Finally, it’s March 2025! I was SO looking forward to this
month; seriously, you have no idea! The reason is simple (the process, not so
much): This month we’re finally launching our lip oil! FINALLY a new product
from Sans-Façon! I think the last time we launched a new product was our hair
mask in October 2023, and we were definitely due. I have to admit that I’m
always a little bit torn between two things. The first is that I want SF to provide
a range of classic beauty essentials that you add to your shopping carts year
after year. My goal has never been to launch a bunch of beauty products just to
follow trends. But on the other hand, there are so many products that I want to
try and opportunities that I want to seize. Sometimes there’s a new product on
the market that’s here to stay, or something that’s missing in my own beauty
bag and, as a result, I often want to create new products. But the process is
so, so complex, and also very expensive. To give you an idea of the challenges
in creating a new product, I’ll go through the steps that we followed to bring
you our lip oil.
1.
First, we choose
our lab. A laboratory that makes mascara won’t necessarily be equipped to make
a lip oil, but one that makes a foundation might be. We work with 5-6 different
labs at SF, so our first step is to talk to each one and figure out which is
best suited for the project.
2.
We provide the
lab with as many specifications as possible. We include all the active ingredients
we want and provide details about the product itself. Should the lip oil be
moisturizing or plumping? Do we want it to provide a tint? What colour should
it be? Is there a specific texture that we want to include or to avoid? We need
to provide as much information as possible so that the lab can create the first
samples.
3.
Then, we wait for
the samples. Sometimes the process goes quickly and we have samples as quickly
as within two weeks; other times it can take more than a month. It always depends
on how busy the lab is and whether or not they have already created a similar product
in the past.
4.
The long-awaited
moment finally arrives: sampling the product! Although it’s definitely an
exciting moment, we’ve learned that things don’t always go well on the first
try. It’s not uncommon for us to be very far from the finished product we want
upon trying the first sample, but in this case we were lucky enough to be
pretty close to what we were hoping for in terms of texture. This was great
news because we wanted a lip oil that did more than the typical options already
available.

We wanted to make a lip oil that could also be used as a mask,
gloss and balm. While that was clear in our minds, we weren’t sure that the lab
would understand our vision at the start. After 3-4 samples (a process that
took around five months to complete), we arrived at the perfect texture with
the desired ingredients in strong enough quantities to really make a
difference.
5.
While the sample
development process is going on, we start receiving and evaluating the actual
container that will store the lip oil. We try several different kinds and
consider the size, material, quality, applicator, etc.
6.
As soon as the
formula is finalized and we have chosen the container, we begin stability
tests. This process lasts from three to six months and involves testing our
product in its container under a variety of conditions. We see how it performs
in hot and cold temperatures or when exposed to UV or neon rays. We shake it up
and let it sit still to see if it changes in different environments… everything
we can think of to ensure that the product formula is compatible with the
container we’ve chosen. Often, we discover that they are not compatible. There
can sometimes be a change in texture, discolouration, separation of
ingredients, etc. Obviously, these are effects that we don’t want, and to
prevent them we take the time to do all the stability tests in our in-house lab
while the lab that created the product does the same. Then, we compare and
cross-validate our findings. When that happens – and it can happen quite
frequently – we start by being disappointed (it’s very true haha!) but then we
get over it and we start again. We find a brand new container and begin the
stability tests all over again. It takes a lot of trial and error to figure out
why things don’t work, especially since we now only work with recycled and recyclable
plastics. These materials aren’t customarily used in the field yet, and they
bring their own set of challenges. Using only eco-friendly containers and packaging
can be difficult, but we’re committed to doing it, so we work hard to find a
solution. The good news for the oil was that the formula was very stable, which
is why we were able to release the product in about two years. That’s actually
a very good average!
7.
Once the
stability tests are completed, we begin the production of the oil containers
and packaging boxes. The lab sources ingredients so that everything is ready at
the same time. As soon as the containers arrive (which alone can take 4-5
months), the lab is ready to fill them with product. It takes 2-4 weeks to fill
everything and have the product delivered to our warehouses.
8.
When we receive the
packaged oil at our warehouses, we put it through a quality control process.
Then we keep the oil quarantined until all our internal tests are complete and
our in-house chemist confirms that the oil received from the lab complies with
all the designations that we outlined throughout the process.
9.
Lastly, we are
finally ready to sell it! It took a good two to two and a half years to create
the oil with only minimal hiccups. Just wait until I tell you about all the problems
we’ve encountered with our new eyebrow gel. I’m on my 34th sample
and I think we’re getting there (for real, for real, but I’m also knocking on
wood as I write this haha.)
We don’t often release new products at Sans-Façon, but there’s
a very good reason behind this: The process is essential. It’s very important
to me. The rigor with which we develop and assess and test each new product to make
sure it’s up to our standards of quality is the promise that I made to you, our
customers, and to all our future customers too. Over the next few years, the
only thing I can see happening is the process becoming even more robust, but
never the opposite. No matter how popular our products become, here at SF, we
don’t cut corners.
Honestly, my biggest dream is that in ten, fifteen years you will still be buying cosmetics from Sans-Façon without ever questioning the
integrity of your products. Quality, vegan products made here in Canada (and
what’s more, made by women!) I mean, what more could you ask for?!
Leave a comment