MANUFACTURE


Successful scale-up: foolproof your formula


Sarah Lucas Marsden - Orean


As a contract manufacturer, Orean works with customers ranging from indie start-ups to well-established global brands. Our in-house development team bring brand concepts to life, driving innovative product development in our labs and producing bespoke premium skin and hair care products. At the forefront of every new product we


develop is the consideration of how that product can be scaled up. This includes how we can achieve plant efficiencies and safeguard formulations to ensure the scale-up process is as smooth as possible. This article will outline some common


challenges experienced during scale-up and how formulations can be adapted to become more resilient to the process. It will also highlight the effect of different packaging options during filling and dispatch, to allow cost-effective choices to be made during the NPD process.


Think big from day one Generally, any aspect considered simple in the lab could be far more difficult on a large scale. For example, visually assessing a water phase in a glass beaker to ensure powders have fully dissolved is significantly more difficult in a five- tonne stainless steel mixing vessel. To overcome this, top and bottom samples


are taken from the mixer, or a sample thief is used to extract samples from different depths within the mixer to ensure the liquid is uniform throughout. The following sections showcase some of


the common problems batches may experience when produced on a large scale and how formulas can be safeguarded to mitigate the risks.


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Haziness: a sign of instability Some clear, water-based batches may appear slightly hazy when made on a large scale if oily materials are not sufficiently solubilised. Even if the product’s packaging is not transparent, it is important to correct the haziness. This is ultimately a sign of instability and could potentially lead to elements of the formula sedimenting out. This is a concern for products with spray pumps: the sedimentation could clog the dip


tube and prevent the liquid from being drawn up and dispensed. Haziness can often be corrected by gently heating the batch, ensuring it does not compromise the preservatives or impair the fragrance. This is not usually a significant concern providing batches are not exposed to prolonged lengths of heating. Alternatively, additional solubiliser may be


required to solubilise the oily components of the formula which are causing the slight haziness. In these cases, care should be taken that additional solubiliser does not cause the product to feel sticky or tacky, as can sometimes be the case. Certain solubilisers have been known to


work synergistically, such as polysorbate 20 and PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil. Using these two solubilisers in an equal ratio is often more effective than using either one alone. This also allows a smaller amount of


polysorbate 20 to be used, reducing the risk of creating a sticky texture. If products are formulated with synergistic solubilisers, the risk of haziness on scale-up can be reduced.


Figure 1: Different packaging options can impact the success of filling products on high-speed production lines


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Combatting natural variation in colour Batches which are coloured using natural colourants such as carrot oil or seabuckthorn


April 2024 PERSONAL CARE


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