How We Formulated & Tested An Award-Winning Sephora Product + R&D Refresh Sessions (new-new!)
Authors: AJ Addae
Abstract - A letter from the founder, AJ Addae
As always, at SULA LABS we’re inspired by the creators and innovators in our community tackling real-world product development hurdles with actionable solutions. We’re always focusing on the power of quick, impactful problem-solving.
For example (which we’ll cover more in the next SLR), we scientifically designed and executed a claims study to help John Legend’s beauty brand Loved01 deliver beautiful, efficacious hyperpigmentation claims with next-level in vitro testing on their newly launched The Brightening Serum.
Similarly, in today’s edition, we’re sharing the story behind-the-scenes of formulating Rose Ingleton MD’s Futurebright Serum, which recently won a 2025 Essence Best in Black Beauty Award and an Oprah Daily O-Ward (!!!!). It’s a perfect example of how strategic and sophisticated product development can make a product standout. And as always, we’ll be sharing insights to help you elevate your brand’s journey.
We’re also diving into our brand-new R&D Refresh Sessions, designed to give you the fast-track support you need to get unstuck and move beauty brands of all sizes forward. Whether you’re navigating compliance/testing hurdles, need help with communicating compelling science-baked claims, or figuring out what testing your product needs for retail, these sessions are built for brands who need answers, and R&D/product dev support. Plus, we’re offering a 15% discount for SULA LABS Report subscribers—so don’t miss out.
Let’s dive in!
How We Created An Award-Winning Beauty Product @ Sephora
Futurebright, the vitamin C serum we developed for Rose Ingleton MD (and you can get it at Sephora!), just won an Essence Best in Black Beauty Award and an Oprah Daily O-ward.
A major flex? Yes. But this win wasn’t just your average product development story—it was actually a transformation. Here’s how we reimagined a best-selling formula into an even better one. Oh, and it we did it in well under a year.
The Brief: Keep the Good, Make It Better
Dr. Rose Ingleton’s team came to us with an already well-loved product in their arsenal: their Brightening Booster. It had a loyal fan base, a solid INCI list (peptides, Dr. Ingleton’s signature Jamaican Superfruit Blend of extracts, and a silicone alternative), but room for more impact.
We love when brands come to us with a challenge. The original Brightening Booster had a lot of things worth keeping:
Bioavailable peptides (iconic for skin-firming and maintaining the integrity of the skin’s dermal-epidermal junction)
Jamaican SuperFruit blend (Dr. Ingleton’s signature antioxidant Jamaican fruit extract touch)
A silicone alternative (for slip, and no pilling)
But it was missing a few things. The ask?
More Vitamin C power—the original formula had some THD ascorbate, but had room to push even further to help make a real dent in dark spots and firmness in a shorter amount of time, even on darker skin tones.
Gentleness—it had multiple exfoliating acids (glycolic, lactic, malic), which can be great but also…can make tolerability difficult sometimes for a lot of users.
User experience—it was a dropper-style serum, which sounds fancy but is sometimes at odds with further air-induced oxidation and instability (although let’s be real — Vitamin C is gonna Vitamin C).
The Lab Work: More C, More Stability, More Glow
We knew we could push the formulation further, but it had to be strategic. And not to brag, but we got it right in about three iterations. Here’s what we did:
We upped the Vitamin C to 10% THD ascorbate, which trust us, felt scary to do at first, but we tried it out anyway. Tetrahexyldecyl (THD) ascorbate is oil-soluble which is great for formulation versatility. It’s also exceptionally bioavailable to the skin (and therefore multifunctional) which may be an explanation for why it tends to visibly outperform the sometimes lackluster performance we see from traditional L-ascorbic acid serums overtime.
We introduced tranexamic acid for two reasons:
This was partially a strategic move considering that Rose Ingleton MD’s product line also carries an 8% glycolic acid tonic, and we wanted to prioritize tolerability of the brand’s products as a routine, as much as possible.
Against the backdrop of 10% Vitamin C, we wanted to introduce a gentler alternative to glycolic and the other AHAs in the formula to directly target and prevent dark spots with less risk of irritation.
We built a cream-based yet lightweight formula instead of a more watery serum that you traditionally see with Vitamin C. This meant comparably better stability, better texture, and better feel. If you visibly watch the serum application to the skin, you’ll see how creamy it looks, and how it imparts reflectivity. We’ll get to this point later.
