Editor’s note: In the spirit of our September 2023 issue theme of “back to the basics,” we present the following ideas to inspire creative formulating from industry innovator and award-winning product developer Danilo Lapeña Lambino. They are offered for your consideration and further investigation.
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Editor’s note: In the spirit of our September 2023 issue theme of “back to the basics,” we present the following ideas to inspire creative formulating from industry innovator and award-winning product developer Danilo Lapeña Lambino. They are offered for your consideration and further investigation.
Read this article and more in the September 2023 digital magazine.
When approaching a project, perhaps the most important aspect of deciding where to begin is to think about where you expect it to end. In R&D, setting goals to challenge yourself is essential for innovation. It is therefore important to have a clear vision of the desired outcome before embarking on a new project.
For example, before beginning an experiment or a study, first identify your test objectives, action standards and success criteria. This will help to define a clear roadmap and ensure that your efforts are focused and measurable. Having a well-defined endpoint can also help you to better track your progress and make necessary adjustments along the way.
This article shares these and other ways to foster disciplined creativity in cosmetics R&D. It is divided into 12 basic principles, many of which may seem like common sense but can be taken for granted in the fast pace of day-to-day tasks – so they deserve revisiting.
1. Set Stretch Goals
To achieve significant breakthroughs, it is vital to set ambitious goals that push the boundaries of what is currently possible. By aiming for a dramatic destination, you can create a sense of purpose and drive that goes beyond average expectations. Setting a high bar for your goals also challenges you and your team to go above and beyond. This cultivates a culture of excellence and encourages a relentless pursuit of innovation.
Looking at trends now means you're already far behind."
Examples of stretch goals are as follows.
• Creating novel product formats, delivery systems and unexpected textures: Pushing the limits of design and aesthetics can lead to unique and delightful products and consumer experiences that stand out in the market.
• Designing patentable formulations and products: Developing proprietary formulations and designs can provide a competitive edge, protecting your innovations and giving you an advantage over competitors.
• Outpacing the market leader: Striving to outperform the market leader is a challenge that can drive your pursuit of excellence, considering the market leader has a commanding lead and is a recognizable brand.
• Achieving superior formula efficacy: Achieving – and surpassing – superior product efficacy in clinical testing as well as perceived efficacy in consumer testing could be considered stretch goals. This is because consumer test results are often not in agreement with instrumental results, expert evaluations, digital imaging and subjective self-assessments in clinical testing.
• Identifying an unarticulated consumer need and exploiting it: Go beyond just following trends and copying benchmarks by digging deeper to understand consumers’ hidden desires, preferences and pain points, and finding technologies and solutions that can not only deliver unexpected performance, but also connect with the consumer emotionally.
Lastly, beware of contingency as it can mean complacency. If a formula doesn’t achieve a significant “win” in perceived 72 hr moisturization, do we settle for a 24 hr claim? Or do we sacrifice aesthetics to achieve it? While it is important to plan for contingencies, excessive reliance on them can breed complacency as we go for the second-best option.
2. Don’t Let Limits Break You, Let Them Lead to Breakthroughs
Constraints and limitations can be blessings in disguise. They force us to think outside the box – to innovate solutions. So instead of seeing limitations as obstacles, we can view them as opportunities for growth and creativity. Constraints also push us to simplify and find elegant solutions that are efficient and effective.
Following are examples of constraints that can ultimately lead to breakthroughs.
• Budget limitations: All too familiar, when R&D teams have a limited budget, they are forced to be more resourceful and find cost-effective solutions. This encourages them to explore available ingredients in the lab and/or use existing technologies or processes familiar to the factory to achieve the desired outcome within budget.
• Time constraints: Tight deadlines or time constraints can stimulate creativity and prompt R&D teams to prioritize tasks to focus on the most critical aspects of a project. The pressure to deliver within a specific timeframe can foster teamwork, collaboration and the elimination of unnecessary complexities. As a result, R&D teams may discover more streamlined and efficient processes that can lead to breakthrough innovations.
• Regulatory requirements: Compliance with regulatory standards and certifications is often a constraint, especially when working on formulas for different markets and geographies. These constraints can encourage researchers to think critically and find creative solutions that are still compliant while still pushing the boundaries of product performance and efficacy. This may lead to the development of new materials, manufacturing techniques or testing methodologies.
• Technological limitations: Sometimes lacking a technology or access to it, e.g., due to competitive patents or tools and equipment, can serve as a catalyst for breakthroughs. When faced with technological limitations, R&D teams are, again, motivated to find alternative approaches or develop new technologies to overcome these constraints.
