Troubleshooting Homemade Toner & Day Cream: Irritation, Clogged Pores, and Whitening Issues

Hello, I understand that you want to analyze the cause of the problems encountered with your original formula to learn and improve it. The team is happy to provide additional information based on our previous analysis.

Based on the information you provided and the team's previous responses, we can analyze the causes of the problems experienced by the test users as follows:

1. Red rash, irritation, and potentially skin darkening (which could be a result of irritation): The team suspects that the main problem likely stems from the Toner formula that you used and left on the skin, specifically the ingredients Salicylic Acid (BHA) and Coco Wash.

   • Salicylic Acid (BHA) is an exfoliating ingredient that can cause irritation, especially when left on the skin for an extended period. Its typical use for individuals with clogged pores or ingrown hairs is usually a short contact time (e.g., 5-30 minutes) followed by rinsing. It is not designed to be used as a leave-on toner. Using BHA as a leave-on product on skin that doesn't necessarily need it (e.g., without severe clogged pore issues) or on sensitive skin can cause irritation, redness, or rashes.
   • Coco Wash (PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate) is a cleansing agent (Surfactant). Normally, all cleansing agents should be rinsed off the skin immediately after cleansing. It is not designed to be left on the skin, and leaving it on can also cause irritation.
   • Using a toner containing these ingredients as a leave-on product is likely the main cause of the allergic reactions and irritation that many test users experienced.

2. Clogged pores, uneven skin texture: The team previously analyzed that it is possible that the oil ingredients in the Whitening Day Cream formula, namely LipidSoft Moist 7% and Olive CLEAR 7%, totaling 14%, could be the cause of clogged pores, especially for individuals with acne-prone skin. Although these ingredients are commonly used in cream formulas, the relatively high percentage might not be suitable for some skin types.

3. No whitening results or dark spots not fading:

   • The effectiveness of whitening ingredients depends on several factors, including the ingredient itself, its concentration, skin penetration, and individual skin response.
   • Your Whitening Day Cream formula uses Perfect C 2%, White Cumin 2x 0.5%, ODA White plus 1%, which are concentrations in the low to medium range according to the manufacturer's recommendations. The fact that some users did not see results might be because their skin responded minimally to these ingredients, or the concentration used was not sufficient to see noticeable results in a short period.
   • The team tested these three whitening ingredients (Perfect-C, WhiteCumin 2x, ODA-White Plus) at higher concentrations (3-5%) and did not find that they caused skin darkening in the test group, which is consistent with their properties as skin brightening agents. However, the fact that some users reported their skin becoming darker after use could be due to irritation from the leave-on Toner, leading to inflammation and subsequent post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.

Summary of the causes of problems from the original formula:

• Toner: Using Salicylic Acid and Coco Wash in a leave-on Toner is the main cause likely leading to irritation, redness, and potentially post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation in some users.
• Whitening Day Cream: The amount of oil (LipidSoft Moist and Olive CLEAR totaling 14%) might be too high for individuals with acne-prone skin, causing clogged pores. The lack of whitening results in some individuals might be due to individual skin response or the concentration used.

Recommendations for modifying and improving the original formula:

1. For the Toner:
   • If you still want to use Salicylic Acid for acne concerns, you should adjust the method of use to apply and rinse off within an appropriate time (e.g., 5-30 minutes). It should not be left on.
   • If you want a leave-on Toner, you should remove Salicylic Acid and Coco Wash from the formula and use soothing, moisturizing, or skin-balancing ingredients that are suitable for leave-on application instead.
2. For the Whitening Day Cream:
   • If users experience clogged pores, consider reducing the amount of LipidSoft Moist and Olive CLEAR or replacing them with less comedogenic oil or emollient alternatives, such as light Ester Oils or focusing on moisturizing ingredients that do not clog pores, like Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, MOIST24, etc., as the team previously recommended.
   • If you want to increase whitening efficacy, you could consider slightly increasing the concentration of the whitening actives in the Day Cream (while being cautious about potential irritation, especially with ODA White). Alternatively, you could consider the Niacinamide + NAG + MSH combination you mentioned, which has research supporting its efficacy, and Niacinamide and MSH are generally less irritating than some other whitening agents.
3. Testing: Confirming the recommendation from the team and C7, the best way to test the effectiveness and compatibility of a formula is through real-world testing on skin, starting with a small area like the forearm or using the half-face method for comparison. Testing with multiple users is important to get diverse feedback.

Learning from feedback and refining the formula is a normal process in product development. The fact that some users did not see results while others experienced allergic reactions or acne does not necessarily mean the ingredients are bad, but rather that the formula might not be suitable for everyone's skin or the method of use was incorrect.

You can use this analysis to improve your original formula. If you would like the team to help adjust the leave-on Toner formula to be suitable for most skin types, focusing on reducing/preventing acne and balancing skin, please let us know (as we previously updated that we are working on this).

Regarding the cost of the new sample formula provided by the team, you can contact customer service by referencing CASE #818C.

Hope this information is helpful for your future formula development.