FORMULEY RESEARCH
COSMETIC FORMULATION SOFTWARE EVALUATION CHECKLIST

Last reviewed: September 8, 2026

Purpose
Use this checklist to compare systems with the same representative product and evidence. It is not legal, safety, regulatory, quality, privacy, or security advice. Mark every item Demonstrated, Configurable, Planned, Unavailable, or Not Applicable. Do not score a roadmap promise as a working capability.

1. DEFINE THE PROOF
[ ] Select one safe sample formula and one difficult change scenario.
[ ] List the formula, material, package, test, label, batch, approval, and post-market records involved.
[ ] Name the accountable reviewer for each decision.
[ ] Record mandatory launch criteria, useful later criteria, and exclusions.
[ ] Identify data that must not be entered into a vendor demonstration.

2. FORMULA AND MATERIAL RECORDS
[ ] Percentages, units, phases, process, yield, scaling, and rounding are explicit.
[ ] Formula versions can be compared without overwriting history.
[ ] An approved version is clearly distinguishable from an experiment.
[ ] Material trade name, INCI identity, supplier, function, and internal code are supported.
[ ] Source documents retain their supplier, revision, and review date.
[ ] A material change identifies affected work without automatically declaring equivalence.

3. COST, EVIDENCE, AND OUTPUTS
[ ] Cost calculations expose supplier, pack, currency, quantity, waste, yield, and date assumptions.
[ ] Test and claim evidence is linked to the correct product version.
[ ] Missing evidence is not presented as a passed compliance decision.
[ ] Label inputs and warnings preserve their source and approval status.
[ ] Exports are readable without proprietary software.
[ ] Historical exports remain consistent after current records change.

4. MANUFACTURING AND TRACEABILITY
[ ] Master instructions are distinct from actual batch execution.
[ ] Material lots, actual quantities, operators, dates, and checks can be recorded.
[ ] Deviations and corrections preserve the original event and review.
[ ] Release authority and evidence are visible.
[ ] A chosen batch can be traced to the exact formula version and material lots.

5. ACCESS, GOVERNANCE, AND AI
[ ] Roles are tested across search, links, files, notifications, exports, and integrations.
[ ] Client, brand, site, class, or project boundaries match the intended workflow.
[ ] Removed users and expired links lose access as expected.
[ ] Audit history, retention, backup, recovery, and incident practices are documented.
[ ] AI data flow, provider, retention, training terms, permissions, and human review are clear.
[ ] Generated output links to evidence and cannot silently approve safety, compliance, or release.

6. INTEGRATION, PORTABILITY, AND COMMERCIAL FIT
[ ] One real integration event is demonstrated with retry, monitoring, and reconciliation.
[ ] Bulk export preserves identifiers, relationships, versions, files, and dates.
[ ] Termination and data-retrieval terms are understood.
[ ] Current pricing, plan limits, add-ons, implementation, and support costs are written down.
[ ] Security, privacy, accessibility, and service claims have current supporting material.

7. PILOT DECISION
[ ] Run the complete scenario in each shortlisted system.
[ ] Count duplicate entry, manual reconciliation, unclear states, and wrong answers.
[ ] Ask an uninvolved qualified person to interpret the exported record.
[ ] Record open risks, owner, mitigation, and deadline.
[ ] Approve a bounded pilot before bulk migration.
[ ] Preserve source files and reconcile migrated counts and critical values.

Decision note
Software can organize evidence and workflow. It does not replace qualified cosmetic safety, testing, legal, regulatory, quality, security, privacy, or accessibility review. Verify current product claims in a live demonstration and written terms.

Sources:
- FDA, Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022:
  https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetics-laws-regulations/modernization-cosmetics-regulation-act-2022-mocra
- FDA, Registration and listing of cosmetic product facilities and products:
  https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/registration-listing-cosmetic-product-facilities-and-products
- FDA, Cosmetics labeling guide:
  https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetics-labeling-regulations/cosmetics-labeling-guide
- European Union, Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009:
  https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/en/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32009R1223
- Formuley Research methodology:
  https://formuley.com/blog/formuley-research-methodology