Cosmetic Testing

Cosmetic and Personal Care Bottles

Get A Testing Quote

Testing Services for the Personal Care Industry

Microchem is an independent laboratory that provides testing services to formulators and manufacturers of cosmetics and other personal care products.

Each year, Microchem tests hundreds of products for shelf-life, freeze-thaw stability, photostability, and preservative effectiveness.

In 2015, Microchem Laboratory acquired Cosmetic Test Labs, further expanding its personal care product testing capabilities. Whether your company is large or small, Microchem is here to help!

Cosmetic product testing services include:

The scientific staff is experienced, friendly, and well versed in FDA rules and regulations as well as current test methods, including USP and CTFA (now PCPC). The staff of Microchem is here to help companies understand cosmetic regulations and set up tests as necessary to meet their objectives. To get started, call the lab, or request a same day price quote.

A Smart Choice for Established Manufacturers

Microchem Laboratory is an excellent business partner to established private label and brand-name cosmetic manufacturers.

The lab serves as a seamless extention of a manufacturer’s internal testing capabilities by supporting routine internal testing such as daily aerobic plate counts. The lab is also a great partner for conducting preservative efficacy and stability studies as new formulations are developed.

Microchem Laboratory provides valuable benefits to Quality Assurance personnel by reducing false alarms and working hand-in-hand to rapidly solve manufacturing problems should they arise. To discuss the advantages of partnering with Microchem, simply contact the lab today.

A Consultative Approach for Small Companies

Microchem is the best laboratory for small and medium-sized personal care product companies. We help companies determine appropriate testing while taking into consideration both budget and scale of manufacturing.

Microchem Laboratory understands appropriate product testing regimens. We are eager to share our expertise with individuals new to the realm of cosmetic testing.

Laboratory staff are available to discuss testing for new products, reformulated products, and to troubleshoot with our clients when results don’t come out as expected.

For those just staring out, we have outlined the five top reasons to test your cosmetic products. If you have questions, just give the lab a call.

Services for Formulators and Consultants

Formulators and Consultants serve a crucial role in the personal care industry by giving ingredient advice, identifying formulators, and finally, helping manufacturers choose a reputable laboratory. Consultants know the importance of preservative challenge studies, stability studies, and routine screening for the presence of bacteria and fungi.

When you refer your clients to Microchem Laboratory, our goal is to underscore your recommendation by providing easy, affordable, and accurate testing to your customers.

Cosmetic Formulators: Nobody knows better than Microchem that personal care product formulation is a blend of art and science. We have learned that experience in cosmetic formulation matters, and we can serve as a trusted partner to evaluate the microbiological and physical stability of formulations in a cost-effective and rapid manner.

Why Test With Microchem Laboratory?

To ensure product safety, and therefore compliance with the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, all companies should do regular product testing including aerobic plate counts on finished goods and a preservative challenge testing on each formulation.

When you fill out our price quote or contact form, or pick up the phone and call, you can expect to be greeted by a friendly, experienced scientist who will answer questions about test methods and regulatory compliance.

If testing is in order, the lab will provide you with a no-pressure quote for testing. If your request is highly specialized or out of our testing scope, we will gladly refer you to a cosmetic testing laboratory or personal care product testing laboratory that can help. Here is a website tour of many resources you will find at Microchem Laboratory.

Working with Microchem is simple and easy, just request a quote or simply give the lab a call or email us.

Preservative Challenge Testing

Preservative challenge testing of cosmetics and personal care products is important to ensure the safety of the products prior to consumer use. According to the FDA, it is the responsibility of the finished product manufacturer to substantiate the safety of both ingredients and finished cosmetic products prior to marketing. The ability of a preservative system is to protect the product from microbial growth and degradation must be established through microbial challenge testing of the final formulation.

Challenge testing cosmetics is likely the single most important type of testing a cosmetic maker can do to protect their product. This testing allows manufacturers and formulators of cosmetics to have a clear picture of how their products will withstand the microbial attack which is inevitable during consumer use. Testing cosmetics and personal care products to ensure stability is necessary and cosmetic challenge tests are an essential part of any product’s stability testing regimen.

Microchem Laboratory specializes in both industry standard challenge test methods and custom methods based on those standards to assist you in your preservative challenge testing needs. We offer the following test methods:

Our staff of knowledgeable scientists are ready to help determine the best and most cost effective challenge testing for your needs. Contact the lab today for more information regarding preservative challenge testing for cosmetics or request a same day price quote.

Shelf Life and Stability

Cosmetic and personal care product expiration dates should be established as determined by shelf-life and stability testing. Any significant change from the normal aesthetic or microbial profile indicates a possible problem with product stability, which should be further investigated. We offer realtime and accelerated stability testing that is customized to your product specific needs.

Microchem Laboratory offers the following shelf-life and stability tests:

Whether your cosmetic or personal care product is new and investigational, or already on the market, Microchem’s highly trained staff has the experience and expertise to assist you in fulfilling your stability testing requirements.

For more information regarding shelf-life and stability testing contact the lab today or request a price quote.

Bacterial and Fungal

Contamination of consumer products with bacteria and fungi is a common problem in the manufacturing process. Bacterial and fungal contamination is of particular concern in cosmetics and personal care products since these products come into direct contact with our bodies. Microbial contamination testing is essential to ensure the quality and integrity of your product.

Routine testing for the presence of bacteria and fungi can quickly reveal contamination from raw materials and is often the first sign cosmetic formulators and manufacturers receive that there is a preservative problem with a product. This testing is known by the many different names including “batch testing”, “micro testing”, or “plate count.”

Microchem Laboratory specializes in the microbiological testing of cosmetics and personal care products. We offer the following test methods for bacterial and fungal contamination testing:

Microchem recommends simple, inexpensive microbiological testing of every batch, to ensure that bacteria and fungi levels are within manufacturing specifications.

For more information regarding bacterial and fungal contamination of products and the test methods listed above, please contact the lab today.

Water Activity Testing

Water activity is the measurement of the amount of water available for chemical reactions and microbial growth within a product, quantifying how “bound” or “free” water is within a material. It is expressed on a scale from 0 to 1, with 0 representing completely dry or waterless conditions and 1 representing pure water.

Water activity (aw) is a crucial property of any personal care product formulation, since it directly affects stability, shelf life, and microbial safety,

Invitro Toxicology

Cosmetics and personal care products, more than any other products, come into direct contact with our bodies and stay there for significant periods of time. For this reason, it is necessary for cosmetic formulators and manufacturers to determine whether their products may be toxic or pose a risk to consumers. In past years, standard test methods used to determine toxicity have been required to be conducted on animals. There is now a big push within the cosmetic and personal care industry to move away from animal testing to ensure the safety of products.

Microchem Laboratory, with the help of our partners, offers non-animal, in vitro, product safety testing that is equivalent to the standard animal methods to give manufacturers of cosmetics peace of mind, knowing that their products are safe for use.

Share!

Cosmetic and Personal Care Bottles

Get A Testing Quote

RELATED SPECIALTIES