Institute of

Personal Care Science

PO Box 995, Coolum Beach, QLD Australia 4573
Ph: (07) 5446 4680
www.personalcarescience.com.au

Why products don’t work the way they promise…

When a product doesn’t work the way you’d hoped, there are 3 main reasons why. This article will take a
look at some fundamental elements to improve the performance of your product range.

Reason #1: Formulation incompatibilities.

There are some materials which can’t be used in the presence of other materials if you want to get good
results. There are even more materials which are active over only a very specific (and sometimes narrow)
pH range. When materials are in an incompatible environment, they will degrade and/or lose their
bioavailability. Bioavailability is a measure of how much of the substance present is available for potential
uptake/absorption. For example, 100% bioavailable means all that is present is available for
uptake/absorption, while a measure of 50% bioavailability means that only half of the substance present
in the product is available for uptake/absorption. Where there is only 50% bioavailability, a substance just
wouldn’t work the way it is supposed to. Here are a couple of examples where we see this happen in
commercially available products:

 vitamin C is undoubtedly one of the most difficult substances to formulate with and achieve good
long term stability. This is especially true when it is in the form of ascorbic acid, as this is the
least stable form of vitamin C. Ascorbic acid needs a relatively acidic environment to be stable
(3.5 – 4.0) and deteriorates quickly in the presence of water and/or light. Other forms, for
example magnesium (or sodium) ascorbyl phosphate require a pH of 6.0 – 7.0 to give the best
bio-activity and shelf life. There are an increasingly growing number of vitamin C forms and
derivatives becoming available, all with different formulating and stability needs. If your product
looks in any way beige to brown, then the vitamin C has deteriorated and won’t provide the
benefits you will expect.
 vitamin A requires a pH of 6.0 – 7.0 to be stable and bio-available – at more acidic pH levels or
as its derivative (retinyl palmitate) you just won’t see the anticipated results. Remember too that
retinol is limited to 1% maximum input in Australian cosmetic products by the regulations.
 dihydroxyacetone (DHA) reacts with amines, peptides and amino acids of the stratum corneum
to produce brown polymers called melanoidins – it will also react with any collagen, proteins or
nitrogen containing compounds present in a finished product formulation. Its efficacy is also
affected in the presence of anionic surfactants. Yet we all too often see formulas where it is
combined with the wrong surfactants or emulsifiers and with collagen or proteins present! Want a
great tanning product? Then avoid these ingredients!

 alpha hydroxy acids (e.g. glycolic acid and lactic acid) require a pH below 3.85 to be 50% bio-
available. Finished products containing these ingredients with a pH of 3. 0 – 3.5 will tend to work
the best; while those with a pH > 4.0 will have lost most of their bioavailability and efficacy.

 beta hydroxy acids (e.g. salicylic acid) requires a pH below 3.0 to be 50% bio-available. Rarely
will you see a commercially available cosmetic product with a pH this low, but those with a pH >
4.0 will have lost most of the benefits of using this material in the formulation.

Be particularly wary of products that market a combination of materials requiring a high pH (e.g. retinol)
and those requiring a low pH (e.g. beta hydroxy acids) – only one of these materials at best could be
efficacious; or really bad formulation techniques yielding a product marketed to have a skin compatible
pH (around 5.5) would mean neither of these are bioavailable in proportions suitable to be effective!

1
 Institute of
Personal Care Science
PO Box 995, Coolum Beach, QLD Australia 4573
Ph: (07) 5446 4680
www.personalcarescience.com.au

The exact compatibility requirements of the many hundreds of active ingredients available can vary
considerably – make sure to check the bioavailability of the substances used in your product to ensure it
has been formulated to achieve the best possible performance.

Reason #2: Incorrect use of actives and/or marketing.

