2 replies to this topic

[Bush Survivor]

I'm trying to understand all the issues concerning challenge tests for personal care products. Here are my concerns:

a) do I have to do a challenge test every time I make a new batch of cream/lotion? At $1000+ per product, this cost can be prohibitive for a start-up business.
b) does a challenge test give you an approximate expiry date of the product?
c) if I do a challenge test, then do I still have to do the APC test?

Thank you for any comment/recommendation that anybody can give me.

[Sara]

Hi, and welcome to the forums! I'm so very sorry it's taken this long for you to get a reply to your questions.

a) No, you don't have to challenge test every batch. Generally it's every formulation.

b ) I don't know the answer to this one.

c) You shouldn't have to do an APC test if you have it challenge tested. However, for the artisan cosmetic maker, really, the APC is very sufficient (at $10-$35 a pop by comparison). The APC generally tests the efficacy of your preservative system by subjecting a sample to various conditions (heat, coolness, steam, etc. - all a lotion may endure on the bathroom counter, basically), then looks at how many units (microbes) per gram are in the sample. Anything under 1000 units/gr is a "pass."

HTH!

~Sara

[Bush Survivor]

Thank you so much Sara. OK no challenge test until I sell to a broader public.
Patricia