Stability testing – Depending on the local environment, the cosmetic product’s manufacturing process will be altered so that it does not harm any of the users. With stability testing, the manufacturers can ensure that the product does not become dangerous from the manufacturing day to expiry day.
If they can pass the test, one can be sure that the product maintains its physical aspect and function and does not lose its chemical quality. The product sample is tested under real-life situations to ensure the product is stable and does not lose its physical properties such as color, odor, etc.
With the results, the manufacturers can evaluate the product quality and product duration. It is compulsory to get the product tested to complete the Product Information File (PIF) process if the manufacturer wants to sell their products to European Nations.
There are three parts of stability testings:
- Physical and chemical integrity tests- These tests evaluate the color, fragrance, texture, pH value, and emulsion stability of the cosmetic products to ensure the customers’ safety.
- Microbiological stability test- These tests evaluate the level of contamination with yeast, bacteria, and mold.
- Packaging stability test- These tests evaluate the impact of packaging on the contained product.
- Physical and chemical integrity test – The primary purpose of this test is to understand how the cosmetic product can resist common factors such as temperature and light.
Ordinarily, manufacturers decide whether to perform such specific testing depending on the particular cosmetic product’s weaknesses and expected transportation, storage, and use conditions.
Some test procedures include:
- Temperature Variations Test: High-temperature testings are commonly done to understand the cosmetic product’s long-term stability. Most manufacturers conduct this test at 37-degree Celsius (98F) and 45-degree Celsius (113F).
- Cycle Testing: At this stage, the particular cosmetic product must pass on three temperature testings levels starting from -10-degree Celsius (14F) to 25-degree Celsius (77F).
First, the sample product is placed at 10-degree Celsius for a day, and then it is placed at room temperature that is 25-degree Celsius for a day. This is one level of testing. If the sample product clears all three testing levels, the manufacturer can have some confidence in its stability levels.
- Centrifuge Testing: This particular period (of an oil-in-water emulsion) tends to separate and ascend to the highest point of the emulsion, shaping a layer of oil drops.
- Light Exposure Testing: The two formulas and packaging can be delicate to UV radiation. All items should be put in the glass and the actual package in the window, and if it’s accessible, a lightbox with an expansive range yield.
Spot another glass container canvassed with aluminum foil in the window to control. During the process, the experts generally check the staining of the cosmetic product being tested and sometimes the package.
- Microbiological Stability Tests – Every cosmetic product is a mixture or a combination of a wide variety of microorganisms that can have a negative effect on an individual’s health.
Few of them include skin diseases, rashes, and much other skin and eye-related diseases depending upon the cosmetic product that an individual uses. In few cases, users end up contaminating the cosmetic products by adding bacteria to the products.
This makes it very dangerous for the users. These tests can give some confidence to the manufacturer. If a product clears this test, then it means that a particular cosmetic product is free from harmful microorganisms.
Yeast, fungi, and bacteria are used in the testing procedures. A sample of the cosmetic product is sent to the Preservative Effectiveness Test (PET) to identify how microorganisms’ growth can impact the consumers.
- Packaging Stability Tests – Packaging techniques and packaging methods of a cosmetic product can affect the end product stability. For instance, item constituents might be assimilated into the product container or artificially respond to the product container.
Also, the product container may not completely shield the item from the antagonistic impacts of climatic oxygen such as water vapor, or unstable product constituents (for example, fragrances) may vanish through the product container.
CONCLUSION
The above discussed are the three types of stability tests that a cosmetic product manufacturer has to take to ensure that their product is safe for a consumer to use.
It is compulsory to get the product tested with these methods to complete the Product Information File (PIF) process if the manufacturer wants to sell their products in European Nations. A manufacturer can sell their product in the market without these tests, but he is wholly responsible for the consumer’s safety.
