Stability Testing and HRIPT for Cosmetic Brands

Vaulabs runs stability, preservative efficacy, microbial and packaging compatibility testing in our own laboratory in Clearwater, Florida, inside the same facility where the product is made. Human testing — HRIPT and dermatological panels — is run through partner laboratories, because that work requires a clinical site and human subjects. We say which is which, because a manufacturer claiming every test in house is usually stretching the word.

Accelerated stability, and what the numbers mean

Accelerated stability is how a shelf life gets justified. Three months of accelerated data supports roughly a one-year shelf life; six months supports roughly two years. Stability begins during research and development, in parallel with everything else, not after production. That matters commercially: a product can start selling on three-month data. You are not waiting out the full study before your launch.

A stability study watches for the failures that show up later on a shelf and never in a fresh sample: separation, colour and odour drift, pH movement, viscosity change, and interaction between the formula and the actual package it will ship in. That last one is why compatibility testing runs against your real component, not a generic jar.

What we run in house

Accelerated and real-time stability. Preservative efficacy testing, also called challenge testing or PET. Microbial testing. Packaging compatibility. pH and viscosity checks at batch level. Zone IVB stability for markets that require it. Every study produces a report you can hand to a retailer or a regulator.

What runs through partner laboratories

HRIPT — the human repeat insult patch test, used to support a "dermatologist tested" or sensitisation-related claim — and dermatological testing panels. We scope the study, brief the lab, supply the batch and its documentation, and hand you the report. Pricing and lead time depend on panel size and the claim you are supporting, so we quote it per project rather than publishing a number that goes stale.

Common questions

Do I need HRIPT? Only if you intend to make a claim that rests on it, or a retailer requires it. Many clean beauty launches ship without one. A claim you cannot support is a bigger problem than a test you did not run.

Can I launch before stability finishes? Yes. Three-month accelerated data is enough to sell against, and the study continues in the background.

Does a COA cover stability? No. A certificate of analysis is tied to one batch. Stability, preservative efficacy and dermatological testing live in separate documents that travel in the same package.

Do you test formulas you did not make? Testing is part of our manufacturing engagements; we do not operate as a standalone contract laboratory.

Talk to us

Tell us the claims you want to make and the retailer you are aiming at, and we will tell you which studies you actually need. Write to info@vaulabs.com.