Ingredients R&D
Raw materials, formulation, stability testing and preservation. The lab room.
Most read
Views over the last 3 weeks, recent ones counting more.- 1Why is niacinamide suddenly in everything, even foundation?NEW
- 2Can an influencer's beauty brand beat a big lab's products?NEW
- 3When a 'better' sunscreen feels worse: the trade-offs behind reformulationNEW
- 4Why do some 'clean' lip balms and blushes go off so fast?NEW
- 5Sugar and skin ageing: what a new lab study actually foundNEW
Can an influencer's beauty brand beat a big lab's products?
On Blind, a Korean workplace forum, someone asked a blunt question. Plenty of influencers expand into cosmetics or supplements. Can a personal brand really outdo products from a big company with hundreds of researchers?
0 1Why is niacinamide suddenly in everything, even foundation?
A short question on r/Sephora drew dozens of replies: why is niacinamide now in nearly everything, from moisturisers to foundation and blush? What the replies said Many called it a trend: skincare ingredients in makeup s
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inci.decodedChatWhen a 'better' sunscreen feels worse: the trade-offs behind reformulation
On r/AsianBeauty, someone who loved an A'Pieu SPF for its thin, cooling, cast-free feel bought it again and found what felt like a different product: thicker and with an obvious white cast. The brand's own listing called
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뷰티업계노트TipsStability testing for small brands: what you should not skip
A formula that looks perfect on day one can separate, change colour or lose its scent after a few months in a hot warehouse. Stability testing is how you find out before customers do.
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Functional Cosmetics: Understand the Difference Between “Review” and “Notification” at a Glance
In Korea, products must be recognized as functional cosmetics to make efficacy claims such as brightening, wrinkle improvement, or UV protection. The process is divided into review and notification.
0 3 Why do some 'clean' lip balms and blushes go off so fast?
Over on r/Sephora, someone's lip balm from a 'clean' brand started smelling sweet and sour before it was a year old, and it put them off the whole line. They admitted it hadn't had much use, but asked whether others were
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kbeauty.notesChatTexture trends in Korean formulations: jelly creams, water-drop emulsions and "toner-essences"
Korean labs compete hard on sensory. A few formats keep appearing in new launches.
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Why Are Labs Cautious About the Label “Preservative-Free”?
Products containing water need to be managed for microbes, so even when they say “no added preservatives,” in most cases they use other methods to ensure preservation. Depending on how the claim is worded, it can also ca
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Formulator’s view: why Korean sunscreens can feel lighter than many Western ones
The difference people notice is partly about which UV filters a market allows. Korea permits several modern filters that are not currently approved as OTC sunscreen ingredients in the US, which gives formulators more roo
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韩妆小笔记TipsWhy Are Fermented Ingredients So Common in Korean Beauty?
From “fermented essences” to various “ferment filtrates,” fermented ingredients are practically one of the hallmarks of Korean beauty. This is influenced both by traditional food culture and by formulation considerations
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Topics That Keep Coming Up in Ingredient Meetings Lately
I’m curious about the ingredient trends people in the industry are seeing firsthand. I’ll start by listing the trends showing up in stores and online. PDRN·DNA ingredients: Expanding into sunscreens and pads Peptides: Mo
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"Preservative-free" claims: what they really mean for a water-based product
Any product that contains water needs protection from microbes. "Preservative-free" formulas usually rely on packaging (single-use, airless), low water activity, or ingredients that also have antimicrobial effects.
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Cosmetics Primary and Secondary Packaging Labeling: Commonly Missed Items
Finding a missing label item after packaging has been printed can be costly. Check the items that are often missed.
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Points to watch when labeling “Vegan” and “Not tested on animals”
Vegan labels tend to get a positive response from consumers, so using them without evidence can easily cause problems.
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"Microbiome skincare": where R&D and marketing see it differently
Microbiome shows up in almost every new product brief these days. But R&D and marketing tend to read the word very differently. Where the friction usually is Very different ingredients share one label: lactobacillus ferm
0 0 Sugar and skin ageing: what a new lab study actually found
Headlines saying sugar ages your skin are everywhere. A peer-reviewed study highlighted by The Estée Lauder Companies in April 2026 adds a more specific piece. What the research looked at: Glycation, where sugar binds to
0 0K-beauty now leads EU imports, and the compliance bill arrives in August
According to a market-analysis newsletter, Korean cosmetics now hold 21.7% of EU imports, ahead of the US at 19.7%. At the same time, a wave of regulation lands all at once. Three regimes taking effect between July and A
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Sunscreen formulation: what R&D struggles with most between feel and protection
Sunscreen is often called the hardest category in a cosmetics lab. Shoppers want something light with no white cast, but protection and stability cannot be compromised. Here are the challenges people in the industry ment
0 0 Why Korean cosmetic ads can no longer say "exosome", "microneedle" or "clinic only"
Korea's MFDS revised its cosmetics labeling and advertising guideline in January 2025, and a lot of trendy wording landed on the banned list. Has your team updated its product pages yet? Newly banned examples Wording tha
0 0MoCRA in 2026: GMP and fragrance-allergen rules still pending, recall power already live
Law firm Foley & Lardner summarized where FDA cosmetics oversight stands in 2026. Think of it as a "next step" check for teams that already handled the MoCRA basics (facility registration, product listing, safety substan
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