- About ADCHEM / Formulations
Your R&D partner for high-
performance cosmetics.
ADCHEM operates two cosmetics formulation laboratories — in Bergamo, Italy and Lahore, Pakistan — supporting brands and manufacturers from concept to pilot-scale readiness. We turn ingredient catalogues into shippable product.
We turn ingredient catalogues into shippable product.
ADCHEM's formulation laboratories are what separate us from a pure-play distributor. For personal-care brands and contract manufacturers who need more than a sample and a price list, our teams work as an extension of your R&D function — from brief to bench to pilot batch.
The six capabilities below are the pillars every project engagement rests on. None of them are aspirational — they are what the Bergamo and Lahore labs deliver, on a defined project basis, to customers across the segments we serve.
2
Formulation Labs
5
Step project process
4-6 wk
First prototypes
ICH
Stability standard
Advanced formulation development
Skincare, haircare, dermocosmetics. From serum to emulsion, gel to anhydrous — full formulation from brief to stable prototype.
Texture & sensorial optimisation
Aligned with local consumer preferences — texture, skin feel, spreadability, and scent compatibility tuned to regional market needs.
Prototype to pilot-scale readiness
Bench formulation scaled to pilot batch — with batch records, in-process controls, and handover documentation for the customer's manufacturing line.
Cost-engineered formulations
For competitive retail positioning — ingredient system selection that delivers the required performance at the right cost-per-unit for the target market.
Stability, compatibility & performance
Full study packages — accelerated and real-time stability, packaging compatibility, microbiological challenge testing, and sensorial evaluation.
Full regulatory & documentation support
For market entry across regions — CPSR, PIF, stability dossier, safety data, labelling guidance. Market-ready documentation, not just formulation files.
What the labs
can do for you.
From formulation chemistry to analytical testing and regulatory documentation — the full capability set across both labs, available to any project engagement.
Formulation Chemistry
Full bench-scale formulation from brief — O/W and W/O emulsions, gels, balms, serums, anhydrous systems, shampoos, conditioners, and colour cosmetics. Ingredient system selection from ADCHEM's principal portfolio.
Stability Studies
ICH-aligned accelerated and real-time stability studies across standard conditions. Organoleptic evaluation at each time point. Full stability report with conclusions and shelf-life projection for regulatory submission.
Compatibility Testing
Packaging compatibility for primary packaging materials — glass, HDPE, PET, PP, laminate. Active ingredient compatibility across the full formulation matrix. Interaction profiling for problematic ingredient combinations.
Microbiological Challenge
Preservative efficacy testing (PET) to ISO 11930 — demonstrating antimicrobial preservation under challenge conditions. Bioburden assessment. Recommended for all leave-on and rinse-off personal care products prior to regulatory submission.
Pilot-Scale Production
Bench formulation scaled to pilot batch — batch size sufficient for stability study, consumer panel, and production-line validation. Full batch record, SOP, in-process specification, and technical handover package for the customer's manufacturer.
Analytical Data at a Glance
Every stability study generates a structured data package — organoleptic evaluation, physicochemical measurements, and microbiological results at each time point. The example below reflects a standard accelerated stability session at week 12.
pH (T=0)
6.4 ± 0.1
pH (T=12 wk, 40°C)
6.3 ± 0.1
Viscosity (mPa·s)
4,280
D50 Particle size
0.18 µm
PET (ISO 11930)
Pass — Criterion A
Organoleptic (colour)
Unchanged
Packaging compat. (HDPE)
No interaction
Real-time T=12 months
In progress
Documented stability for regulatory submission.
ADCHEM's stability studies are run to ICH Q1A-aligned conditions and generate the full data package required for cosmetic and personal-care regulatory submissions across EU (CPSR/PIF), UK, GCC and South Asia markets. Every study concludes with a stability report, shelf-life projection, and recommendations.
Study conditions offered
What each study delivers
01
Physicochemical measurements
pH, viscosity, density, colour, clarity, homogeneity — at every time point. Compared against T=0 specification with defined acceptance criteria.
02
Organoleptic evaluation
Colour, odour, appearance, and phase separation assessed by trained evaluators at each interval. Changes rated against a defined scoring protocol.
03
Microbiological testing
Total aerobic microbial count, yeast and mould count, absence of specified organisms — to ISO 11930 for preservative efficacy and to relevant pharmacopoeial limits.
