- Capabilities / Formulations
From raw material to
finished formulation.
ADCHEM operates cosmetics formulation laboratories in Bergamo, Italy and Lahore, Pakistan, supporting brands, manufacturers and our ingredient principals with practical formulation development.
Our teams work across skincare, haircare and personal care — from selecting the right ingredient system and developing the first prototype through optimisation, stability work and preparation for manufacturing.
More than ingredient distribution.
Selling a high-performance active, emulsifier or rheology modifier is one thing. Helping a customer make it work inside a commercially viable finished product is another.
That is where ADCHEM's formulation capability fits.
Our laboratories give customers direct access to technical support around the ingredients we distribute. We can evaluate combinations from across our principal portfolio, build prototype formulations, troubleshoot existing formulas and help optimise performance, sensorial profile and cost.
For our principals, the same laboratories act as application centres, demonstrating how their technologies perform in formulations relevant to the markets ADCHEM serves.
For customers, they act as an extension of the internal R&D team when additional formulation support is required.
2
Formulation Labs
5
Step project process
4-6 wk
First prototypes
ICH
Stability standard
Advanced formulation development
Skincare, haircare, dermocosmetics. From serum to emulsion, gel to anhydrous — full formulation from brief to stable prototype.
Texture & sensorial optimisation
Aligned with local consumer preferences — texture, skin feel, spreadability, and scent compatibility tuned to regional market needs.
Prototype to pilot-scale readiness
Bench formulation scaled to pilot batch — with batch records, in-process controls, and handover documentation for the customer's manufacturing line.
Cost-engineered formulations
For competitive retail positioning — ingredient system selection that delivers the required performance at the right cost-per-unit for the target market.
Stability, compatibility & performance
Full study packages — accelerated and real-time stability, packaging compatibility, microbiological challenge testing, and sensorial evaluation.
Full regulatory & documentation support
For market entry across regions — CPSR, PIF, stability dossier, safety data, labelling guidance. Market-ready documentation, not just formulation files.
What we can support
From formulation chemistry to analytical testing and regulatory documentation — the full capability set across both labs, available to any project engagement.
Formulation Development
Skincare, haircare and personal-care formulations developed from a defined customer brief. From emulsions and serums to shampoos, conditioners, gels, balms and anhydrous systems, our formulators build the ingredient system around the required performance, positioning and target market.
Formulation Optimisation
A formulation does not always need to be developed from zero. ADCHEM can work with an existing formula to address problems such as texture, viscosity, stability, emulsification, ingredient compatibility, sensory profile or processing — while recommending suitable technologies from our wider ingredient portfolio.
Ingredient Application Support
A formulation does not always need to be developed from zero. ADCHEM can work with an existing formula to address problems such as texture, viscosity, stability, emulsification, ingredient compatibility, sensory profile or processing — while recommending suitable technologies from our wider ingredient portfolio.
Stability & Compatibility Support
Formulations can be evaluated for physical stability, changes in appearance, viscosity, pH and compatibility with the intended packaging system. Where additional specialist testing is required, ADCHEM can coordinate the appropriate analytical, microbiological or external laboratory work as part of the development programme.
Sensorial Development
Particularly in cosmetics, technical performance alone does not make a successful formula. Texture, absorption, spreadability, residue, after-feel, fragrance interaction and appearance can all be adjusted according to the intended consumer and positioning. Our regional presence means those decisions can also be considered against the preferences of the market in which the product will actually be sold.
Cost Optimisation
ADCHEM works on both premium and mass-market formulations. Where cost is a key constraint, our team can evaluate the ingredient system as a whole — identifying where performance needs to be protected and where the formula can be simplified or alternative technologies considered.
R&D built around a broad ingredient portfolio.
One of ADCHEM's biggest formulation advantages is that our laboratories are not tied to a single chemistry or manufacturer.
Our formulators work across a broad portfolio of cosmetic raw materials sourced from specialist manufacturers around the world.
That gives us the flexibility to build the complete formulation system — rather than forcing every project around one supplier's ingredients.
