Comments by a Chemist

Allowable Cosmetic Ingredients

What is allowed in the Cosmetic Industry? Examples: Phenoxyethanol is in Schedule 6 and cannot be used at more than 1% in a cosmetic. Bitter orange oil is in Schedule 5 and is considered a cosmetic when used in soaps or bath or shower gels that are washed off the skin, when used at 1.4% or less, or in other preparations when labelled with “application to the skin may increase sensitivity to sunlight”.

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Business Relationships

Ok you have your product sorted; you have your packaging on point; you have your supply chain sorted; and you have stock into Retail stores, well done!!! Now for the tricky part you have done all the hard work. But how do you get the product off the shelf into the consumers hands so that the Retailer needs to re-order, re-order and re-order? As the beauty market has become ever more crowded and competitive, just being carried by a major retailer is no longer a guarantee for success. Increasingly brands have to compete even within a retailer for attention and

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Microbiome, Gut Health and Brain-Gut Axis

There are many studies not only about Microbiome but about gut health and the Brain-Gut Axis. About Prebiotics, Probiotics. Postbiotics and now Synbiotics. Lets take a look at what these are, how they affect us and why they are important to us. Microbiome  Refers to the group of microbes, or 1,000 bacterial species, that live in your body. This bacteria helps with digestion, destroys harmful bacteria and helps control your immune system. Prebiotics  Are nutrients mainly fibers and natural sugars that stimulate the good bacteria in the gut. Prebiotics help beneficial bacteria grow in the gut. This allows your gut

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Regulatory Update – NSW Plastics Ban (1 November 2022)

The NSW Government’s ban on certain single-use plastic items comes into effect on 1 November 2022. The NSW single-use plastic ban will prevent almost 2.7 billion items of plastic litter from entering the environment in NSW over the next 20 years. What’s banned from 1 November This follows the ban on lightweight plastic bags with handles (35 microns or less) from 1 June this year. Get savvy about banned items and their alternatives with our photo galleries. Campaign launched “Let’s Stop it and Swap it” Shocking images of plastic pollution in the ocean and a turtle choking on a plastic

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Creating Your Product – Where to Start

Do you want to create a stand-out beauty and cosmetics brand? Well, the secret ingredient you need is a strong niche. One of the biggest mistakes we see in the industry is a failure to niche, causing both short and long term problems for brands. Your main goal in developing your brand should be to create a highly focused beauty brand that reflects the needs, values, and desires of your chosen niche. By doing so, you create a much stronger brand that is more likely to succeed in today’s competitive market. At pH Factor, we are big believers in the

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Australian Governing Bodies

Here is a list of the Australian Government Bodies AICIS – Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction scheme https://www.industrialchemicals.gov.au/ The Industrial Chemicals Act 2019 – https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2019A00012 ACCC – Australian Competition and Consumer Commission https://www.accc.gov.au/ TGA – Therapeutic Goods Administration https://www.tga.gov.au/ NMI – The National Measurement Institute https://www.industry.gov.au/national-measurement-institute APVMA – The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority https://apvma.gov.au/ For more detail about these governing bodies and what they do and how they impact & support your brand be sure to book into our online module for all things Cosmetic Compliance.

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