Raw Materials Raw material is a fancy term for ingredient. Often raw material suppliers will develop a sample product to demonstrate how the ingredient should be used in a formula and how a typical cosmetic is enhanced with the substitution of their ingredient. Only after this burden of proof has been met will a formulation chemist consider using a raw material. Active ingredients These ingredients have the greatest impact on the skin and go beyond the scope of a cosmetic. Cosmetics that contain active ingredients are also considered drugs and are subject to additional FDA regulation. Conditioning ingredients These ingredients are strictly cosmetic in that when applied topically, they alter the feel of the skin ie; softening, smoothing, soothing, moisturizing, etc. BULK BASE: One of our existing formulations that you may purchase, as is, in bulk or make changes to make your own custom product. REVERSE FORMULATION: Creating a new product, based completely on an existing product. SAMPLE: The physical version of a formula - a “finished good” using all of the ingredients listed in the formula. FORMULA: A combination of raw materials, created by one of our in-house chemists, that will used to make your sample and, eventually your product(s). MOQ: Minimum Order Quantity - the smallest number of products, components, closures, etc. that you must purchase when placing a purchase order. BATCH NUMBER: The number assigned to all of the products produced using a single pot of your completed formula. LEAD TIME: The amount of time between the beginning and end of a process. Most used when referring to the length of time it will take for an order to be produced - ie: The lead time for production of your order is 6-8 weeks. LABEL: The sticker(s) that will be placed on your component/closure to identify your brand, list your INIC, etc. SKU: More commonly referred to as a barcode. At TBL, we use this term to refer to a specific product and its corresponding size. For example, the 8.0oz size of a face wash is a different SKU from the 1.7oz size of the same product. 12 COMPONENT: The container that your product will fill. Some standard types of containers are Boston round, cylinder, tube, and jar. CLOSURE: The lid for your container. Closures usually have a specific neck size, like 4/233 or 5/323, that corresponds to your component. Closures can be purchased with + without pressure-sensitive seals included. PURCHASE ORDER: The form used to place an order - typically referred to as a PO. INVOICE: A bill PACKOUT: The process of packing your finished goods for shipment. KITTING: The process of labeling your completed product PACKAGING: This includes the component, closure and labels (if applicable) that are required for each product/SKU. Also called “Primary” packaging |
|