Read Part I of this interview here!

Pili Ani strives to create all-natural skincare and wellness products that deliver incredible results. In addition to utilizing only the best ingredients from mother nature, Pili Ani enlists the services of expert formulators to help create high performance products from natural ingredients including the amazing Pili and Elemi Oils.

Here is the second part of our Q&A with Pili Ani’s Formulator where we discuss what goes into creating Pili Ani skincare products.

Can you take us through the process of the usual steps you take when putting a product together? 

Initially what we did was to get benchmarks in the market and tried to make a similar product that contained natural ingredients and incorporated our main ingredients, Pili Oil and Elemi Oil. With this strategy, we created bar soaps, body oil, lotion, lipstick, and our Essential Oil Blends. However, using this approach, we had a hard time competing with what was already available in the market. Our Essential Oil Blends stood out because at that time, those products were unique.

For the past years, we tried to develop a new process when coming up with new products. Right now, we start with market research. This helps us know our target market, what consumers want in a product, and what problems the consumers want to address.

Next step is identifying the key ingredients we would use based on our marketing message. Ingredients to be avoided are identified, too. Defining the aesthetics of the product and identifying the packaging materials are part of our product development process. Other considerations, such as cost and product shelf life are also important to identify.

Once we have all the ingredients and materials that we need, we would start making the prototypes. These prototypes would undergo stability testing to ensure that the product meets the intended physical, chemical, and microbiological quality standards. After that we would make a sample batch for consumer evaluation. The evaluation would include the smell, the visual or aesthetic, the feel of the product on the skin or where it is intended to be applied. We also would get feedback from the consumer evaluation if the product worked. 

Clinical studies and safety evaluations are also part of our product development. It is important that our claims are backed with data and our product is deemed safe for use. 

Which product out of the US Pili Ani Skincare line was your favorite to create/formulate? And why? 

The Pili Ani creams are my favorite to formulate. It was actually the most challenging for me but when I finally created a rich cream that was stable, I was so ecstatic. Also, after I received the results from the clinical tests and it showed that the creams are very effective in targeting wrinkles, moisturizing the skin, and even brightening the skin, I was so amazed. The creams are one of the earliest formulations I made. I guess it’s from the trial and error part that I learned a lot and I really enjoyed the process and the discipline that I got from it.

What is it about Pili and Elemi Oils that makes it such a superior ingredient combination compared to other oils?

We still have a lot of research to do to understand exactly what makes these oils superior ingredients. However, combining these two oils makes it powerful in the sense that our products are really effective in moisturizing the skin and minimizing wrinkles and fine lines. I think the high concentration of Pili Oil and Elemi Oil in our products help with all our products’ potency and efficacy. 

Which product from the Pili Ani US line would you say is your personal favorite and why?

My personal favorite would be the Pili Ani Youthful Glow Facial Cream. I love to incorporate it in my nightly regimen. It keeps my skin very moisturized and helps keep me from getting fine lines. I also apply it on my hands and cuticles to keep it moisturized especially during this pandemic. During this time, my hands are always dry because of excessive hand washing and applying hand sanitizer.

Read Part I of this interview here!