We also continuously monitor all our cosmetic products, both in bulk form and following production, with a similar range of tests conducted in our in-house lab. We ensure that our creams have the same viscosity, odour and pH and conduct peroxide checks to ensure that all the ingredients are fresh and have been kept in the correct conditions throughout the production process. This involves a full clean-down between every batch and two or more members of staff signing off on every production run.
Every finished cosmetic has a stability trial to assess its shelf life over many weeks of storage. We also commission preservative challenge tests to ensure that the preservatives we use can keep a product fresh and safe for many months after it has been opened and used. Every batch of every cosmetic is despatched to our contracted Microbiological testing lab, giving us advance warning if any batch has been infected with bacteria, mould or yeast.
Full safety assessments by qualified chemists are undertaken whenever we compose a new formulation. In other words, we do our best to account for every potential difficulty that might arise before we even send a product out of the door.
We also keep samples of every batch of every product which we produce here at Amphora, just in case we missed something, and so we can refer back to them in case of difficulty or complaint. Overall our system is comprehensive and in-depth. For this reason as well, our customers can expect to read full INCI listings on all of our products.
Many manufacturers list only the active or top-band ingredients in their products, allowing them to conceal smaller concentrations of all sorts of other substances. We don’t believe in that sort of thing at Amphora – we want our customers to know what they are buying!