Reformulating anti-dandruff shampoo after the EU zinc pyrithione ban
Permitted alternatives, how they perform, and what changes on the label.
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Service · Formulation
Formulas built for your brand, budget and markets.
Custom cosmetic formulation, reformulation and benchmark matching for skin, hair, colour and personal care, led by CSL formulation chemists and screened against every market on your launch list.
Guires Cosmetic Science Lab
Cosmetic Formulation Services from Guires CSL
Our cosmetic formulation services are led by experienced Guires CSL formulation scientists: custom cosmetic formulation, reformulation and benchmark matching, with every emulsion and preservative system screened for your target markets. Looking for a cosmetic chemist for hire? Work with a full team of CSL formulation scientists instead, and you own the formula. Each formula is tuned for rheology, stability and skin feel before it moves to prototype.
Start your project with Guires CSLWhat's included
The work, in detail.
New product formulation
From a one-line brief to a lab-ready formula: format, actives, texture target and cost per unit agreed up front.
Reformulation
Preservative swaps, clean-label and fragrance-free versions, cost-downs, and fixes for ingredients newly restricted in a market.
Benchmark matching
Match the texture, sensorial and performance of a reference product without copying its formula.
Actives & delivery
Stable systems for demanding actives such as vitamin C, retinoids, peptides and acids, with the right pH and packaging.
Natural & clean formats
Natural-origin formulas with the index calculated per ISO 16128, and formats aligned with common natural certification schemes.
Formula transfer
Already own a formula? We review it, fix stability issues and transfer it to a new contract manufacturer with a full tech-transfer pack.
Sectors & applications
Formulation for every sector and application
Guires CSL formulation scientists develop and reformulate products in every beauty and personal care sector below, and build each formula around the skin, hair or scalp concern your product needs to address.
Sectors
Skin careSerums, moisturisers, cleansers, masksExplore 
Sun careSPF, tinted SPF, after-sunExplore 
Hair & scalp careShampoo, conditioner, serums, oilsExplore 
Colour cosmeticsFace, lip, eye and nailExplore 
Body wash & body careWashes, shower oils, lotions, scrubsExplore +6More sectorsPersonal care & hygiene, Men's grooming, Baby & kids and moreSee all Applications
Anti-ageing & wrinklesFine lines, firmness, elasticityExplore 
Acne & oil controlBlemishes, shine, poresExplore 
Hyperpigmentation & even toneDark spots, uneven toneExplore 
Hydration & barrier repairMoisture, barrier, drynessExplore 
Sensitive skin & rednessCalming, low-irritation formulasExplore +5More applicationsSun protection, Hair fall & hair growth, Dandruff & scalp health and moreSee all Evidence-based
From published evidence to a product that passes regulatory review
Every Guires CSL formulation project starts from published science and ends with evidence regulators and retailers accept: data from the literature where it exists, and tests, in vitro studies and clinical trials where it does not.
Published evidencePeer-reviewed randomised controlled trials behind the actives we formulate with, linked to PubMed.Explore Standards and regulationsTechnical guides to ISO 11930, the EU CPSR and the terms that decide whether a product can go to market.Explore Evidence we createStability, safety, in vitro and clinical data generated for your product, planned around the claims you want to make.Explore Proof from projectsCase studies showing how the evidence was built and what clients received.Explore
Deliverables
What you receive.
Formula cardFull INCI list with percentages and function of each ingredient
Ingredient compliance screenPass, restrict or fail per target market
Supplier listApproved raw materials with specifications and CoAs
Manufacturing instructionsPhase-by-phase process with temperatures and mixing
Cost estimateRaw-material cost per unit at your target pack size
How it runs
Step by step.
- Brief callConsumer, benchmark, claims wish-list, markets, pack and target cost
- Ingredient screenShortlist of actives and base systems cleared for each market
- Bench trialsTwo to four lab versions made and compared side by side
- Sample roundYou test the shortlist; we refine to your feedback
- Formula sign-offApproved formula handed to testing and product development
Market insights from Guires CSL scientists
Stay ahead in formulation with regulation updates, the latest research, ingredient spotlights, recalls and market trends, written by the Guires CSL formulation, testing, clinical and regulatory teams.
Explore market insights
Questions
Asked before we start.
Do you offer private label or white label products?
We focus on custom formulation, so the formula is unique to your brand and owned by you.
Who owns the formula?
You do. The formula and its documentation belong to you, and we sign an NDA before you share your brief.
Can you match a product I already sell?
Yes. We reverse-engineer the texture and performance of a reference and build an independent formula that achieves it.
How many sample rounds are included?
The number of rounds is set in your proposal. Most projects settle on a formula within two to three rounds.
Can you work with my existing manufacturer?
Yes. We write the formula and manufacturing instructions to suit their equipment and hand over a tech-transfer pack.
Related services
Often paired with this.
Guires CSL quality, compliance and safety
Every formulation project at Guires CSL runs inside an ISO 9001 certified quality system, with documented methods, calibrated instruments, traceable raw materials and reviewed reports, so the results behind your product can be checked and defended.
Guires CSL quality & accreditations
In their words
What clients say.
“An emulsion instability had stalled our development. By reworking the phase structure, emulsifier system and processing conditions, their team delivered the stability and texture we needed.”
“Early compatibility screening exposed interactions between our key actives, and a redesigned base built around our performance targets saved us several rounds of reformulation.”
“Cost targets shaped the formula from day one. Ingredient alternatives were evaluated carefully, so performance, appearance and sensory profile were never traded away.”
Insights
Related reading.
Guidance from our formulation, testing and regulatory teams on the topics this page covers.
US consumer trends: skin-health ingredients in 2026
The ingredient themes shaping US skin-care briefs, and what each one means for formulation and claims.
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Vitamin C in skin care: what the evidence shows for brightening
L-ascorbic acid and its derivatives are among the most studied brightening actives. Here is what recent trials show, how strong the evidence is, and how CSL formulation…
Read articleFrom the CSL bioscience lab
Tested at the Guires R&D Innovation Centre.
Start a project
Create your next product with CSL.
Our formulation chemists, testing scientists and regulatory specialists work alongside your team, from the first brief to a market-ready product. Bring a brief, a benchmark or just an idea: a scientist will reply within one working day with next steps and an indicative scope.