Custom Formula Development for Cosmetics, Built by a Chemist.
Original formulas developed from scratch — concept to production — by a degreed cosmetic chemist. You own the IP. We run the lab.
More than mixing and filling.
Custom formula development for cosmetics is more than mixing and filling. It is formulation chemistry — emulsion architecture, active selection, preservation systems, and stability behavior — engineered for a specific brand brief. Formula 117 builds those formulas in-house, from the bench through to fill.
The work starts with your concept and the performance bar you need to hit. From there, a degreed cosmetic chemist with 10+ years across major retail and indie beauty brands designs the formula, prototypes against agreed targets, runs the full stability protocol, then transfers the master batch to the production floor.
You own the resulting intellectual property outright. No black-box recipes, no shared formulas, no resold libraries. The deliverable is a documented, manufacturable formula that belongs to your brand and runs at our MOQ of 500 units. Every project runs through our chemist-founded lab in Chicago — same chemist from concept through case-pack.
Concept to production in four stages.
Brand brief, target performance, claims framework, regulatory class, packaging direction. We translate marketing language into a chemist-readable target sheet.
Bench prototyping. Multiple iterations against the target sheet. Sensorial, performance, and aesthetic alignment. Ingredient sourcing and substitutions where needed.
Full 12-week protocol — accelerated and real-time. Compatibility with selected packaging. Microbial preservation efficacy. Final master batch documentation.
Pilot validation, then scale-up. Component qualification. First commercial run at MOQ 500, scalable through small-to-mid volume runs.
What we can build.
Common questions.
How long does custom formula development for cosmetics take?+
End-to-end runs 19–30 weeks. Concept takes 1–2 weeks, formulation 4–12 weeks depending on complexity, the standard stability protocol 12 weeks, and first production 2–4 weeks. Active-heavy formulas, novel preservation systems, or unusual sensorial targets push toward the upper end. Simpler emulsions and anhydrous systems run faster.
Who owns the intellectual property to a custom formula?+
You do. The brand owns the formula, the documentation, and the right to manufacture it elsewhere if you choose to. Formula 117 retains no claim, and we do not resell or repurpose your formula into a private label library. Custom means custom — original IP, developed for one brand.
What is the MOQ for a custom formula at first production?+
500 units is the production-floor minimum at Formula 117. Custom development pricing is project-based — quoted against the formulation scope rather than a per-unit number — and per-unit manufacturing settles at $2–$3+ once volumes reach 2,500–5,000 units in subsequent runs.
Do you handle stability testing in-house?+
Yes. Stability runs on the standard 12-week protocol, covering accelerated aging, real-time hold conditions, freeze/thaw cycles, light exposure, and packaging compatibility. Microbial preservation efficacy is tested against the selected preservation system. Results are documented and transfer with the master batch into production.
Can you formulate around clean, vegan, or specific ingredient restrictions?+
Yes. Restrictions are part of the concept brief — clean standards (EWG, Credo, Sephora Clean), vegan, fragrance-free, allergen-free, country-specific regulatory lists. Constraints feed directly into ingredient sourcing and preservation system selection. The earlier in the brief they are locked, the more efficient the formulation cycle.
Ready to start production?
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