Testing Active Ingredients

Testing and trying out ingredients is a bit of an obsession of mine - particularly active ingredients.

And if it's a new active that comes with promises, it has my immediate attention.

'Real scientific wrinkle-removing fabulousness!'
'Fresh out of the lab – never previously available – exclusive!'
'Four actives in one! Amazing results!'

They're Doing This on Purpose, You Know

Despite being fully aware of the various marketing tricks that are purposefully being employed to convince me of how urgently I need this ingredient, I'm a sucker for it every time.

Even after all these years, it takes a mere nanosecond before my order has been placed.

What?

You didn't think ingredient manufacturers marketed and advertised their products like the rest of the cosmetics industry?

They do.

They have marketing departments and know their target group as well as the next company.

Order it NOW!

They definitely seem to have me pegged, because my order is often placed before I even know what to use said ingredient in.

You can probably imagine what the stockroom of a such a easy mark can get to look like over time – bottles and packets with all kinds of promises – all waiting to be tested and catalogued.

I used to add every new ingredient from impulse orders into a single formula – all at once and all at maximum recommended dosage.

(Shall we pause for little giggle?)

Obviously, this method can only result in a completely muddled picture of which ingredients may be providing skincare magic and which ingredients are just along for the (marketing) ride.

As time passed, a semi-organized testing method developed into a more organized testing method that is now quite effective for me.

Stay tuned and I'll share a few ingredients testing tips you may find helpful in your own product development.

Do Tell

Do you have a weakness for ordering new cosmetics ingredients and tend to try everything at once?