04
Stability report & shelf-life projection
Concluded study: full data table, statistical trend analysis, shelf-life projection, and recommendations for packaging and storage conditions. Submission-ready format.
Italian formulation expertise, the gold standard in personal care.
Our European R&D base sits inside ADCHEM Europe in Boltiere, near Bergamo. Italian formulation expertise is recognised globally as the gold standard for personal care; Bergamo is where our European principals' actives meet the formulation craft Italy is known for. The lab serves as the formulation engine for the EU, the broader Europe/MENA corridor, and any project where Italian-quality dossier and origin matter.
- Skincare: serums, emulsions (O/W and W/O), gels, balms, anhydrous systems.
- Haircare: shampoos, conditioners, masks, leave-ins, scalp treatments.
- Sun care, colour cosmetics, dermocosmetics.
- Pilot-scale manufacturing for handover to commercial production
Premium skincare
Sun Care
Colour cosmetics
EU regulatory
COSMOS-certified
Pilot scale
Pilot scale
South Asia formulation expertise tuned for regional markets.
Our South Asia formulation hub mirrors Bergamo's capability set, with formulations tuned for the textures, climate, and consumer preferences of the South Asia, Middle East, and North Africa markets. Pakistan-based brands and contract manufacturers use the lab as a development extension; regional principals use it for application support and demonstration formulations.
- Mass-market personal care and skin care (face, body, baby)
- Hair care: shampoo and conditioner adapted for hot, humid markets
- Cost-engineered formulations for retail at scale
- Pilot batches for stability and consumer-panel testing
Consumer panels
Mass-market PC
Cost-engineered
MENA-ready
Halal formulation
Baby care
Baby care
Five steps from brief to batch-ready.
A structured, predictable engagement — from the first conversation to the pilot batch and regulatory handover. No ambiguity about what ADCHEM delivers and when.
Brief
Positioning, target market, claims, regulatory zone, sensorial targets.
Bench formulation
Ingredient system selected. First prototypes produced in lab.
Iteration
Sensorial panels, customer feedback, texture and claims refinement.
Stability & compatibility
Accelerated stability, packaging compat., microbiology challenge.
Pilot scale & dossier
Pilot batch produced. Full technical and regulatory dossier. Handover.
Built with ingredients from
View all principals →
Mibelle Biochemistry
Plant-derived actives · Switzerland
Elementis
Hectorite · Rheology · UK/USA
Shin-Etsu
Silicones · HPMC · Japan
Vanderbilt Minerals
Talc · Smectite · USA
Lubrizol
Carbomers · Skin care · USA
Musim Mas
Esters · MCT · Singapore
An honest conversation before we start.
Every formulation engagement begins with a direct technical conversation — not a brochure or a catalogue. We need to understand what you're making, where you're selling it, and what the constraints are before we recommend an ingredient system or commit a formulation team.
What we ask in the first conversation
Product type and target application — skin care, hair care, sun, colour, dermocosmetics
Target market and regulatory landing zone — EU, GCC, Pakistan, export
Sensorial targets — texture, skin feel, finish, scent compatibility
Cost-per-unit envelope — mass market, mid-market, premium
Claims to be supported — SPF, anti-ageing, brightening, hydration
Timeline — when is the pilot batch needed, and when is market launch
Initial brief call — 30 minutes
A structured call with one of our formulation team leads. We listen, ask the questions above, and confirm whether the project is the right fit for one of our labs or whether a sample and TDS is a better starting point.
Written project scope — 5 days
Following the brief call, we issue a written scope: the ingredient system we propose, the formulation deliverables, the stability programme, the timeline, and the cost. Transparent before we start.
Lab selection — Bergamo or Lahore
We recommend the right lab based on the project — premium/EU-origin dossier projects go to Bergamo; MENA, South Asia and cost-engineered projects typically go to Lahore. Occasionally both labs run parallel work streams for multi-market projects.
Regular progress updates via COSMO
Project milestones, sample dispatch notifications, stability time-point results, and formulation iteration notes are shared through COSMO — the same platform that tracks our supply chain. No progress chased by email.
Dossier and handover — complete package
At project close: pilot batch, complete SOP and batch record, stability data file, packaging compatibility report, preservative efficacy data, market-specific regulatory documentation. Everything needed to move from our lab to your manufacturing line.