On January 9th, Chinese aromatherapy skincare brand AromeManpo issued a statement regarding the crystallization phenomenon of its cleansing honey product. They stated that the phenomenon is caused by low temperatures and sudden temperature changes, resulting in surface crystallization. However, they assured that the crystallization phenomenon does not affect the product’s effectiveness.
In fact, every winter, topics related to “cosmetic freezing” and similar issues often spark widespread discussions on social media. It is understood that many toners, lotions, and cleansers undergo changes in texture when exposed to cold weather. So, can cosmetics that have frozen or crystallized still be used? Will the thawed products undergo any changes in ingredients or efficacy?
Brand response to the product freezing
According to the statement from AromeManpo, the brand has been receiving feedback regarding the crystallization issue of their “Evening Primrose Radiant Ferment Cleansing Honey” product since late November 2023.
Through social media platforms, it has been found that many consumers have posted about the brand’s cleansing honey product experiencing crystallization or turbidity, questioning whether it is due to mold or spoilage. Some internet users also speculate that it might be because of the cold weather and suggest soaking the product in warm water.
From the shared images by users, some show evident snowflake-shaped crystals in the product, while others show a small amount of crystals or discoloration and turbidity.
In response to consumer feedback, the official AromeManpo account has replied to relevant posts, stating that the product can still be used normally. They explained that the abnormal phenomenon is due to the low temperature, which causes the amino acid surfactant interface of “cocoyl glycine/cocoyl glutamic acid” to crystallize. They assured that placing the product in a warmer environment for approximately 1-3 days will restore it, and it will not affect the product’s effectiveness.
In their official statement, AromeManpo further explained that the crystallization occurs due to “the crystallization of amino acid surfactants caused by low temperatures and sudden temperature changes.” They also mentioned that they did not receive any related feedback after the product’s launch in May 2023 and only started receiving such feedback gradually after November.
Furthermore, AromeManpo has initiated a recall of the affected products and sent them to a third-party institution for retesting. The test results showed that both the microbiological and heavy metal levels were within normal range and not exceeding the national standards. This means that although the products’ appearance has changed, the microbiological and heavy metal aspects still meet the required standards.
To prevent similar issues from occurring in low-temperature conditions during winter, AromeManpo stated that they have changed the supplier of the “cocoyl glycine/cocoyl glutamic acid” active ingredient in their newly produced batches of cleansing honey products. The latest batch, produced in December 2023, has not received any feedback regarding crystallization as of the statement date.
“We deeply apologize for the crystallization issue, which seriously affects the users’ perception and experience. We will actively handle and improve every after-sales issue. In the future, we will more strictly select product ingredients and conduct comprehensive self-reflection, self-examination, and improvement of product stability and after-sales service,” mentioned AromeManpo in their statement.
Public information reveals that AromeManpo was established in 2014 as a Chinese produced aromatherapy skincare brand, focusing on the combination of aromatherapy and biotechnology fermentation in their skincare system. The brand claims to use scientifically balanced aromatherapy essential oils to provide both physiological and psychological benefits to the skin.
It is understood that AromeManpo’s Tmall flagship store currently has 94,000 followers and offers a range of products, including cleansing honey, essential toner, facial oil, moisturizer, and face masks. The prices of individual products range from 139 to 469 yuan. Their best-selling product, the “Evening Primrose Red Tea Yeast Essence Toner,” has sold over 20,000 units.
It’s worth mentioning that in April 2023, AromeManpo announced the completion of a tens-of-millions-level angel round financing, exclusively invested by the Consumer Co-Creation Fund under Cathay Capital. AromeManpo became the first skincare brand invested by the fund. The Kaihui Consumer Co-Creation Fund, in collaboration with Cathay Capital, Kering, L’Oréal Group, Pernod Ricard, Sanofi Consumer Health, and Vipshop, is dedicated to jointly incubating and investing in early-stage Chinese startups, ranging from seed stage to Series A financing.
The problem may be hidden in different aspects
In fact, winter has always been a critical time to test various cosmetics, especially products with a water or oil texture.
Take SK-II Facial Treatment Essence as an example. Since its main ingredient, PITERA, is a fermented filtrate, the product primarily consists of water and active substances. When water freezes, its volume increases. Combined with glass packaging materials that are more sensitive to low temperatures and have lower expansion and contraction properties, consumers often post about receiving bottles of the product that have frozen and cracked.
In addition, it has been found that oil-based products are also prone to crystallization. For example, some netizens have reported on social media platforms that Bobbi Brown’s cleansing oil has white crystallization, and the entire bottle of cleansing oil has turned into a solid white state. Many netizens have replied, saying, “Just warm it up with hot water.”
