HOW RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT GUIDE THE OEM SKINCARE PRODUCTION
Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) are companies that mass-produce skincare items for other companies to market, based on specifications provided by their clients. Clients decide on everything in this manufacturing process, from formulation design to production, packaging, and delivery. When the trial product is ready for mass production, the OEM skincare manufacturer will be entrusted with all or part of the manufacturing process, depending on client feedback. This is an ideal approach for brands who want to focus their efforts on each stage of the manufacturing process. OEMs allow skincare brands greater flexibility when developing their new cosmetic products and increase the market potential for unique products.
With the global cosmetic sector growing increasingly competitive, ODM/OEM skincare products R&D teams are delving deeper into beauty market research. The purpose of these research studies is to find new skin-friendly cosmetic treatments as well as technologies that can guide these breakthrough solutions. Given the recent advancements in the technology and standards used in the cosmetics sector, research and development has become a vital aspect of a brand’s sustainability. Therefore, it is critical to examine the function of R&D in OEM skincare production.
Why is Research and Development Vital in the Production of Skincare?
The cosmetic industry is scientifically driven and in a constant state of innovating or developing new products. This is mainly due to varying customer skincare needs based on location, climate, skin texture, fragrance preference, and several other similar factors. As a result, ODM/OEM skincare product R&D is required to satisfy these diverse consumer needs and to ensure that the products work on specific skin types without causing severe reactions. The following are some of the many purposes served by effective R&D:
- Make the product compatible with human biological factors (skin texture).
- Meet consumers’ dermatological needs.
- Enhance product performance and safety.
- Reduce environmental impact.
- Maintain continuous innovation and enable scientific discoveries.
- Increase product diversification based on age, gender, climate, lifestyle, and so on.
- Create multifunctional products with better value for money for users.
- Enable differentiation from competitors, particularly among evolving trends.
- Make products more cost-effective.
ODM/OEM skincare products R&D teams consider all of the above criteria when developing or upgrading new or existing product formulations. They also create protective packaging for products based on the nature of the product and climatic factors. The team ensures that all relevant safety precautions are performed throughout product storage and transportation. These security measures will be determined by the anticipated reaction or action of the product, its ingredients, and content stability. If a company is interested in natural cosmetics solutions, the ODM/OEM skincare products R&D process is required to be even more rigorous, as these products can present more health risks.
When creating cosmetic products, the research and development function is critical during the formula development and testing phases.
Formula Development
The Product Brief
The marketing team identifies and summarises the following product-related characteristics:
- Appearance
- Fragrance
- Benefits
- Competitor Products
- Packaging
- Price Range
- Geographical Market
Once the brief is provided, the ODM/OEM skincare products R&D team will aid in developing specifications and determining technically viable aspects in terms of production and cost.
R&D Team Product Research
Product ingredients are evaluated according to technical, regulatory, and price aspects by using the product brief information. This is to generate a “dry lab” formula, which is a list of ingredients and their percentages.
The Paper Formula
The R&D team will provide the paper formula to the marketing team for review. This is done to ensure that both teams are on the same page about pricing, ingredients, and deliverables before beginning laboratory work.
Prototype Development
The R&D team will begin developing prototypes in the lab and testing them for functionality, safety, stability, aesthetics, and packaging compatibility.
Marketing Review
The marketing team will evaluate the product and provide input to the technical team on modifications that they would like to see in the formula. The more detailed the feedback, the easier it is for the R&D team to make changes to the product. This procedure is repeated until the formula is completed.
Formula Evaluation
Consumer Testing
The goal of this phase is to collect customer feedback on product quality. It can be costly if the new product is being tested among a large number of people. The testing level can range from informal employee remarks to consumer focus groups and in-home prototype testing. In some cases, this testing phase can be skipped.
Stability Testing
A stability test is one of the most critical tests performed by the ODM/OEM skincare products R&D team, as it establishes the shelf life of a product. It determines whether the product will change over time or interact unfavourably with the packaging.
Clinical Studies
Clinical testing is usually done to verify a specific claim, such as whether a product contains ingredients that clog or block the skin’s pores. Depending on the formula type, more testing may be required.
Develop Your Skincare Products with the R&D Team of Harmony Skin Lab
Harmony Skin Lab, a reputable low MOQ OEM skin care manufacturer in Singapore, provides private and white-label skincare products to new or expanding businesses. We handle everything from OEM skincare product design to distribution under our end-to-end service portfolio. Furthermore, our experienced ODM/OEM skincare products R&D team can create unique and original formulations based on client specifications.
In our state-of-the-art facilities, we combine high-quality ingredients with cutting-edge technology to develop skin care products that meet the most stringent quality and safety standards. Reach out to us today for more details on how we can help you upscale your operations!
