Next Tuesday, 8 March, is International Women’s Day. This day commemorates women’s struggle for participation in society, their fight for equal opportunities and for their full development as individuals. On this special day, we talked to Verónica Pérez, technical director of Skintsugi, who gave us her vision of her role as a professional in the company.
What are your specific tasks and responsibilities in your job?
As technical director, I manage two areas, R&D and regulatory, and my main functions are as follows:
- Within the R&D area, I coordinate the different developments that we carry out with the
development managers, with regard to both deadlines and results.
- Within the Regulatory area, I coordinate the team in charge of preparing all the technical documents
related to cosmetic legislation: technical data sheets, cosmetic dossiers, safety data sheets, text
sheets, label review, etc., as well as ensure the legality of all the products we manufacture
What is the composition of the Skintsugi/Viokox technical team and what profiles does it include?
The Skintsugi R&D team is made up of an R&D manager with more than 16 years in the world of cosmetics, and an R&D technician, both of whom are chemistry graduates. The entire Viokox R&D team is made up of four R&D managers and four laboratory technicians, including chemists and pharmacists.
Together with the R&D team, the Regulatory team is made up of four people – chemists, pharmacists and chemical engineers – who are responsible for ensuring the legality and safety of the product developed.
What steps are followed when formulating a certain product?
When formulating a certain product, we must take into account different aspects such as the target market or marketing countries, the target public, the specific policy at ingredient level that may be additional to the legislation itself and more restrictive, the claims or attributes that the product must fulfil, the active ingredients selected to fulfil these attributes and the maximum target cost.
Once all this has been defined, we start looking for or selecting the ingredients and/or active ingredients that will form part of our product and we propose the different formulation possibilities that we want to test to achieve the objective.
After selecting the most suitable formulation(s), we subject them to an accelerated ageing test under different temperature and time conditions to predict their behaviour during their useful life and, if they do not pass the test, we propose new formulations to remedy the deficiency. This is done successively until the product is stable over time.
What guarantees are applied in the product development process? What certificates does Viokox/Skintsugi have?
In product development, there are different procedures that ensure product conformity, such as stability testing (accelerated ageing test), packaging compatibility testing, validation of product claims based on documentation and testing, if necessary, in addition to the required dermatological tests.
Viokox also has various accredited certifications: ISO 9001, ISO 22716, IFS and BRC.
How are raw material suppliers chosen and according to what criteria?
Suppliers of raw materials are chosen on the basis of different aspects. In addition to their technical and innovative capacity, which is fundamental for the development of differential and innovative products, we also need to consider other aspects such as quality, sales service and compliance in terms of service (which we take into account in the annual assessment of suppliers).
What active ingredients do you work with and which are the most effective?
We work with a wide range of active ingredients, depending on the needs of each product. Some of these are traditional active ingredients such as vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, retinol,… but many others are more innovative, such as active ingredients based on probiotic technology, upcycled active ingredients, etc.
We always work actively with suppliers to stay informed about the latest trends in active ingredients that offer advantages in terms of novelty, efficacy, tolerance, etc., so that we can adapt our cosmetic products to what is needed.
What is the differential value of Skintsugi products for consumers?
Skintsugi is science, it is beauty, it is innovation, it is efficacy, it is quality, it is naturalness, it is freshness, it is youth and maturity, it is differentiation, it is impact, it is well-being. A combination of all these attributes can be found in our products, to meet your specific needs. We seek to offer products with a strong innovative character in terms of texture and active ingredients, that have high efficacy and high added value.