“The low temperatures in winter indeed make cosmetics prone to crystallization or freezing,” said Zhang Taijun, the Research and Development Director of Guangzhou Quanzhi Meifu Biotechnology Research Institute, in an interview. For example, when warehouses do not have heating in winter or when the product has not fully returned to room temperature or had insufficient recovery time, crystallization is more likely to occur, especially during slow cooling.
So, does the change in the product’s appearance due to temperature have an impact on its normal use and effectiveness?
Zhang Taijun stated that this is actually a normal phenomenon and is more common in northern regions. The product can be used normally after returning to room temperature. Additionally, a factory manager expressed a similar opinion to the media, saying, “Generally, it should not have an impact, but it also depends on the specific raw materials, formula, storage, and transportation conditions.”
It is worth mentioning that during the search, it was found that other brands’ cleansing honey products also received consumer feedback about crystallization. These products also contain the ingredient “cocoyl glycine/cocoyl glutamic acid.” The aforementioned factory manager stated, “Regarding amino acid surfactants, the purity of raw materials, control of by-products, salt/PH levels, etc., can lead to different solidification points of the raw materials.”
Furthermore, a senior research and development executive told CHAILEEDO that amino acid surfactants in facial cleansers with high amino acid content indeed exhibit crystallization at low temperatures. If the product has a low amino acid content, it may be due to issues with the cloud point or salting out of the amino acid surfactant, or it could be influenced by the quality of the raw materials. In addition, if the formulation is not well-prepared, it may become turbid and have crystals precipitate.
Moreover, the senior research and development executive also mentioned that for AromeManpo’s product, the first ingredient listed on the ingredient list is “yeast fermentation product,” which is a type of biological fermentation ingredient. Adding a large amount of biological fermentation substances can also affect the stability of amino acid surfactants. In other words, “To completely prevent similar situations from occurring for AromeManpo, it is necessary to control the raw material ratio in the formulation and strengthen the screening of raw material quality and purity.”
Complete product testing is indispensable
For brands, the stability of cosmetic ingredients is the foundation of the product and a problem that needs to be addressed during product development. An unstable product state will obviously affect the brand’s market feedback. Even if it does not affect the product’s daily use and effectiveness, it will still impact consumers’ experience and satisfaction.
In current national standards, specific requirements are set for the cold resistance and heat resistance of water-based cosmetics, including skincare lotions, facial cleansers, facial scrubs, makeup removers, makeup cleansing creams, toners, masks, mascaras, and more.
Taking makeup removers as an example, according to the national standard GB/T 35914-2018 for makeup removers (oils, creams, lotions, and balms), makeup oil, balm, lotion, and cream products should show no significant differences compared to before the test when kept at (-8±2)°C for 24 hours and returned to room temperature. Makeup cleansing liquid should show no significant differences compared to before the test when kept at (5±2)°C for 24 hours and returned to room temperature. In terms of heat resistance, all products should show no significant differences compared to before the test after being kept at (40±1)°C for 24 hours and returned to room temperature.
Similarly, commonly used skincare lotions, masks, etc., also require them to be kept at (40±1)°C or (-8±2)°C for 24 hours without layering when returned to room temperature. Mascara products require them to be kept at (40±1)°C or (-10 to -5)°C for 24 hours and still be usable when returned to room temperature.
The aforementioned factory manager told CHAILEEDO that generally, rigorous factories would conduct stability testing. However, in practical operations, some problems may not be immediately apparent even if tests have been conducted. There are also cases where clients are in a hurry to ship their products, resulting in insufficient testing time, and some issues may only be discovered after the product is launched. Zhang Taijun also mentioned to Qingyan that most brands and factories would perform cold resistance and heat resistance testing, but each company may have different limits of exploration.
In addition to considering the impact of extremely cold or hot environments on product texture, the effects on consumers’ usage experience should also be taken into account during product development. The head of a testing institution previously told CHAILEEDO that “some international brands among their clients have started to pay attention to the product effects and consumers’ skin conditions in extreme environments.”
For example, in terms of human efficacy testing, these brands would require institutions to simulate the differences in product performance and usage experience under different temperatures, humidity, and lighting conditions. They also study the skin conditions in extreme environments to provide differentiated competitive advantages for the brands. However, the head of the testing institution also mentioned that many domestic companies, limited by brand size and funds, do not pay much attention to such tests.
Overall, whether it’s cold or hot weather, it is part of the complex external environmental challenges that products face. Even if companies make efforts to ensure environmental stability during storage and transportation, it is difficult to predict the usage environment once the product reaches consumers. Therefore, for companies, they can only put more effort into product development and testing to deliver higher quality and satisfying products to the market.
