Spending time outside can be the best time of the summer; but if you have been on the receiving end of a painful sunburn you know how quickly your fun day in the sun can turn on you if you aren’t prepared.

The good news is that CoValence offers different levels of SPF protection so your days in the sun will be full of fun.

Day Cream SPF 30 – OTC (VLT0.6000) offers broad-spectrum protection and is infused with Hyaluronic Acid.

Elite Natural SPF 30 – OTC (VLT0.6007) Zinc Oxide, Red Algae and Thiotaine® provide broad spectrum protection from UVA and UVB exposure.

Natural SPF 28 – OTC (VLT0.6004) moisturizes and provides UVA/UVB protection with natural Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide.

Sol Protect SPF 17 – OTC (VLT0.6002) features Zinc Oxide, Tocomin™ and Astaxanthin for sun protecting, moisturizing and antioxidant properties.

For more information about our suncare products please call 480.897.0551 and talk to one of our Sales/Account Executives.

For more information on the National Sun Awareness Week click here.

We are now an NOP Certified Manufacturer!!!

This means we can manufacture products under the NOP guidelines and clients can use the NOP Certification Seal for each qualified product!!

Visualize your distribution channels as a puzzle. How does the puzzle look to you? Is there one lonely piece? Are there ten pieces not fitting together – website, on-line beauty store, brick & mortar, boutique, spa, etc.? We, CoValence, understand that you have a very difficult job – finding the best distribution pieces that fit your business plan. You can count on us to provide outstanding customer service and ingenious product ideas, in order for you to focus on expanding and successfully interlocking your perfect distribution puzzle.

Melinda Wochner
COO / VP of Marketing

Less than two years ago CoValence implemented a new ERP system that converted a discrete manufacturing database into a system designed specifically for the process manufacturer.  A discrete ERP system is designed to assemble “parts” to create a unit of 1 each.  However, we essentially sell formulas, which are a mixed relationship of ingredients that are brought together with a process.  We then fill our formulations into multiple types of finished goods.   Because the old system wasn’t able to fluidly work with our formulas and bill of materials, many side databases in applications such as Word and Excel had to be maintained in order for us to function in our day to day operations.  While the implementation of the new software was painful and at times appeared to be creating more work than it was saving, we can now “discretely” define the improvements to our company’s operating procedures.

The structure of our old system was inflexible and unforgiving, while the new system gives CoValence more control to comfortably define our manufacturing processes accurately.  We have perfected our weights to gallons, so now when a filling batch is created, we know exactly how much bulk product is needed for that Sales Order to be made.  It saves on time calculating each item that needs to be filled which is also more accurate than our employees doing it on a calculator and making a mistake.  Also, the new system shows exactly what ingredients or parts we are running low or critical on, whereas the old system didn’t show us this information at all. 

For the Marketing Department, immediate benefits were not straightforwardly seen, as the out-of-the-box software was tailored to the manufacturing side.  One of our most intensive projects when we initially went live was the INCI Customization created specifically for CoValence.  Historically, when a product was approved for production, the Marketing Department had to create INCI listings manually, which took about 30-40 minutes to create and at 5-20 listings a week, this was an average of 30 hours collectively for this department.  The INCI reports are a favorite of the Account Executives, because it saves so much time.  Prior to this they had to manually create our INCI listings using an Excel Spreadsheet to look up the ingredient and the corresponding INCI name and other information.  Now when a formula is approved, they can just run a report.

Our Shipping Department’s daily processes have also seen improvement with another adaptation created just for them, the Back Order Customization.  Our Shipping Clerks just run a report and the day’s backorders are printed which are then handed back to the Manufacturing Department.  Prior to this they had to look at the day’s shipping records manually, and reprint each order one by one.  Maintaining orders is a bit more intensive but from an inventory standpoint it is much clearer what is shipping, so mistakes are down to a minimum.

CoValence as a company is ingrained with a work culture that promotes it’s employees to always strive to improve our processes and overcome any limitations presented by our day to day operations – the ERP implementation and continued exploration of the potentials within our new software is an example of this dedication to delivering the best products and services possible.

One of the main objectives CoValence had in establishing our own Regulatory Department in 2007 was to help our clients succeed in exporting to countries around the world. The biggest obstacle for many of our clients has been adapting their products to meet the EU requirements, which has established many of the industry standards in cosmetic regulations.

Over the past few years many of our clients have endured a number of changes so their products can be sold in the EU. Naturally we were curious to see what changes were in store when they announced the Recast of the Cosmetic Legislation last November. The official statement as to the goal of the recast states:

“This regulation aims at simplifying procedures and streamlining terminology, thereby reducing administrative burden and ambiguities. Moreover, it strengthens certain elements of the regulatory framework for cosmetics, such as in-market control, with a view to ensuring a high level of protection of human health. It simplifies the rules and procedures for the marketing and safety of cosmetics.”

What does this mean to you, our clients? In most cases the changes will be unnoticeable from your product standpoint. Here are some of the key changes you should be aware of in the recast of the legislation:

Strengthening In-Market Control: It creates a single notification system that will replace various national procedures – this will simplify your registrations. It also adds market surveillance provisions between authorities which will help in overall product safety and responsibility.

Common Criteria for Product Claims: Only the real effect of a product can be mentioned on a label – it should be noted this is a work in process.

Strict Treatment of CMR Substances:  Basically a stronger enforcement of prohibited substances for cosmetics.

Nanomaterials:  They are introducing strict measures for products with Nanomaterials that will include a compulsory notification, assessment and labeling of any product that has Nanomaterials present. This controversial issue is sure to be debated during the coming years.