While reason #1 is the most common issue impacting efficacy, I also see products that simply don’t
contain enough of an active to provide the results promised and/or don’t have the capacity to deliver them
where they need to go in the required amount. Active ingredients can only perform the way they are
intended when the formulation has been designed to ensure their stability and bio-availability AND
enough of the active is present in each application. The number of applications per day or per week is
crucial along with the form of the product, to ensure good delivery of the active/s to the required layer of
the epidermis. Don’t get confused and think that very small amounts of a substance won’t be effective.
Peptides, for example, only need to be present in the order of parts per million (ppm) to provide
outstanding results - so the position of an active in an ingredient list can be deceiving! What is more
important is to know that the product has been formulated to deliver the actives present to where they
need to go, and contains an efficacious amount of the active as proven in clinical trials when used in a
similar manner. Ask for details of the testing conducted such as the number of participants in the trial,
how often they applied the product and if the active was present in a similar form of product in the same
amount.

Reason #3: Unrealistic expectations.

Sometimes consumers just expect far too much from a cosmetic product! Cosmetics are supposed to be
designed for topical application to provide a transient change to the appearance of the skin. They are not
designed to, and should not promise to, provide long term physiological changes to the skin’s structure or
the way it works. For example, skin whitening ingredients can use one or more methods to inhibit melanin
production, and assuming the product has been formulated with compatibility, bio-availability and using
the clinically proven amounts of active, it still won’t perform the way a consumer expects if:

 the product is not used regularly by the consumer in the way in which it is directed
 the consumer readily exposes themselves to considerable UV exposure and/or
 the consumer is expecting to become whiter than the day they were born

Genetics, lifestyle and hormones can prevent a cosmetic product from ever working the way it was
intended or has promised; and the consumer looking for a miracle in a jar is invariably going to end up
disappointed. Be careful that you don’t over promise results to someone looking for a miracle because no
matter how good your product is, they are unlikely to be satisfied. This can also happen where marketing
claims and over-ambitious photo-shopping in advertisements exceed what a typical consumer can hope
to achieve from regular use of a product.

2
 Institute of
Personal Care Science
PO Box 995, Coolum Beach, QLD Australia 4573
Ph: (07) 5446 4680
www.personalcarescience.com.au

Want to improve your skills and knowledge as a:

 Cosmetic Formulator,
 Brand Manager, or
 Regulatory Affairs Associate?
Study with the Institute of Personal Care Science – we have a range of Formulating, Brand Management
and Regulatory Diplomas, Certificates, short courses and workshops that can see you comprehensively
trained and/or rapidly up-skilled in key areas, all from the convenience of a time and place that suits you
with:
 All distance (on-line) study
 1-on-1 tutorial support via skype or phone with our trainers
 Flexible study options – study full time, part time or very part time – from as little as 5-6
hours per week!
 Instalment payment options – monthly instalments to help make study affordable

ALL STUDY IS ON-LINE VIA DISTANCE EDUCATION – study at a time and place that suits you,
anywhere in the world!

With 1-on-1 tutorial support throughout the study period if required and flexible study and payment
options, there has never been a better time to upgrade your skills and knowledge!

Take a look at our YouTube videos on various courses to see what you get when studying with IPCS:
Formulation courses:
 Diploma of Personal Care Formulation: https://youtu.be/gSyt6wnVVAQ
 Certificate in Advanced Cosmetic Science: https://youtu.be/KpENGIw6bFc
 Certificate in Beginners Cosmetic Science: https://youtu.be/_RPITpWG3PI
 Certificate in Organic Formulations: https://youtu.be/YKBKcD1Wyjg
 Certificate in Colour Cosmetics Formulation: https://youtu.be/8qRAk3obwMc
Brand Management courses:
 Diploma of Personal Care Development & Promotion: https://youtu.be/5flTooGcuR8
 Certificate in Cosmetic Brand Management: https://youtu.be/wVsYcl0Og6Q
Regulatory compliance courses:
 Diploma of Regulatory Compliance: https://youtu.be/iZKetrE8hrA Certificate in Cosmetic Regulatory
Essentials: http://personalcarescience.com.au/certificate-cosmetic-regulatory-essentials/
 Certificate in Comp Med Regulatory Essentials: http://personalcarescience.com.au/certificate-
comp-med-regulatory-essentials/
 Certificate in EU compliance: http://personalcarescience.com.au/certificate-eu-compliance/

Contact us for more information to get the learning and answers you are
searching for no matter where you are located in the world!
info@personalcarescience.com.au
or visit www.personalcarescience.com.au