For example, advances in nanotechnology emerged as a response to the limits of conventional material properties. This has led to significant advances for more aesthetically pleasing mineral sunscreen formulations.
• Limited resources: Limited resources, such as a lack of laboratory equipment or even specialized expertise, can drive R&D teams to collaborate with external partners or leverage existing resources in creative ways. This can lead to unique solutions and new insights that may have otherwise been overlooked.
Read this article and more in the September 2023 digital magazine.
3. Do Things Differently, Deliberately
Serendipity can happen at any step in the design and formulation process – although we shouldn’t depend on it alone to create novel concepts reliably or consistently. Instead, it is important to actively make efforts to generate new ideas and deploy innovations. Here are some ideas.
• Make it happen on purpose. To create new things, it is crucial to have a deliberate intention and purpose. This means setting goals, defining objectives and actively working toward them. As stated previously, by having a clear purpose, you can focus your efforts and increase your chances of achieving the desired results.
• Throw away the rule book. Adhering strictly to established formulating rules and conventions can sometimes limit creativity and innovation. For example, consider bubbles in cleansing products. We generally don’t want to see them in a product bottle, yet we want copious amounts of bubbles while using the product. Why can’t we have them in the bottle? I recently made a social media post demonstrating this concept (see Figure 1).1
Consider bubbles in cleansing products. We generally don’t want to see them in a product bottle, yet we want copious amounts of bubbles while using the product. Why can’t we have them in the bottle? I recently demonstrated this concept in a social media post.
By challenging existing rules, norms and boundaries in formulating, product design and process development, you explore new possibilities to uncover innovative solutions. It is important to have a willingness to step outside of your comfort zone and embrace experimentation.
• Challenge the status quo. Innovation often arises by challenging the status quo and conventional wisdom. By questioning existing processes, systems and beliefs, or tried-and-tested chassis formulas, procedures and ingredients, you can identify areas where improvements can be made to uncover opportunities for creativity and innovation.
• What works can work even better. While it is important to explore new ideas, it is equally important to continuously improve existing concepts and solutions. Just because something is working well doesn’t mean it can’t be further enhanced. By seeking ways to optimize and refine what is already successful, you create even better outcomes.
• Actively search for new solutions. To foster creativity and innovation, it is crucial to actively seek out new ideas and solutions. This could mean keeping on top of industry trends, networking with diverse individuals, attending conferences or workshops, and engaging in continuous learning. Actively seeking new solutions keeps you ahead of the curve and opens up new avenues for innovation.
• Rethink dose-response. Most formulators know that dose-response refers to the magnitude of a response or outcome being directly proportional to the dose or intensity of the stimulus or effort applied. But this is not often the case. Sometimes we fail to see the benefits of an active or preservative because we only tested it at one dosage – either the maximum dose tested and/or provided by the supplier or the minimum dose to make an ingredient content claim. Testing different levels may help to find a sweet spot.
• Experiment, experiment, experiment. Experimentation drives innovation by testing new ideas, concepts and approaches to see what works and what doesn't. By embracing a mindset of continuous experimentation and learning from both successes and failures, you can iterate and improve your creations.
• Re-invent existing technology. Seek to find a new skin care benefit and/or level of efficacy of an active ingredient with an already established or known mechanism of action. Also look for synergies among different actives for a more potent combination or combine functional ingredients to create a more efficient delivery system or more robust chassis.
By embracing a mindset of continuous experimentation and learning from both successes and failures, you can iterate and improve your creations."
4. Practice Disciplined Creativity
Disciplined creativity – the overarching theme of this article – refers to balancing creativity and innovation with a structured and thoughtful approach. Several examples include the following.
• Align with team goals. It is essential for individuals and teams to align their creative efforts with the overall goals and objectives of the organization. By doing so, creativity is directed toward achieving tangible results that contribute to the success of the team and the company.
• Deliver against clear, tangible expectations. When pursuing creative ideas, it is important to have clear expectations and objectives in mind. This allows for a focused approach and increases the likelihood of delivering meaningful outcomes that meet the desired criteria.
• Rigorously test new ideas. Before implementing new ideas or innovations, it is crucial to subject them to rigorous testing and evaluation. This helps to determine their feasibility, viability and potential impact. Testing can involve prototypes, simulations, market research and user feedback to ensure that the ideas are practical and have value.
• Be open to failures but not careless. In a disciplined creativity culture, there is room for failure as it is often a part of the innovation process; but this does not mean being careless or reckless with ideas. Failures should be viewed as learning opportunities and lessons should be applied to improve future ideas and initiatives.