Depending on the project, that can include:
• Active ingredients
• Surfactants
• Emollients & esters
• Preservation systems
• Silicones
• Waxes & lipids
• Rheology modifiers
• Functional polymers
• Emulsifiers
• Botanical ingredients
Italian formulation expertise, the gold standard in personal care.
ADCHEM Europe's formulation laboratory supports cosmetic development, principal application work and customer projects across Europe and the wider MENA region.
The laboratory has a particular focus on advanced skincare, dermocosmetics, haircare and premium personal-care formulations, with access to ADCHEM's European principal network and close proximity to the Italian cosmetics manufacturing ecosystem.
Skincare
Serums
Emulsions
Haircare
Dermocosmetics
Pilot scale
Sun care
Anhydrous systems
Ingredient application studies
Regional formulation and application centre
Our Lahore laboratory supports customers and principals across South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, combining formulation development with a strong understanding of local manufacturing conditions, consumer preferences and commercial requirements.
The team works across skincare, haircare and broader personal care, including formulations designed for hot climates, hard-water conditions, different sensory preferences and competitive retail price points.
Skincare
Haircare
Baby care
Scalp care
Rinse-off systems
Cost optimisation
Face & body care
Regional application development
From brief to production-ready formulation
A structured, predictable engagement — from the first conversation to the pilot batch and regulatory handover. No ambiguity about what ADCHEM delivers and when.
Understand the brief
We start with what you actually want to make. Product type, target consumer, market, benchmark products, desired claims, texture, positioning, packaging and target cost are discussed before formulation begins.
Build the formulation
Our formulators select the appropriate ingredient system and prepare the first laboratory prototypes. Where relevant, we draw from technologies across multiple ADCHEM principals rather than building the formulation around a predetermined ingredient.
Test and refine
The customer evaluates the prototypes and we refine the formula based on feedback. Texture, skin or hair feel, fragrance compatibility, viscosity, appearance and performance can be adjusted through successive iterations
Stability & compatibility
Once the formulation is agreed, the appropriate stability, packaging compatibility and microbiological work can begin. Any issues identified at this stage are fed back into the formulation before scale-up.
Scale-up & handover
The final formula is prepared for transition from laboratory development to commercial manufacturing. Depending on the project scope, ADCHEM can provide the formulation, manufacturing procedure, specifications, batch information and supporting technical documentation required for the customer's production team.
Built with ingredients from
View all principals →
Mibelle Biochemistry
Plant-derived actives · Switzerland
Elementis
Hectorite · Rheology · UK/USA
Shin-Etsu
Silicones · HPMC · Japan
Vanderbilt Minerals
Talc · Smectite · USA
Lubrizol
Carbomers · Skin care · USA
Musim Mas
Esters · MCT · Singapore
Formulations designed around the market.
A formulation developed for Milan is not automatically the right formulation for Dubai, Cairo or Lahore.
Climate, water quality, consumer routines, preferred textures, packaging, regulatory requirements and retail pricing can all change what makes a formula commercially successful.
ADCHEM's footprint across Europe, the Gulf, Türkiye, North Africa and South Asia allows our R&D teams to consider those realities during development — not after the formulation has already been finalised.
For example:
Hot & humid climates
Lightweight textures, stability and sensory performance under regional conditions.
Hard-water markets
Particularly relevant to shampoo, conditioner and cleansing systems.
Premium skincare
Higher active loading, sophisticated sensory profiles and differentiated ingredient stories.
Mass & masstige personal care
Performance-led formulations developed within a defined finished-product cost.
Multi-market launches
Ingredient and formulation decisions considered against the requirements of several target markets from the beginning.
For Cosmetics Brands
You may have the concept and positioning but not an internal formulation team. ADCHEM can help translate the brief into a technically workable formulation.
For Contract Manufacturers
We can support your existing R&D function with new ingredient technologies, troubleshooting, benchmark development or formulation projects requiring additional capacity.
For Ingredient Manufacturers
Our labs act as regional application centres — developing demonstration formulas, supporting customer trials and showing how your ingredients perform in products relevant to ADCHEM's markets.