Send Us a Sample. We Develop Your Own Formula.
Reverse Development is our fastest route from “I want a product like this” to your own branded SKU: lab teardown, INCI-based formula rebuild, Golden Sample, mass production — NDA protected, first lab samples in 15–20 days for standard categories, MOQ from 1,000 pcs.
The Four-Step Reverse Development Process
From courier box to production order in under three weeks for most categories. Every step produces a document you keep — teardown report, formula brief, Golden Sample spec.
Sample Teardown
You send the physical sample (or just photos of the INCI list to start). Our lab records texture, color, fragrance profile, viscosity, pH and packaging specs — the full sensory fingerprint, documented in a teardown report you receive.
INCI Analysis & Formula Rebuild
Working from the ingredient declaration (a legal, public document) plus instrumental and sensory analysis, our chemists rebuild a comparable base — same texture family, same performance targets, with cost optimization where the original over-formulated.
Golden Sample Confirmation
You receive lab samples of the rebuilt formula. Test it side-by-side against your reference. We iterate until you sign off — the approved sample becomes the Golden Sample that every production batch is checked against.
Scale-Up & Mass Production
The formula moves to the specialized production line for its category in our Guangzhou network, with your packaging, your branding, and full compliance documentation (CoA, stability, MoCRA/CPNP-ready).
Any Category Your Customers Ask For
We route each rebuilt formula to the production line that specializes in it — skincare, color, hair & body, or fragrance, across our own factories, our five production bases and our vetted partner network. You brief one supplier; the network handles the rest.
Skincare
Serums, creams, lotions, cleansers, toners, masks, sunscreens, eye care
Color Cosmetics
Lipstick & gloss, foundation, concealer, blush, palettes, mascara, liner
Hair & Body
Shampoo, conditioner, treatments, body wash, lotions, hand creams
Fragrance & Other
EDP/EDT, body mists, nail systems, makeup tools & sets
Reverse Development vs Full Custom Formulation
| Dimension | Reverse Development | Full Custom (from brief) |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | Reference product you already like | Concept, claims and positioning brief |
| Time to lab samples | 15–20 days | 25–40 days |
| Development cost | Usually free with production order | Formula fee by category complexity |
| Formula ownership | Your rebuilt formula, your asset | Your formula, your asset |
| Best for | “Make one like this, better priced” | Differentiated hero products & patents |
Confidentiality & Compliance, In Writing
NDA Before Anything
Mutual NDA signed before your sample ships. Teardown limited to assigned chemists; samples and formula files held in per-client storage.
Your Asset, In Writing
INCI lists are legally public documents. We work from that public declaration and our own lab measurement, and the formula we deliver is assigned to your brand.
Compliance Pack Included
Certificate of Analysis with every batch, plus stability summary, microbiology report and MoCRA/CPNP-ready documentation for the project — retail-review ready.
What We Commit To — In Writing
A development promise is worth exactly what it can be checked against. These are the ones that go into the proposal, each with a deliverable or a date attached.
Lab samples in 15–20 days
For standard categories — serums, creams, lipsticks, powders. Full custom development from a written brief runs 25–40 days.
A reconstructed INCI report
Delivered as a document you keep: the ingredient system with estimated concentration ranges, and the analysis each estimate rests on.
Side-by-side comparison at sign-off
The Golden Sample is tested against the sensory targets agreed in your brief — spread, absorption, afterfeel, fragrance direction — not against a claim of being identical.
Testing on the normal schedule
Stability in your actual packaging, preservative challenge testing and microbiology: the same route as any new formula, never shortened to hit a date.
The formula assigned to you
Bespoke development output becomes your asset. We license our background know-how — base frameworks, raw-material experience — into the project instead of withholding the formula.
Documents with the order
Certificate of Analysis with every batch; stability summary and MoCRA/CPNP-ready documentation for the project.
What no lab can promise — including us — is a molecule-for-molecule copy. Fragrance captives, supplier-specific raw-material grades and process parameters (addition order, homogenization speed, cooling curve) leave no fingerprint in a finished product. The target is comparable performance inside tolerances we agree in writing — and we tell you which attributes are matched and which are approximated.
Reverse Development FAQ
Is cosmetic reverse engineering legal?
Yes, when done correctly. The INCI ingredient list on any cosmetic is a legally mandated public document in the EU, UK and US. We work from that public declaration plus our own laboratory measurements, and the result is a new formula developed for your brand — one your brand owns outright.
How close will the rebuilt formula be to the original?
Target is same texture family, same sensory profile and same performance claims — verified in side-by-side testing during the Golden Sample stage. It will not be molecule-for-molecule identical (that is not the goal; a better-cost equivalent is), and we tell you honestly which aspects are matched and which are approximated.
How much does reverse development cost?
Development for standard categories (serums, creams, lipsticks, powders) is typically free when combined with a production order above MOQ. Complex categories (sunscreen, long-wear foundation, fragrances) carry a development fee that is credited back against your first production order.
How do you protect our confidentiality?
We sign an NDA before receiving your sample, restrict the teardown to assigned chemists, and hold samples and formula files in per-client storage. Because the rebuilt formula is assigned to you, we do not supply it to any other account.
What if we don't have the physical sample yet?
You can start with photos of the packaging, the INCI list, and a description of the texture and performance you want. We build a first candidate from that brief alone, then fine-tune when your physical reference arrives.
Have a Sample You Want to Match?
Send photos and the INCI list today — we return a feasibility note, cost estimate and development timeline within 24 hours. NDA first, always.