How We Develop Products: Research, Formulation, and Customer Feedback
It Starts With Research
Research, research, research has always been my approach.
People often ask how I develop products or decide whether a formula is working. The answer is probably less glamorous than they expect.
I spend a lot of time learning.
I take continuing education and cosmetic chemistry courses. I study herbs, cultivation, harvest timing, ingredient safety, formulation, and preservation. I pay attention to what researchers are learning, what herbalists are observing, and what farmers and formulators are discovering.
There is always something new to learn. But some of the most valuable information doesn’t come from a course, a textbook, or a research paper. It comes from the people who actually use our products.
When I create a new product, I don’t assume I’ve gotten everything perfect on the first try. I formulate based on research, experience, and what I know about the ingredients. I choose herbs and ingredients for specific reasons. I think carefully about safety, effectiveness, texture, stability, and how a product will fit into someone’s daily routine.
Then I start listening.
Why Customer Feedback Matters
One reason I value customer feedback so much is that it complements research. Research helps me understand how ingredients work, when herbs should be harvested, how formulas should be preserved, and what ingredients are most appropriate for a particular purpose.
Customer feedback shows me how those formulas perform in everyday life.
Both matter. Research gives me a foundation. Real-world experience helps me refine and improve what I create.
Sometimes customers tell me they love a product exactly as it is. Other times they tell me they wish it absorbed more quickly, felt more conditioning, had more slip, more foam, or a different texture. Those observations are incredibly valuable. Every piece of feedback teaches me something.
Every Product Is a Conversation
In fact, many of our products begin with customer conversations. Someone asks if I can make something for a particular need. They tell me about a challenge they’re having. I start researching, formulating, and experimenting. Then the learning continues once people begin using the product.
A good example is our shampoo.
The first version worked. It was safe, effective, and people liked it. But that didn’t mean it was finished.
As customers shared their experiences, I continued refining the formula. Did it need more slip? More foam? Better conditioning? A different texture? Was it too thin? Too thick?
Every round of feedback helped me make improvements.
The current formula is the result of years of learning, testing, customer feedback, and revision. Each version taught me something.
I think product development is a conversation. I make something using the best information available to me. Customers use it in their everyday lives. They share their experiences. I listen, learn, and improve. Then the process begins again.
Learning From Nature and Customer Experience
One of the things I find fascinating is that this process isn’t all that different from what happens in nature. Plants adapt to their environment over time. Season after season they become more resilient and better suited to the conditions around them. Healthy systems respond, adjust, and improve.
Good products often develop the same way. Not because the original version was bad, but because there is always more to learn.
This approach only works because of trust. Many of our customers have been with us for years. Some have become friends. They know they can tell me when they love something, and they know they can tell me when something isn’t quite right.
That honesty helps me create better products. I don’t want people to quietly have a disappointing experience. I want to know what worked, what didn’t, and what could be improved. Feedback allows me to continue learning and continue refining what I make.
Learning Never Stops
I like growing herbs. I like formulating. I like learning new things. I like figuring out why something works and how it can work better.
And I like knowing what's in the products we make.
When someone asks me a question, I know where that herb came from, when it was harvested, why it's in the formula, and what purpose it serves. That's one of the benefits of being small and staying closely involved in what we do.
I think people can feel the difference. They know they're talking to a real person. They know they're getting an honest answer. And if they have a question or concern, they know they can reach out and talk directly to me.
That's important. Because at the end of the day, these products aren't just formulas on a spreadsheet to me.
I know the ingredients. I've worked with them. I've watched them grow. I've researched them. I've tested them. I've learned from them.
And I'm still learning. That's part of what makes this work so rewarding. Every season is a little different. Every harvest teaches me something. Every customer teaches me something.
