Case Studies

Great products aren't built on good ideas alone, they're built on evidence that holds up under scrutiny, from the lab bench to the regulatory desk to the retail shelf. The case studies on this page show what happens when scientific credibility and commercial strategy are designed together, not bolted on at the end.

Each project reflects a common challenge faced by ingredient manufacturers, personal care brands, chemical and materials companies, and founders building science-based products: promising innovation that needs the right study design, substantiated claims and technical communication to convert into market success.

Whether the objective is regulatory-ready substantiation, a defensible marketing claim, or a technical dossier that closes a distribution deal, the approach stays consistent, rigorous, strategic, and commercially grounded.

Accelerating Market Access for a Novel Sustainable Surfactant

Client Challenge Bioataraxis had developed a patented, high-performance surfactant technology with strong potential in personal care and home care applications — but commercialisation required market positioning and pricing strategy, regulatory guidance across the UK, EU and US, INCI registration, claims substantiation and skin compatibility testing, and technical documentation for customer engagement.
Approach Worked with Bioataraxis to translate its patented chemistry into a commercially credible ingredient proposition, combining market evaluation and pricing/positioning input with regulatory pathway guidance, INCI registration support, and claims and compatibility testing recommendations.
Evidence Generated Regulatory pathway mapping across three regions, INCI registration support, a claims-substantiation and skin-compatibility testing framework, and technical documentation built for real customer conversations rather than internal review only.
Outcome Bioataraxis has since publicly announced INCI registration for Sodium Lauryl Furoate Sulfonate — positioning the ingredient for personal care applications, opening conversations with prospective customers' R&D teams, and laying the regulatory and technical foundation for market entry in the UK, EU and beyond.

Client testimonial:

"Olalla Consulting has been an invaluable partner in helping Bioataraxis move from technical innovation towards commercial readiness. Carmen brought together a rare combination of regulatory knowledge, formulation understanding and market insight. Her support has helped us open important conversations with R&D teams and prepare the foundations for market entry in the UK, EU and beyond." — Dr Amir Al Ghatta, Bioataraxis Ltd

Services Delivered:

Regulatory Strategy
Claims Substantiation
Market Positioning
Technical Writing

From Molecule to Market Industry: Personal Care Ingredients (Emulsifiers)

Client Challenge SLS-based emulsifying waxes dominated the category but carried two commercial weaknesses: measurable damage to the skin barrier with repeated use, and unreliable performance with high-value actives (salicylic acid, urea) at the elevated temperatures common in hot-climate manufacturing. The brief: an emulsifier mild and robust enough to remove both liabilities, yet simple enough to process in a single pot for cost-sensitive and emerging markets.
Approach Led R&D from synthesis through to datasheet — setting the target product profile with the synthesis team, translating market needs into technical requirements, and designing every study against a pre-defined, quantified target so a positive result converted directly into a defensible claim. As the project put it: not "does it work," but "can we prove, head-to-head, exactly how much better it works."
Evidence Generated Mildness testing showed TEWL of 2.75 vs. 9.2 gm⁻²h⁻¹ for the SLS benchmark at matched usage (p<0.05), with no significant stratum corneum thinning over four weeks. Efficiency testing matched incumbent rheology at 7% vs. 9% usage. Stability held at 4–50°C plus six freeze–thaw cycles, where the benchmark failed. Compatibility testing confirmed stability with salicylic acid and urea while retaining liquid-crystal (oleosome) structure, and a blind sensory panel showed no consumer preference versus the incumbent.

**Solving Persistent Balm Frosting and Stability Issues *Industry: CBD Wellness / Personal Care***

Client Challenge HempWell's CBD muscle balm was well aligned with its wellness positioning, but recurring quality issues were undermining confidence: visible frosting on the surface, a grainy texture emerging during storage, and increasingly inconsistent appearance batch to batch — alongside concerns about the high essential oil concentration and whether the product would remain commercially and regulatorily sustainable as the brand grew. The key question: was this manufacturing variability, or a problem embedded in the formulation itself?

Approach Conducted a full formulation troubleshooting assessment that looked beyond the visible defects to examine the entire product architecture — ingredient interactions, crystallisation behaviour, essential oil loading, processing conditions and long-term stability mechanisms.

Evidence Generated Root-cause analysis revealed that the frosting and graininess were symptoms of a deeper structural issue: the combination of soy wax, cocoa butter and an unusually high essential oil load created a system inherently prone to crystal growth, bloom and physical instability over time. Manufacturing conditions could accelerate the problem but were not its primary cause — a finding that also surfaced regulatory and toxicological risk associated with the existing essential oil levels.

Outcome Delivered a clear, tiered development strategy — from optimisation of the current formulation through to a performance-led redesign better suited to HempWell's CBD wellness positioning — turning an unresolved recurring quality issue into a structured innovation programme with reduced technical risk and a stronger foundation for long-term performance.

Client testimonial

"Olalla Consulting provided us with a level of technical insight that helped us understand issues we had been trying to solve internally for some time. The work went far beyond troubleshooting and gave us a clear development pathway for improving our muscle balm while maintaining our CBD wellness positioning."

— Clare Nunez, HempWell Ltd

Services Delivered: