Urgent - Quality Assurance!!

[kathrynmerci]

Hello!

I am brand new on this forum - it is sooooo helpful. I wanted to ask...

I make perfumes with "designer replica" FOs but have never used bases to make B&B (lotion bases, etc)

One of my customers has asked whether I do "other things" like shampoos, lotions....because she wants to give her daughter a full B&B basket with her favorite fragrance. I think it's a great idea and I am excited to be branching out into B&B except...

She wants everything in 3 weeks!

So, here's my question...

I know my FOs are great quality and I've heard great things about BC's bases....I'm going to try saratoga's deoderant base..

But are these items just mix, bottle, sell? I mean, I am going to have to just mix up, bottle up, and ship off considering the time restraint.

Is this possible? Are bases that reliable? Is there a testing time required?

Thank you for your time and input!

Kathryn

[Scented]

IMO, regardless if you use someone's base or not, you should test your products thoroughly before offering them for sale. If someone wants something you typically don't make or have never made and they want it in 3 weeks then frankly they should buy somewhere else and as a responsible seller you should politely turn them away.

That gives you time to make sure the bases you want to use will meet quality standards. Not all bases are created equal. You have to experiment on your own to find what suits your needs.

[Meridith]

I agree with Scented. And would add to make sure you have insurance.

BTW - Welcome to the forum.

[kathrynmerci]

IMO, regardless if you use someone's base or not, you should test your products thoroughly before offering them for sale. If someone wants something you typically don't make or have never made and they want it in 3 weeks then frankly they should buy somewhere else and as a responsible seller you should politely turn them away.

That gives you time to make sure the bases you want to use will meet quality standards. Not all bases are created equal. You have to experiment on your own to find what suits your needs.

Agreed. I have been very anxious about this and it's good to have outside opinions to back me up.

Thank you for your prompt replies!

Warmest Regards,

Kathryn

[Sister Kya]

I'll have to agree too. Bases make things easier but they can do odd things and you really don't want to sell something that looks and smells fine today, just to find out that they discolored, morphed or separated in a few weeks.

If it's something you want to do anyway, great. Start R&D and have fun. But never let anyone bully you into selling something you're not 100% sure of. It's just not worth it, IMO.

[sockmonkey]

There are reliable bases on the market that people use everyday without any troubles. I would suggest you buy ready-made bases which only require adding fragrance and colorant if desired. Stay away from "concentrated" bases that you add water to--those are the ones that have been problematic for many people.

As long as you operate in a clean environment, stick with bases (such as WSP offers, for example) and adhere to proper usage amounts of fragrance or essential oils, you should be ok. About the only thing that can go wrong using them (provided you follow instructions) is the fragrance oil might affect the color of your lotion--not immediately, but further down the road as it ages. That would be my only concern. However, having said that, I've used their base for years and have never had one change colors or separate on me yet.

[mystical_angel1219]

Hello and welcome!

Every product needs some type of testing~ IMO. Especially over time. Nothing is really bottle and sell, unless you are extremely versed in maintaining a sterile work environment.

Temperature also can change the quality of a product. How the end user stores something. Like in a car, on a window sill~ you'd be surprised. LOL!

[sockmonkey]

I could think of a million things that could affect product quality, but will it ever happen, and is it feasible to perform testing for it?

Amature testing doesn't mean you provide a sterile product to the customer. Sitting lotion in a hot car or in a window sill is not really "testing" other than for asthetics, which is pretty much all you can do unless you send it to a lab for professional, scientific testing.

The bases you buy from well known, reputable suppliers should be more reliable and sanitary than any lotion created in someone's kitchen. I'm not saying bases are better than anyone's homemade lotion, but the environment they are created in and the testing it undergoes is far more rigid than what people make at home. They don't have small children or pets roaming around, smokers stirring the mix, or use the same containers to make a pot roast. We all know that's not a typical example how most people operate, but unfortunately, we know that some do.

As for providing b&b items using bases in three weeks, it's definitely do-able, but do you want to? Even though you want to use bases, you can still put a lot of time and thought into it from sampling all the different bases to determine which is the best, to the packaging and labeling, to familarizing yourself with the ingredients contained in the bases.

If it was just your perfumes and a lotion I would say, go for it. Shampoos, body wash, etc., I would opt out on that for now until you've tried a lot of samples for yourself. Maybe you could offer other things for a gift basket like a sachet, crystal potpourri, room spray, or a diffuser in her favorite scent instead of the other products.