• Articulate, understand, respect and manage risks. Risk is an inherent part of innovation, and it should be properly addressed and managed. It is important to clearly articulate and assess the risks associated with new ideas. By understanding and respecting the risks, appropriate measures can be taken to mitigate them and ensure that potential benefits outweigh the potential drawbacks.
• Perform a risk-benefit analysis: Related to the above, before pursuing new ideas, conducting a risk-benefit analysis is crucial. This informs decision-making about resource allocation, prioritization and implementation strategies.
• Follow the NPD process. The NPD process, as most readers know, refers to the systematic approach followed by organizations to bring new products, services or processes to the market. It involves stages such as idea generation, screening, concept development, prototyping, testing, manufacturing and commercialization. A disciplined creativity culture ensures that the NPD process is well-defined, efficient and aligned with the organization's objectives.
• Use innovation metrics. To measure the effectiveness of creativity and innovation efforts, it is important to establish relevant metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs). Such metrics could include the number of new ideas generated, successful implementation rate, customer satisfaction, revenue generated from new products and/or market share growth. These metrics provide insights on the impact of innovation initiatives and help to make informed decisions.
5. Welcome Diverse Perspectives
It is worth emphasizing the importance of welcoming diverse perspectives into the creative process. Examples are as follows.
• Feed innovation with multiple points of view. By involving individuals from diverse backgrounds, cultures and experiences, the R&D process can benefit from a wide range of insights and ideas. Each person brings a unique perspective, knowledge and creativity, which can lead to breakthrough innovations and novel approaches.
• Kick around ideas inside and outside of your circles. Engage in discussions with others inside and outside of your immediate circles to gain different perspectives about ideas. By seeking feedback and input from colleagues, experts and especially consumers, you can gain valuable insights and identify potential areas for improvement or innovation. Different viewpoints can challenge your assumptions, spark new ideas and help to refine your concepts.
• Encourage collaboration and idea sharing. Creating an environment that encourages collaboration and idea sharing is crucial for welcoming diverse perspectives in cosmetics R&D. This can be supported through regular team meetings, brainstorming sessions and open forums where individuals are made to feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and suggestions. By fostering a collaborative culture, everyone's ideas are valued and diverse perspectives can contribute to the collective creativity of the team.
• Foster a culture of openness and inclusion. It is essential to foster a culture of openness and inclusion. This means creating a safe and inclusive space where individuals feel comfortable expressing their opinions, regardless of their background or position within the organization. R&D teams should be encouraged to actively listen to each other, value different viewpoints and avoid biases or assumptions. By cultivating an inclusive culture, diverse perspectives can thrive and contribute to the overall success of the cosmetics R&D process.
Read this article and more in the September 2023 digital magazine.
6. Plan, Then Improvise
This concept emphasizes the importance of having a solid plan in place before taking action, but also being flexible and adaptable to unexpected changes and challenges. Following are some tips.
• Don't rush or get lazy with planning. It's important to take time and effort to properly plan and prepare for a task or project. Rushing the planning phase or being careless in setting goals and strategies can lead to poor outcomes and unnecessary obstacles later.
• Spend time on deep planning and preparation. Deep planning involves thorough analysis, research and consideration of all relevant factors and variables. It includes setting clear objectives, identifying potential risks and opportunities, and developing effective strategies to achieve the desired results. Adequate preparation ensures that you have the necessary resources, skills and knowledge to execute the plan effectively.
• Anticipate and consider different scenarios. Anticipating potential challenges, obstacles and variations is a crucial part of planning. By considering different scenarios and playing out the possible outcomes in your mind, you can identify potential risks and prepare contingency plans. This helps to minimize surprise and enables you to respond effectively to unexpected situations.
• Be willing to change if things don't proceed as planned. Despite thorough planning, things may not always go as anticipated. It's important to be open to change and adapt to evolving circumstances. This requires a willingness to modify the plan, adjust strategies and make decisions based on new information or unforeseen events. Being flexible and adaptable allows you to find alternative solutions and maintain progress toward your goals.
• Better planning means better improvising. A well-thought-out plan provides a roadmap and structure, as previously described, which makes it easier to adjust or improvise when unexpected situations arise. Good planning enhances the ability to make informed decisions and navigate through challenges, increasing the likelihood of achieving the desired outcomes.
Different viewpoints can challenge your assumptions, spark new ideas and help to refine your concepts."
7. Embrace Eccentricity
Embracing unconventional ideas drives innovation in the industry. Key concepts related to this principle include the following.
• Unless it's unusual, it's not innovation. True innovation comes from thinking outside the box and exploring unconventional approaches. By embracing the unusual, cosmetics R&D can test the limits and create breakthrough products and formulations. Sometimes, the best ideas are the ones that challenge the norm and make people question traditional practices.
