Our Services
Edelweiss is a manufacturing facility that provides a contract manufacturing service for the production of creams, ointments and liquid to cosmetic industry. Specialty categories include galenical dermatologicals, herbal applications utilizing African herbs and oils, and hygiene products such as hand sanitizers and hand cleaners.
Edelweiss Laboratories is an ISO 22716 certified company working under the direct supervision of a pharmacist, two chemical engineers and a team of analytical chemists.We work closely with other experts who can assist you with stability testing and documentation to meet the requirements for EU compliance and to register your product for sale in Europe and the United States of America.
Edelweiss Laboratories provides assistance and insight into the management of contemporary issues such as the formulation of SLES-free, paraben-free and petrolatum-free products as well as the use of natural raw material for the formulation of your product. In particular, Edelweiss offers expert advice on African herbal medicines and essential oils.
Scope of Manufacturing
Edelweiss Laboratories’ primary business focus is contract manufacturing and the company has built up considerable experience since it’s inception in 1994.
Manufacturing capabilities include the manufacturing of creams, gels and ointments, tinctures, liquids and powders.
Packaging capabilities include cream, ointment & liquid filling (including plastic tube filling), ear drop filling & powder filling. Sachet packaging is secured through Jaypack.
All processes are supervised by an industrial pharmacist with many years of experience as well as other qualified staff including chemical engineers and chemists who attend to a full compliment of in-process controls and procedures. All of the manufacturing processes are governed by current GMP standards. Our production runs are subject to minimum quantities that are product-dependent, so please consult with one of our management personnel in this regard.
Product Development
Edelweiss Laboratories provides expert advice in new product development. New products need to be designed so as to ensure that they behave as they are intended to: they must have the required pharmacological affect and they must be stable under given storage conditions. Edelweiss will develop samples of all products in accordance with the client’s directives. This process may include amongst others the choice of fragrance, the taste profile, the viscosity of semi-solid products, interactions with base materials or other active ingredients and the choice of preservative. Edelweiss will procure the services of top cosmetics formulators where necessary.
Once sample batches have been produced, further laboratory testing is called for. These tests include accelerated stability testing, preservative challenge testing and dissolution testing, with an option for product assay. We highly recommend preservative challenge testing for all liquids and semi-solids and refer these procedures to the SABS-recommended Merieux Laboratories for execution and certification. Procedures that are currently sub-contracted are HPLC and Gas Chromatography.
While samples are being tested and proved suitable for production, packaging is chosen for marketing aesthetics as well as product stability. Edelweiss has a range of ‘off-the-shelf’ packaging and will point the client in the appropriate direction for a wider variety.
Additional Services
Edelweiss Laboratories provides a full development program for creams, ointments, gels, liquids and tinctures.
Research and Development is headed up by James Gibson and Brad Bischoff who have decades of experience in developing pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. The Quality Control laboratory is managed by Hérle van der Merwe, a biochemist with years of experience in pharmaceutical quality control.
Edelweiss Laboratories offers a comprehensive cosmetic development portfolio and will advise on formulation, perfumery, essential oil, cosmetic and botanical actives. In particular we are able to advise on the use of indigenous Southern African herbal extracts, essential oils and tinctures used in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. We are proud of the standards that we maintain at our facility in Cape Town and welcome the opportunity for our clientele to visit us.
Edelweiss is committed to the manufacture of quality products and all processes are GMP-based.
The facility is ISO 22716 approved.