Claims and Substantiation: What Formulators Need to Know

Marketing claims—from “dermatologically tested” to “complete and balanced”—require evidence. Formulators play a key role in building and documenting that evidence.

Claims depend on formulation and data

A claim like “contains 20% vitamin C” must be backed by the formula and, often, testing. “Hypoallergenic” or “natural” may have regulatory or retailer-specific definitions. Getting the formulation and the data right from the start avoids problems later.

What to document

Link test results (stability, sensory, efficacy) to the exact formulation version that was tested. Keep ingredient specs and COAs where they’re easy to find. When regulators or retailers ask for substantiation, you need to show which formula was used and what the data says.

One system for formula and evidence

Formulation software that stores versions, test results, and notes in one place makes substantiation easier. Mix Lab AI’s iteration tracking and test results are built so you can connect formulations to the evidence that supports your claims.