• It may seem silly, outrageous or odd to many. Innovation often involves taking risks and going against the mainstream. Ideas that seem silly or outrageous at first may have the potential to revolutionize the cosmetics industry. For example, during my first foray into solid cosmetics, I studied food science. It was odd at the time to even consider confectioneries, with their high sugar content, as a base for cosmetic formulation.
Doing so, however – even if I didn’t use sugar in my formulation – helped me understand the morphologies, structure and rheological function of polymers similar to that of sugar and other food ingredients. It also revealed how to address performance limitations such as hygroscopicity, the effect of the Maillard reaction and melt temperatures.
As I dug deeper into the subject, I also began to understand adjacent technologies surrounding food science such as preservation (e.g., hurdle technology) and the design inspiration and presentation aspect of food (see Figure 2). Embracing eccentricity thus meant recognizing that such a seemingly odd idea could hold the key to transformative innovation.
Food-inspired skin care product examples: (top, from L) Glow Cream Party Pops and Glow Lolly Spheres Scrub Cleanser; (bottom, from L) Yogurt Mask and Ice Cream for Night Cream
• Eccentric ideas should add value. While eccentric ideas are encouraged, it's important to ensure they add value and can be translated into practical applications. Permission for eccentricity in cosmetics R&D is granted when the idea has the potential to work effectively and be commercialized to meet consumer needs and preferences.
• Have interests in other fields and acquire new skills. To foster eccentricity in cosmetics R&D, it is beneficial to have cross-disciplinary interests. Drawing inspiration from fields outside of cosmetics such as art, fashion, technology or nature can spark innovative ideas. By exploring diverse areas of knowledge, researchers bring fresh perspectives to their work.
8. Keep an Optimistic Attitude
Keeping an optimistic perspective with a can-do attitude is a mindset that can have several positive effects; examples are outlined here.
• Innovation comes easier with the right attitude. Having an optimistic outlook opens our minds to new possibilities.
• Optimism and confidence drive action. A positive attitude and belief in our abilities sets a strong emotional foundation for success, motivating us to take action.
• Optimism instills resilience. A positive outlook gives us the determination to overcome difficulties, setbacks and failures. It allows us to see challenges as opportunities for growth and learning, rather than insurmountable obstacles. A can-do attitude also helps us to bounce back from failure and keep moving forward.
• Believing that failure isn't an option can drive success. Adopting a mindset that treats failure as a temporary setback rather than a permanent state can be empowering. By approaching tasks or projects with the belief that success is inevitable, we become more focused and driven to achieve our goals.
• Belief in yourself grows your expertise. Having an optimistic attitude encourages us to seek out new knowledge and skills. When we believe in our ability to learn and improve, we become more motivated to gain expertise in our areas of interest. This continuous learning process not only enhances our abilities, but also opens doors to new opportunities.
• Optimism inspires mentorship. Optimists are more likely to be open to sharing knowledge and experiences with others. This can create a positive cycle of learning and growth, benefiting both the mentor and mentee.
• A positive view feeds the appetite to learn. Optimistic individuals have a strong desire to learn and grow. They actively seek opportunities to expand their knowledge, skills and experiences. This curiosity and hunger for learning enables them to adapt and thrive in a constantly evolving world.
• Adopting “fast failure” advances success. With an optimistic attitude, we can embrace the concept of "fast failure," where failure is viewed as a natural part of learning and an opportunity for growth. In fact, I advise making as many mistakes as possible, providing that each is made twice – once initially, and the second time to verify it was indeed a mistake and not something else. By failing fast, we can quickly identify what works and what doesn't, make necessary adjustments and continue to move forward toward success.
Read this article and more in the September 2023 digital magazine.
9. Formulate Robust Solutions
Developing robust formulas is crucial for ensuring success and minimizing failure. Following are some key tips.
• Make mistakes early and learn from them. As stated previously, learning from mistakes early gives you valuable insights to improve your ideas. For instance, in formulation development, it is preferable to make mistakes during the design and prototyping stage in the laboratory using a small beaker – rather than encountering a mistake during scale-up, or worse, during production. Formulation issues tend to amplify as the batch size increases, so it is wise to address and rectify issues at an early stage to prevent costly consequences down the line.
• Perform intensive lab work, not factory work. Related to the above, it is important to prioritize extensive experimentation and testing in the laboratory rather than wait for issues to resolve during scale-up or production. This allows for the thorough evaluation and optimization of your solutions.
• Find weaknesses/vulnerable points that need improvement. Identifying weak points in your design or solution shows you where to focus efforts. This allows you to improve those areas.
