First of all, we take months of work on the choice of our ingredients (see article) Monitoring of months of laboratory formulation.
Once we have obtained a satisfactory formula: serious things start!
Test 1: Stability and compatibility tests.
First of all, each care product must have good stability over time.
From the manufacture of the factory to your bathroom.
We must ensure the perfect quality of our products.
Therefore, in our lab, we "tortur" our formulas:
The products are heated to 45, 55 degrees, frozen at -10 degrees for 6 months.
Every week, we check the pH, the perfume and many other physico-chemical parameters of our formulas.
After 6 months, if all is well, all the products are stable: we continue with the accounting tests.
If an anomaly is detected: Zuuut, Dr. Tao will have to return to the lab and rework.
We also test the compatibility of our formulas with our bottles. We want to make sure that the packaging is well suited, and that no molecule of the bottle migrates in our formula.
And this phase also takes 3 months.
Test 2: Conservation tests.
Above all, you should know that it is extremely important to measure the conservation capacity of water containing water.
As you know, water is life, all the living love water so microbes too.
If a formula is contaminated by microbes during its distribution, it can be very dangerous for children, and could have very serious consequences. (They have a less efficient immune system than an adult).
‘The test challenge’
This test lasts over a period of 28 days, the approved independent laboratories add lots of microbes voluntarily in our formulas to see how it reacts.
There are 2 categories:
Category A: Products behave very well in front of microbes: the formula is OK for eye contour and use on babies.
Then category B: the formula passes the tests, but you have to pay attention to its use.
And of course all of our products are in category A. Otherwise our Dr Ta Tao gets back to work!
Test 3: eye tolerance tests
If a product is intended to be applied to the eye area or if its expected use induces a possible contact with the eye area (facial cleaner, shampoo ...).
We must prove the lack of risks for consumer eyes.
How to do it?
The tests are carried out on corneal cells cultivated in a Petri box (no, there are not small rabbit eyes in the lab, they are barely visible cells).
If cells live well in contact with our products, the product has no risk for the eyes.
Obviously, all of our products have no risk for the eyes (no irritation).
Test 4: Skin tolerance tests ex vivo
All our products have been tested on children's skin cells kept alive in a petri box (cells, not children: said like that, it looks like a horror film).
In reality, these skin cells form like an opaque film in the boxes in the laboratory.
Independent laboratories put its famous children's skins with our products, to see how they react after 48 hours of incubation.
And again, the only result that suits us: zero irritation for our products.
Test 5: Clinical skin tolerance tests
Phase I
After making sure that the products are not irritating on the cells in the laboratory, we carry out the clinical tests Phase I.
These tests are carried out under dermatological control.
The products are applied to the back of 20 volunteers with sensitive and atopic tendency.
The test is applied for 24 to 48 hours and we measure the reactions of the skins.
The formula will only be validated if there is no apparent reaction.
Phase II
Once the phase I phase I are satisfactory, we go to phase II!
This time, the products are tested on a larger number of volunteers: 100 subjects.
In order to know if our product is hypoallergenic. There are 1 to 5 % of this population allergic to cosmetic products.
If no volunteer reaction: it's validated!
Phase III
After all that, we test our products in real conditions: 20 volunteers use our products for 28 days.
For these tests, dermatological control is carried out morning and evening, to ensure optimal security.
And you say to yourself, it's good, they have finished their tests! But that Nenni, we go to ...
Test 6: efficiency tests
To summarize, our products are 100 % of natural origin, ultra soft, without any allergic or irritating reaction, but are they effective?
In terms of hydration and elimination of pollution particles and dirt?
Hydration test
Devices measure the water content of the skin.
First of all, our products are applied to the volunteer forearms.
Then, the approved independent laboratories measure the water content before and after 8 hours of use.
If there is more water in the tested area than in other skin areas, that means that the products are moisturizing.
Cleaning efficiency test
First, spray pollution particles on the skin and clean it, then measure the cleanliness of the skin before and after cleaning.
We validate if the formula manages to eliminate more than 99.9 % of pollution and dirt particles.
Test 7: DIP
The last test of our small formula is the passage in front of the independent toxicologist. He will peel all the results, analyze, calculate and give a complete report (nearly 1000 pages !!) called DIP (product information file).
This file is a legal document, an identity document for our formula that has become a product, and will finally obtain the stamp guaranteeing the quality and safety of our product!
When we received the toxicologist's file, and as we have organic products, we must also validate the composition and the label by the Ecocert.
After all these papers, finally, we carry out the recording of our products on the CPNP notification (European portal for notification of cosmetic products) and then that's it ...
Finally, another chapter begins, that of production ...
We hope that you liked this transparency, and that you can better understand the commitment and work behind each Lilikiwi product bottle!
If you have a question, do not hesitate to send us an email at cowcou@lilikiwi.fr