actives.

Rapid cosmetic results tip #2: Ensure skin penetration to where your product needs to be!

Even the best actives in a bad cosmetic formula just won’t work. Make sure you get the base of your cosmetic formulation right:

• be what your target market is looking for in terms of sensory application and spread
• formulate with good delivery in mind – if you need to penetrate to the deeper layers of the epidermis, then use appropriate delivery agents and a suitable amphiphilic base to help ensure they get there!
• ensure the right ingredients remain on the surface – not all materials need to go deep to provide benefits – holding skin nurturing emollients within appropriate films so they stay on the skin and protect against TEWL can be an incredibly effective way to improve the condition of the skin and leave it feeling and looking amazingly supple
• check, check and check again that you have not incorporated any actives in an incompatible way, or in an incompatible base. Be particularly careful with things like charge and pH. An incompatible base not only compromises stability, but also reduces bioavailability – in some cases to the point of inactivity!
• ensure it is stable – there is nothing nice about a product recall!

Make sure your product does what you intend it to by ensuring the base enhances its activity and delivery rather than deactivates or destabilises! Need help getting the base right? Speak to us at IPCS about one of our courses to suit your formulating skills and needs.

Watch our video to learn more about skin penetration:

• Cosmetic Absorption by the Skin 
• Maximise cosmetic absorption with penetration enhancers

Rapid cosmetic results tip #3: Create an instant impression

Fulfil a consumers’ need for instant gratification by ensuring your cosmetic product has an instant impression. This could be:

• an absolutely amazing fragrance – however, be careful! Fragrance can be somewhat personal, so take the time to make sure your fragrance matches your target audience perfectly and you’ll get their attention!
• an immediate sensory/skin feel benefit, for example, instant cooling or instant warming. Think beyond actual texture here, it’s not enough when we’re talking instant impression – it needs to be a powerful instant impression to really get their attention.
• incorporating coloured beads that break on impact or other visual ‘event’ in the packaging – even if these elements of the formula aren’t delivering an active, the consumer will think they are doing more than just looking pretty… it all adds to that crucial first impression!

While this rapid results tip won’t actually help your product work better in a chemical way, it will ensure instant sensory gratification is provided every time they use it. This can be just as important to bring an emotional attachment to a product long enough for them to become loyal to your product and see fantastic results.

Incorporate as many of these tips in your product formulation as possible to get your product noticed; and make sure your formula also has outstanding long term benefits from regular use for the best chance of repeat purchase.

Earn brand loyalty by providing instant and long term results and benefits that meet (and exceed) your customer’s expectations!