• Develop built-in backups to compensate for weak points. Create contingency plans or alternative solutions to mitigate the impact of any weak points in your design. This can ensure continuity and minimize disruptions.
• Be relentless in prototyping/testing. Continuously iterate and refine your prototypes through rigorous testing. This iterative process helps to identify and address potential issues early, leading to more robust solutions.
10. Be Transparent and Trustworthy
Transparency and trust are crucial to any relationship or organization. Being open, honest and reliable in actions and communications contributes to this. Following are examples.
• Keep your word and meet commitments. It is essential to follow through on your promises and commitments. This includes delivering on time, meeting agreed-upon targets and honoring agreements.
• Acknowledge mistakes and seek help. If you make a mistake or encounter a problem, it is important to take accountability and be transparent about it. By admitting your mistakes and actively seeking help or support, you show humility and a commitment to learning and improvement.
• Proactively identify and resolve issues. Being vigilant in identifying potential problems or issues before they escalate also builds trust. By addressing issues early and taking swift action, you demonstrate proactive problem-solving and foster a culture of continuous improvement.
• Develop your competency and skills. Seeking ways to enhance your knowledge and abilities shows a dedication to personal growth and professional development. This especially builds trust in your expertise.
• Be an effective communicator. Transparent and trustworthy individuals or organizations have open and effective communication practices. This includes sharing information openly, providing clear and concise updates, actively listening to others and fostering a climate of open dialogue.
• Cultivate strong character traits. Building trust requires demonstrating strong character traits such as integrity, honesty and ethical behavior. This should go hand in hand with your actions and decision-making.
• Reward fast failure. In a transparent and trustworthy environment, failure is seen as an opportunity for learning and improvement rather than a reason for blame or punishment. By rewarding and encouraging a culture of fast failure, where individuals feel safe to take risks and learn from their mistakes, you foster innovation and growth.
• Apply lessons learned. Acknowledging mistakes and problems is not enough. Being transparent and trustworthy involves actively reflecting on past experiences, capturing lessons learned and applying them to future endeavors. This demonstrates a commitment to continuous learning and improvement.
Social media allows for direct communication with consumers to gather real-time insights, improve formulations and address concerns."
11. Go Social
Social media has become crucial for innovation in cosmetics R&D, for several reasons.
• Consumer insights. By monitoring social media platforms, formulators can gain valuable insights into consumer preferences, needs and desires, guiding product development.
• Trend spotting. Social media helps to identify emerging beauty trends that can be used to adapt product strategies and capture consumer attention.
• Crowd innovation. Cosmetics companies can engage with consumers through polls, surveys and contests, generating innovative ideas for product development.
• Influencer collaboration. Collaborating with beauty influencers on social media provides valuable insights, feedback and ideas for new products.
• Real-time feedback. Social media allows for direct communication with consumers to gather real-time insights, improve formulations and address concerns. For example, I am active on LinkedIn and Instagram and I gain valuable feedback about the work I share on these platforms.
Taken together, social media enables faster innovation cycles, targeted product development and a deeper understanding of consumer preferences.
12. Passionately Commit to Success
Lastly, a passionate commitment to success is important and takes strong dedication and enthusiasm. It means putting your mind and heart into everything you do. When you are passionately committed to succeed, you have a deep desire to excel and achieve exceptional results. This commitment drives you to put forth the effort, time and resources needed to reach your goals.
Passion also ignites creativity, motivation and determination. When this passion is shared by a team, it brings out the best in everyone. Each member is inspired to contribute their best and push the boundaries of what’s possible. The collective efforts of a passionate team also can create a synergy where the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts.
Having a passionate commitment to success in R&D additionally means going beyond the ordinary. It means stirring that creative spirit within yourself and others and inspiring everyone to: think differently, challenge conventional wisdom and design innovative solutions. It means embracing challenges, taking risks and recognizing that great achievements often require questioning what’s known – as well as venturing into uncharted territory. Harnessing the power of passion to drive innovation will inspire you and others to do great things.
Read this article and more in the September 2023 digital magazine.
References
1. Lambino, D. (Accessed 2023, Aug 2). Bubble jam cleansing technology. LinkedIn post. Available at https://tinyurl.com/4u8buff8
Additional Reading
Pritchett, P. and Muirhead, B. (1998). The Mars pathfinder approach to faster, better, cheaper. Available (for purchase) at https://www.amazon.com/Mars-Pathfinder-Approach-Faster-Better-Cheaper/dp/0944002749
Boer, F.P. (1999). The valuation of technology. Available (for purchase) at https://www.amazon.com/Valuation-Technology-Financial-Operations-Management/dp/0471316385