These are just the main points, obviously there is much more to the text. If you have any questions on this or any other regulatory issue please bring it to our attention.

February 18, 2010 

Interested in Selling Your Cosmetics Products in Canada?

Join the U.S. Commercial Service in Canada’s Cosmetics Virtual Exhibition for U.S. cosmetics companies from January 19 to February 18, 2010!  This event is a unique opportunity for U.S. companies to gain market exposure in Canada, promote your products to Canadian distributors, and learn about how to get your products to market in Canada and Quebec.

How to Sell Your Products in Canada On-line Seminar (February 18)

• Canadian Cosmetics Regulations You Need to Know About
• Canadian Border Services Agency Services for U.S. Cosmetics Exporters
• Selling and Distributing Your Products in Quebec

Virtual Exhibition (January 19- February 18)

• Feature your products on our website – We will advertise your company to all Canadian cosmetics and skin care agents/distributors
• Receive a customized reports with sales leads generated

Registration deadline:  January 15, 2010

Participation Fee:  $475

Click here to register.

Register today and expand your sales to Canada!

This last year, our industry divided like never before between the natural, organic movement  and science-driven technologies with buzz words like, mitochondria, telomeres and stem cells.  As 2009 comes to an end, we bring you the top 10 hottest ingredients or trends of 2009.

10. Zemea® (Propanediol) made headlines from cosmetic industry magazines to beauty magazines this year as a corn-derived alternative to Propylene Glycol. Then it went on to receive the much coveted ECOCERT seal.

9. Resveratrol has been around for years as a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, but in 2009 got new buzz as an activator of sirtuins, increasing cell life.

8. Japanese Honeysuckle as a broad spectrum preservative. C’mon, how many preservatives sound this pretty?

7. With HQ’s future still hanging in the balance, Nonapeptide-1 came on the scene as the first peptide that lightens skin and prevents further hyperpigmentation. We welcome all brigheners!

6. Superfruits. Why do we have to pick one? They have been around for a few years now but are not losing steam. Acai and blueberry and cranberry, Oh my! Camu camu and goji and mangosteen, Galore!

5. Perflurocarbons found their way into mainstream skin care from their medical beginnings as liquid blood (yes, that’s right, liquid blood) to combat wrinkles and offer an alternative to Botox.

4. With the 2009 Nobel Prize of Physiology being awarded for telomere research, Renovage™ (Teprenone) has to make the list for stabilizing telomere shortening and increasing cell life by 1/3.

3. Eyelash Lengthening became one of the hottest topics after the prescription Latisse® hit the market.  Myristoyl Pentapeptide-17 was developed as a non-prescription alternative, promising 25% increase in lash length and volume within two weeks.

2. Organic. This was the year that launched 1000 organic brands! We have yet to get a clear and legal definition what that means…….

1.  Apple Stem Cells, by far, made the most headlines in 2009, and we understand why! Cutting edge technology isolated and cultured a rare apple’s stem cells that stimulate our own skin’s stem cells combating aging and wrinkles. Very, very futuristic.

Cheria is one of the most talented Cosmeceutical product developers in the industry – which is why she is in charge of CoValence’s Product Development Team and Training. Her new credentials combined with her years of experience developing some of the best products on the market solidify what we  have known about Cheria since she started with CoValence – she strives to be the best!

CoValence is proud to announce that one of Cheria’s cosmetic science essays is being entered into the SPC (Soap, Perfumery & Cosmetics) magazine and website essay contest. Be sure to check back for a link to the article in a future blog post.

The Holidays are upon us, which means many trips to the malls as well as hours on the computer trying to find the perfect gift for someone close to you. It is also the season of caring and giving to ones that are less fortunate than our selves. Or is it? Is the season of caring a couple months out of the year or never ending? For many of us at CoValence, ‘caring’ does not stop in December, and we hope the same is true for you. A few of our Caring Ambassadors are listed on the We Care page.

There are countless ways to show that you care for others. How do you show it? Do you donate money? Time? Food? A combination? No matter how you show that you care, it is extremely important to our world that you show it.

A quote from an American cultural anthropologist, Margaret Mead (12.16.01 – 11.15.78), puts the act of caring into perspective – “Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For, indeed that’s all who ever had.”

Care and Change the World!

Melinda

One of the main focuses of the manufacturing department is to find the most effective processes to comply with FDA Regulations and current Good Manufacturing Practices.  We need to know what we’re doing right and wrong and, based on that information, implement Standard Operating Procedures to increase our compliance levels. This is a constant focus as every 2 – 3 years an FDA inspector arrives unannounced and delivers a Form 482 Notice of Inspection.

It is during these inspections that the culmination of these efforts are highlighted.  The first part of an inspection is usually a tour of the building from Receiving through Shipping while describing our cGMP’s throughout the tour.  It’s quite grueling to walk the entire floor describing each aspect from Receiving & QC, Ingredient Storage & Retrieval, Manufacturing & QC, Filling & QC and finally Shipping.  Once this is completed the FDA inspector has an idea of the areas he will wanted to focus on for his inspection.  We will go over a few Batch Cards from our OTC products manufactured in the past year, and over a wide variety of Standard Operating Procedures.  Documentation, Documentation, Documentation! It’s interesting that we can start with a batch card and be expected to show anything from a Certificate of Analysis, or other receiving documentation on an ingredient, to testing results for the finished product and training records for the mixer who produced the product.

These inspections not only help teach us how to improve our cGMP’s for our OTC manufacturing, which naturally spill over to the cosmetic manufacturing processes by necessity, they also ensure that an outside auditing source sets a high standard for our manufacturing facility that cannot be compromised.