We added more skin support through lesser-known (but slept-on) hydration superstar sugar-polymer biosaccharide gum-1, papaya extract, and soursop extract—hydration, antioxidant protection, and a nod to Dr. Ingleton’s Caribbean roots.
The Result: A Vitamin C Serum That Actually Works
After three iterations, the final formulation was it. The Rose MD team tested it on themselves, saw dark spots fade fast, and—most importantly—it was tolerable. The creamy texture meant no sticky, watery mess. The added skin support meant no burning, no flaking. Just glow.
And we didn’t stop there — as we often do at SULA LABS, we put the product through rigorous testing. We did even more product stability testing in even more conditions than normal due to the high vitamin C content, and to see how much the airless pump packaging preserved the formula for as long as it could. We also had the product tested on a 4-week clinical panel that showed that 100% of testers did not experience an adverse reaction (burning, itching, stinging), showing that the product can be considered sensitive-skin friendly.
Lastly, with our help, the brand ran a consumer study (with 90% testers that were dark to deep skin tones) that forced us all to ask: What does “brightening” actually mean? Reflectivity? Even tone? A reduction in hyperpigmentation? These insights shaped not just the formula, but how it’s communicated. Earlier, I mentioned that it was intentional to create a cream-based formula for reflectivity and glow in addition to tone evening, because in the early phases of building this formula, we overwhelmingly found from darker skinned testers that reflectivity was a priority in perceiving “brightening”.
Now, Futurebright is sitting pretty with industry awards, Sephora reviews full of receipts, and a well-earned spot in our portfolio as proof of what we do best: science-backed, high-performance formulations that feel as good as they perform.
So, want your next best-seller? Let’s talk.
Introducing The R&D Reset
Launching April Only! Exclusive 1:1 Consulting Sessions for Brands!
Speaking of building science-backed high-performance formulations, a lot of beauty founders come to us not just for formulations, but for answers. After our last SULA LABS Report on beauty-industry problem solving, to tell us (no surprise) that there are some hard product dev problems to crack with the help of a company like ours. Sometimes you don’t need a full R&D contract—you just need to sit down with a product developer who actually knows their stuff and get the right guidance, fast.
We hear it all the time. A founder is about to place their first big production order ever, but isn’t sure if the formula will even hold up in a large-scale batch. A brand is about to pitch to a retailer and suddenly realizes they don’t actually know if their formula is compliant for global retail, or is Credo clean. Someone else wants to make a bold, science-backed claim but has no idea what kind of testing will actually prove it.
This is where our R&D Refresh Sessions come in. A dedicated, no-BS, 1:1 session where we help diagnose and solve the product development problems standing between your beauty brand and its next launch. Furthermore, we can make cost-saving recommendations so trim off much needed savings. And since we love our SULA LABS Report paid subscribers, they can take 15% off the sessions.
What We Can Cover:
Claims & Consumer Studies – You want to say “clinically proven” or “reduces dark spots in 4 weeks,” but what testing do you actually need to back that up? Or, need a research team to help write up a claims-backed brief? We’ll help you figure out the best path for airtight claims.
Compliance & Testing – What’s stopping your brand’s next launch from landing in certain retailers? We can assess a product’s testing compliance, ingredient restrictions, and global regulatory requirements so you don’t hit roadblocks later.
Formula Optimization & Product Briefs – Already have a formula but need a convincing brief to send to stakeholders or retailers? We’ll create one with scientific precision to make sure your product positioning is clear and compelling.
Tech Transfer & Manufacturing Logistics – Perhaps you’re a founder that’s been making your product in small batches, but now it’s time to scale. Do you know your product’s unit costs? Did you do your compliance testing? We’ll walk you through what needs to change to make sure your first large-scale production run is successful.
Long-Term Product Strategy – What should your next products be? How do you create a signature ingredient complex that makes your brand stand out? What’s the right testing strategy for retail expansion? We’ll help you map it all out.
We’re offering The R&D Resets exclusively for April, for $250/hr, as your chance to get high-level strategy and answers—without months of back and forth problem solving.
Before your session, fill out this diagnosis form, which takes just a couple of minutes to fill out and ensures we don’t waste a second of your session. Think of it as your way of making sure you leave with real, actionable solutions—not just more questions.
Don’t waste another month stuck in product development purgatory. Let’s get you unstuck.
Till next time,
AJ Addae + SULA LABS