Stability Testing: Ensuring Your Product's Quality

Have you ever wondered whether a beauty product or cosmetic that you have purchased will stand up to real-life use? At Heavy Duty Cosmetics, we use stability testing to ensure that your tattoo removal cream, hand lotion, soap, or lip balm will be effective after being transported, stored, left open on the counter, and so on. Read more about how we make sure that your products will do what they're intended to do once they leave the laboratory.

What Is Cosmetic Stability Testing?

Simply put, cosmetic stability testing is a series of tests that evaluate a product's function and effectiveness in real-world use. We know that you are not going to be storing your cosmetics in a sterile environment, at one perfectly set temperature, and away from where UV lights and humidity can impact them. It is important to make sure that the products will still work once they leave the carefully controlled environment where they are produced.

For example, in the course of your day, you might take out your lotion and set it on the counter of a humid bathroom. Then you might accidentally leave the top off for a day while you are at work. Once you get home, maybe you close it up and put it in a dark drawer. The next day, perhaps you take it with you in the car, where the ultraviolet light from the sun shines on it for the hour that it takes you to commute, then maybe you toss it in your lunchbox, where you have a cold pack keeping your salad cool. All of these factors can cause a product to stop working, to separate, or to develop an unpleasant fragrance if the product hasn't been stability tested.

What Does Heavy Duty Cosmetics Test For?

We want to be sure that your cream, soap, or tattoo removal cream works under various situations. We do not want you to store your items in the freezer, of course, and we do not recommend that they are left in a boiling hot vehicle on a hot summer day for eight or ten hours. But when it comes to regular use, you should be assured that it will stand up to normal circumstances.

There are several factors that we test when looking at a product's stability. One is the room temperature: We test our products at cold and hot temperatures, up to 44 degrees Celsius. We will also allow the product to freeze and then thaw. We put the products in a dark drawer or cabinet where it receives no light, and we will also put it where ultraviolet light can shine on it, much as it would if you left your bottle of cream on the windowsill. We also check how the product stands up to varying levels of humidity.

What Are the Results Used For?

When determining how long a product is good for and setting an expiration date, our laboratory takes all of the information from the stability testing into consideration. We assume that the typical user is not keeping their products at a constant room temperature or under consistent lighting conditions, so the expiration date on your tattoo removal cream or hand lotion is based on typical use, which includes variations in lighting, humidity, temperature, and so on.

At Heavy Duty Cosmetics, we want our clients to feel secure that their money is going to products that will stand up to the test of time. After all, you want your skincare products to work just as hard as you do. Cosmetic stability testing is one tool that we use to make sure that you are getting the value that you deserve.