Skincare and colour: compound, homogenise, fill and carton.

Every batch to its formula, every tube to its weight.

totalMOS runs a cosmetics plant from the compounding vessel to the cartoner: the formula weighed out and signed, pH, viscosity and shade checked against the spec, fill weight on time at the filler, and every non-conformity taken through hold, disposition and corrective action.

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A rotary tube filler in a cosmetics plant, white tubes with navy caps standing in a ring beneath a stainless steel vessel.

Where a cosmetics line loses product

The formula is the product

A serum is its formula, to the gram. When the weigh-out is a printed sheet and a pen, a revised formula and last month’s batch record can disagree, and nobody can say which one was made.

Fill weight cuts both ways

A tube under its declared content is a compliance problem, and a tube a few grams over is product given away on every unit. Neither shows until somebody adds up the clipboard.

Shade and stability are judgement calls

Shade match, odour and phase stability are read by eye, and a tick on paper cannot be checked by anyone afterwards. The record has to say what was seen, by whom and when.

How totalMOS runs a cosmetics line

pH, viscosity and shade on the record
Fill weight counts down at the filler, with pH, viscosity, specific gravity and shade match on their own clocks. Judgement checks are a choice from a list, such as on standard or slight variation, so the record says what was seen.
The formula, weighed out and signed by two
A batch order turns the formula into the kilograms of every raw material for the vessel. Two people sign before anything is tipped in, and the sheet keeps the formula it was struck from.
Holds counted in trays and cases
An out-of-spec reading opens a non-conformity before the check can close. The hold is counted in units, trays, cases or pallets, the AQL disposition is recorded with its scanned plan, and a CAPA follows the defect to its root cause.
Giveaway and defects, by filler
The weight curve of every production order shows its fill weights against the target, and the Pareto shows which filler and which defect type drive the out-of-spec readings.

The checks on the line

The demo cosmetics plant ships with the checks a filling line runs, from fill weight to the microbial swab. Your own tests, limits and frequencies replace them.

50 products, each with its own limits
Holds counted in cases, pallets, trays, or units

Check	Default spec	Sample	Frequency
Fill weightWeight curve10 samples · Every hour	50-52.5 g	10 samples	Every hour
pH3 samples · Every 2 h	4.5-5.5 pH	3 samples	Every 2 h
Viscosity3 samples · Every 4 h	8,000-14,000 cP	3 samples	Every 4 h
Specific gravity3 samples · Every 4 h	0.98-1.02 g/mL	3 samples	Every 4 h
Shade match5 samples · Every 2 h	On standard, Slight variation	5 samples	Every 2 h
Odour3 samples · Every 4 h	True to standard	3 samples	Every 4 h
Phase stability3 samples · Every 2 h	Pass	3 samples	Every 2 h
Grittiness3 samples · Every 4 h	Pass	3 samples	Every 4 h
Microbial swab1 sample · Every 8 h	Pass	1 sample	Every 8 h
Cap torque5 samples · Every 2 h	8-14 lbf·in	5 samples	Every 2 h
Batch code and artwork5 samples · Every 2 h	Pass	5 samples	Every 2 h
Manufacture date1 sample · Every 3 h	The day of the check	1 sample	Every 3 h
Date code1 sample · Every 3 h	Best-before, counted from the shelf life	1 sample	Every 3 h

Before the first reading

Pre-start inspection

Confirmed at the line before the first reading. A supervisor authorises the start.

Line clear of previous product and packagingCritical
No product, film or labels from the last run anywhere on the line.
Production order and product match the schedule
Check the order number on the tablet against the paperwork.
Instruments verified against referenceCritical
Scale zeroed and checked with the test weight; any other instrument on this line checked.
Date and lot code correct on the first pack
Read it back from a pack, not from the coder screen.
Guards and interlocks in placeCritical
Hand wash, PPE and jewellery check complete
Ambient temperature at the line
10-30 °C

A critical item that fails keeps the line from starting. The checklist stays on the run’s record.

Frequently asked questions

Can every shade have its own spec?

Yes. Each shade is its own product with its own limits, so a foundation range carries a shade standard for each shade while sharing the checks that are the same.

Does it check the batch code and artwork?

Yes. Batch code and artwork is a pass-or-fail check at the line, the manufacture date must carry the day of the check, and the best-before is counted from the product’s shelf life, thirty months in the demo plant.

Can a check be left off an anhydrous product?

Yes. A lip balm has no water, so pH, viscosity and phase stability are left off it instead of failing on every run. Each product carries only the checks that apply.

Who can see the formulas?

Batching is a closed door: only batchers and admins open batch orders. Managers, operators and mechanics do not, however senior, and every gate is enforced by the API rather than only hidden on screen.