Formulation
Ingredients
How Celcode selects, sources and formulates with active ingredients: supplier data versus product claims, INCI naming, compatibility and stability.
Celcode selects active ingredients for a formulation from its in-house inventory and from suppliers worldwide, matching each active to the product's purpose, base, pH and packaging. Supplier study data informs the choice of an active but is not a claim for the finished product; claims are substantiated per product and set within cosmetic scope. Every ingredient is checked against the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive for the target markets, and the final formulation is listed by INCI name on the label.
How an active is chosen
An active is chosen for what the product must do, then checked against everything else in the formulation:
- Purpose. The brief defines the concern - hydration, brightening, oil control, signs of ageing, scalp condition - and the customer.
- Mechanism and evidence. Candidate actives are compared on how they are designed to work and on the supplier’s test data, including the concentration and vehicle used.
- Compatibility. The active must be stable in the chosen base, at the product’s pH, alongside the other actives and the preservation system.
- Regulatory status. The ingredient is checked against the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive annexes for the target markets, including any usage limits.
- Cost and supply. Cost in use at the effective level, and reliable supply for repeat production, are confirmed before the formulation is fixed.
Sourcing
Celcode maintains an inventory of actives and sources additional materials from suppliers around the world as briefs require. Supplier documentation - specifications, safety data, allergen and origin information, and certifications such as Halal where relevant - is collected for the product information file that supports notification.
Supplier data and product claims
Suppliers publish in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo results for their actives. Those results inform selection and dosing. They do not transfer automatically to a finished product, whose base, pH, packaging and other actives all differ from the supplier’s test vehicle. Claims that appear on a Celcode-manufactured product are substantiated for that product and worded within cosmetic scope at the regulatory check. The testing page explains how substantiation is planned.
Naming on the label
Branded actives are marketing names. The label lists ingredients by INCI name in the required order, and the notification uses the same list. A branded active can therefore appear as two or three INCI names on the label.
Actives by concern
The pages below carry the content of Celcode’s formulation solution brochures with the supplier evidence attributed:
- Anti-ageing solutions: Royalactin, V-Tox, Salmon Caviar DNA, EGF Complex, tri-coated retinol, DuoQ Power.
- Brightening solutions: Melazap, Mela-glow, tranexamic acid dipeptide.
- Hydration solutions: Hydra Survivor, hyper hyaluronic matrix, Probio-Col, Pentamoist, polyglutamic acid.
- Acne and oil-control solutions: Alpha Inhibit, SeboControl 5.
- Vitamin C: Gluta-C and ethyl ascorbic acid, and the stability challenge of vitamin C in general.
Hair and scalp actives - for dandruff, hair loss and damaged hair - are described on the haircare manufacturing page.
Frequently asked questions
Can I request a specific branded active?
Yes. Many brands come with a supplier active in mind. Celcode confirms availability, checks compatibility with the base and other actives, and advises on the level at which the supplier data were generated.
What is an INCI name?
The International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients name is the standardised name an ingredient must be listed under on a cosmetic label. Branded actives are made of one or more INCI ingredients, and the label lists those, not the brand name.
Does a supplier study prove my product works?
No. Supplier studies test the raw material, often at a set concentration in a simple vehicle. They support choosing the active and setting its level. A claim on a finished product is substantiated for that product, in its final formulation and packaging.
- Written by
- Celcode Dermal Lab
- Published
- Updated