From concept to reality: The product development journey

So, you have an idea for a new beauty range or product and believe there’s an audience for your formulation - what happens next? How do you take your initial concept through to manufacturing reality, ready to launch to the public?

At Hera Beauty, our mission is to make launching a skincare, haircare or wellness brand as easy as possible. We can quickly bring your initial concept to market. We’re all about helping brands grow and achieve success.

To demystify the process, we’ve provided an overview of what happens during the product development journey…

Bringing your vision to life

The first step is to get in contact! The Hera Beauty team works closely with every client, guiding you each step of the way. For our initial conversation we will typically speak with you over the phone or via a virtual meeting. Put simply, this method fits with our organisation’s sustainability values by reducing travel emissions. At this point we will go through the brief to discover more about your requirements. 

The initial assessment will help us understand exactly how you envisage your product looking and working. We want to know what you would like it to do, what you do and don’t want in your list of ingredients, your brand’s values, and what you desire the formulation to feel, smell, and look like. We want to get behind your product and foresee its future success!

Then we look at logistics: ideas for packaging, environmental considerations, labelling, and the finer branding details. We’re happy to advise on sustainable and ethical packaging - including the innovation that’s currently happening within the industry: such as biodegradable bamboo or recycled ocean plastic waste. We can give you an estimated guide to levels of investment required and let you know what’s possible and what may need rethinking to fit your outlined budget.

The next step is to look at fulfilment, including where you want the product to be sold. This way we can consider any additional restrictions and regulations. We ideally want to understand your business plan and how your company operates, to ensure we’re best placed to help your organisation expand and grow.

Ultimately, the Hera Beauty team is here to advise you on what’s possible and to suggest any ideas and alternatives using our expertise within the sector. Sometimes original formulations need to be redeveloped due to changing regulations. We can advise on ingredients and extracts to support your brand goals and want to make your manufacturing journey as smooth as possible.

Safety and quality

Once you’ve decided on your formulation, a draft International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI) will be created for you. Following any changes, and once you are happy with the product on paper, a sample will be submitted for your approval. Then the stringent testing process begins, to ensure regulations are met and customers can rest assured about the safety of your products.

The success of personal care businesses relies on their ability to produce effective, safe, and high-quality skincare and haircare products. We’re proud to be ISO 22716 accredited, which provides independent verification of our adherence to the very highest standards.  We have an in-house technical team to offer compliance and regulatory support.

What does the testing process look like? In summary, we undertake:

• Stability testing to ensure the formulation holds under hot, cold, and room temperature conditions.
• Compatibility testing, if needed. We would do this when the formulation is at risk of reacting with the packaging.
• Preservative Efficacy Testing (PET). This test checks the effectiveness of antimicrobial preservatives in beauty products.
• Cosmetic Product Safety Report (CPSR), which describes whether the product is safe under normal use and is approved by safety assessors.

We can also offer further technical support such as:

• Assistance in certification for Cruelty Free International and the COSMOS-standard.
• CBD (Cannabidiol) testing.
• Vegan certification.
• PIF (Product Information File).
• MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet).
• SPF (Sun Protection Factor) testing. 

Private label formulations

Want to fast track your order? Don’t forget we have a wide range of high quality pre-approved private label formulations that you can use under your brand name. These can be customised to meet your requirements and produced in as little as 12 weeks.

Let us know if you have a specific delivery deadline in mind and we will aim to be flexible and agile to meet your requirements. Throughout every stage of development your dedicated account manager will keep you up to date on the manufacturing process. 

New product development

Want something developed specifically to suit your individual requirements? Our in-house technical team and formulation chemists can create a bespoke product for your brand. We will discuss the brief with you and collate all your information together. 

Using our expertise within the beauty sector, wherever possible we aim to make our own extracts and are always keen to upcycle materials that would otherwise have gone to waste. We know it matters to our partners to provide full traceability for ingredients too.

After testing and ingredient ordering, the product will be produced at our GMP-certified site in Cambridgeshire. We generally recommend a timeline of 7-12 months for full new product development and a minimum order quantity of 5,000 units. We will advise on any longer lead times because of ingredient shortages (due to market conditions) ahead of work starting. 

Contract manufacturing

If you have already developed and tested a formulation, we can manufacture this to your specifications. We will require your formulation details, testing certificates, packaging requirements, expected order quantity, pricing, target delivery dates and benchmark samples. All projects are dealt with in the strictest confidence and we are more than happy to sign a non-disclosure agreement if required.

Bulk orders

If you’d prefer, we can supply products in bulk packaging for you to arrange your own filling. Select from our range of private label formulations, including face, hair and body care products. You can choose up to three ingredients to customise your formulations without any further testing required.

Want to discover more?

We’re here to offer advice and share our industry expertise. Hera Beauty can help with your questions on skincare formulations, ingredients, technologies, scaling your brand, and regulatory compliance - in fact, ask us anything about the beauty industry or your chosen formulations and we will endeavour to help in any way we can!

We would love to talk with you about your brand and how we can be your manufacturing partner. Interested in hearing further details? Book a one-to-one consultation here.