Can you believe it is the end of January so how is the new year and new opportunities treating you so far?.
I tend to try and plan a little break in January and this year it was enforced by ill health meaning I did not attend any fairs or markets or make any soap and candles. I would normally by now have completed a full stock check and worked out which soaps I need to make whilst also planning for Mother’s Day and Easter and the rest of 2020.
There has been a definite interest in handmade products over the last year and I have been asked if I will make or supply various creams and cleaning products.
So although there would be lots of opportunity to develop new products what a customer may not be aware of is the process and time it takes to develop and test a product and then get regulatory approval.
To give an example I have 2 soap ranges, one consisting of 12 scents and another range of 6 soaps made with Goats Milk. It took 6 months on each range to design the recipe, make, test, retest, refine and decide that the recipe was ready to be submitted for a Cosmetic Safety Assessment.
After a few tweaks and suggestions on percentages of the essential oils in use the certificate was granted. The next steps is then to upload the approval to the Eurpoean Portal – although with Brexit happening today I am not sure what the process will be going forward .
Once you have your assessment you cannot change the recipe and add additional ingredients, I have been asked many time if I can blend bars together as trends change but it is not possible.
So as you can see it is a lengthy process and at the moment I am not planning to add another range of soap but I will be exploring additional products in respects of reusable wipes, flannels, and complimentary scrubs.
If you have any thoughts abut products you would like me to stock please get in touch.