Formulating for Efficacy, the Software

Creating an efficacious cosmetic formulation can be problematic. There are so many factors to consider in formulating that by the time it comes to the efficient skin delivery of your active ingredient, most formulators simply hope for the best. This ‘hope-and-see’ mentality is not because they want to, but because it is simply too difficult for most formulators to transform complex skin delivery theories into practical formulations. No wonder many cosmetic formulators find it difficult to create an active formulation from an active ingredient.

But this is no longer an excuse. The logical formulation strategy “Formulating for Efficacy” developed by Prof. Dr. Johann W. Wiechers, Independent Consultant for Cosmetic Science at JW Solutions, The Netherlands, is now available as a software program that will guide you through the formulation process. You enter your emollients (anything that can dissolve your active), you enter your active ingredient and a few other properties such as the concentration of your active, and the program calculates the rest. You will need to calibrate the system by doing a small number of solubility experiments of your active in some emollients, and “Formulating for Efficacy, the Software” will either optimize an existing formulation, make additions to an existing formulation or propose the most effective combination of emollients for a complete new formulation.

[1]A good understanding of the “Formulating for Efficacy” theory is definitely helpful to understand what the program does. The better you understand the program, the more useful it will be for you. This understanding can be gained during the upcoming workshop “From active ingredient to active formulation in five simple steps” [2] that will be held on Tuesday 29 March 2011 (2-6pm) during the in-cosmetics exhibition in Milan, Italy. The computer program will be explained and demonstrated. It will also be shown how to deliver multiple actives as well as natural extracts from a single formulation. If time allows and you bring your own actives (bring at least its chemical structure), Johann will optimize the delivery of your active on the spot.

From 28 March onwards, the software will be available from www.jwsolutionssoftware.com [3]. Please write to info@jwsolutionssoftware.com [4] if you would like to be informed when the software will be released.

No excuses for non-efficacious formulations any longer. Let “Formulating for Efficacy, the Software” deliver your actives. Learn all the necessary details during the upcoming formulation workshop at in-cosmetics on Tuesday 29 March 2011.

See you in Milan on Tuesday 29 March 2011!