AMA Laboratories Inc

Researchers Increase Focus on the Skin Microbiome

Headquartered in New City, New York, AMA Laboratories operates an FDA-registered and ISO-certified facility, where it provides claims substantiation support and numerous clinical testing services. AMA Laboratories uses specialized equipment to carry out evidence-based efficacy testing methodologies and conduct state-of-the-art research. Employees of AMA Laboratories are highly trained, with some also holding membership with the Society of Cosmetic Chemists (SCC).

Dedicated to advancing cosmetic science, the SCC promotes the sharing of scientific education and sets high standards for professionals working within the industry. The SCC publishes numerous educational articles on its website on a variety of different topics, including the skin microbiome.

The skin microbiome is comprised of a bacterial network that exists on the body’s skin surface and is believed to have a dramatic influence on skin health. In recent years, the skin microbiome and how it can be modulated with the use of live bacteria applications has become a key area of research focus in the cosmetics industry. Scientists now know that these bacteria work and communicate together to maintain the health of the skin, and are devising ways to incorporate live bacteria into cosmetics.

By 2021, it is estimated that the amount of bacterial ingredients used in cosmetics products may exceed more than 10,000 tons per year. Lysates are among the bacterial products being investigated for use in cosmetics, since they have been proven to enhance the skin’s barrier function while also protecting against inflammation.

Operation Smile Holds First Government Health Forum

With three decades of experience as a claim support and clinical testing lab, AMA Laboratories Inc. works with clients in the cosmetic, medical device, and household industries, among others. AMA Laboratories Inc. also supports several nonprofits, including Operation Smile, which provides free oral surgery services to patients around the world. In addition, Operation Smile recently held its first Government Health Forum.

Taking place on November 8, 2019, the event looked to increase collaboration between the private sector and government agencies, which Operation Smile claims have helped the organization significantly in recent years. As an example, the nonprofit highlighted the 200 missions it was involved in during the year, many of which may not have been possible without both private and public sector support.

In addition, Operation Smile used the event to thank its supporters and donors, noting that competition for charitable donations has increased in recent years. Highlighting the continued support it has received, the group claims that it will continue to make surgeries more accessible across the world, alongside improving health systems.

How SPF Products Are Evaluated for Their Effectiveness

As a cosmetics testing lab, AMA Laboratories, Inc. offers a range of services to businesses seeking FDA approval. One of the tests that AMA Laboratories, Inc. administers is for products containing SPF, mainly through in vivo testing.

In general, SPF quality is determined through in vivo and in vitro testing. The ability for SPF to effectively work is based on a few factors. The first factor is related to the product’s ingredients and the SPF formula used. Other factors include the users’ skin type, the way they apply the product, and the amount of UV ray exposure.

In vivo testing requires that the number of subjects is at least ten participants. Clinicians apply a certain amount of sunscreen on the volunteers’ back, allowing the product to dry for 15 minutes. After the product is dried, researchers will administer doses of UV radiation to the area. The clinicians will also apply a series of doses to areas that are not protected by the SPF product.

Anywhere between 16 and 24 hours later, clinicians will return to see how the product fared. This trial varies with some labs placing the product on various parts of the body. The clinicians determine SPF by looking at the lowest dose of UV that causes mild sunburn with the product divided by the lowest dose of UV that caused mild sunburn without the product.

In vitro testing, conversely, involves using artificial substrates that mimic human skin types. These substrates, in conjunction with computer mathematical models, predict effectiveness based on the absorption of active ingredients. Currently, there is no standard for measuring SPF levels using this method.

Increasing Bioefficacy in Cosmetic Formulations

In addition to claims substantiation testing, AMA Laboratories Inc. performs efficacy and safety testing on a variety of consumer products. AMA Laboratories Inc. works with many clients in the cosmetics and personal care sector, helping them to establish the best formulations to achieve their goals.

A primary driver of the claims made about cosmetics is bio-active compounds in the formulation. Therefore, it’s crucial to make those compounds as efficacious as possible. The first step to maximizing efficacy is to understand the biological mechanism that the product is trying to modify. Skin lightening, for instance, will be closely tied to melanin synthesis.

Once the mechanism is identified, you can move on to finding the best ingredients to act on that mechanism. It will probably take substantial experimentation to find the right ingredient that will be best suited for every process in the mechanism.

Then, once all the most effective ingredients are identified, you’ll need to make sure there’s a stable formulation possible with their combination. This will involve considerable testing to find a formulation with an acceptable shelf life. This can be accelerated through various means.

Once that work is done, you can move on to the final determination which, of course, involves clinical testing. If you’ve done the due diligence correctly throughout the process this final stage shouldn’t be a problem, and the product should perform as intended.

How Operation Smile Helps Children with Cleft Palate

AMA Laboratories Inc. is a consumer products testing laboratory with over three decades of experience in the independent commercial testing arena. Based in New City, New York, AMA Laboratories Inc. offers claims substantiation testing as well as marketing research services. The firm is active with many philanthropic organizations, including Operation Smile, which works to correct instances of cleft palate in underserved populations around the world.

Operation Smile conducts hundreds of missions annually, visiting locations across the globe. They bring medical expertise and equipment and work with local healthcare providers to help patients. In addition to this work, Operation Smile has set up care centers where it’s possible to ensure that patients with serious cases get the attention they need year-round.

Working not only to treat the condition of cleft palate, Operation Smile invests resources into programs looking to determine the cause of cleft palate. The group also conducts training and education initiatives wherever it can, bringing expertise and ideas to help serve local communities.

The Importance of Clinical Trials

AMA Laboratories, Inc., is a clinical testing and claim support lab based in New City, New York. With the goal of giving its clients a unique competitive edge, AMA Laboratories, Inc., primarily services companies in the health and beauty industries.

Clinical trials provide a valuable service for both businesses in the cosmetics industry and the consumer. In a litigious society, clinical trials can be a way for those in the health and beauty industries to support claims made for the products and avoid lawsuits. Products are tested repeatedly to evaluate if they work for specific conditions or meet certain criteria.

Objective trials also test to determine whether particular ingredients in a product are effective and safe. In a day and age when new and exotic remedies for remaining beautiful abound, clinical trials that test for the efficacy of a particular ingredient establish credibility for the ingredient. In many ways, consumers benefit simply by learning about how new and effective products (and their ingredients) can improve their lives.

Fish collagen is a good example of how clinical trials can introduce new ingredients to the consumer. In a recent trial, a liquid fish collagen product that only contained water and the collagen was found to be an effective skin regimen for aging. As a result of the trial, consumers gained new information regarding a natural product that can combat the effects of aging.

SPF Testing of Sunscreen Products

AMA Laboratories Inc. has been in the business of testing consumer products for more than three decades. The company tests products from industries such as cosmetics, pharmaceutical, medical, and automotive. AMA Laboratories Inc. specializes in SPF testing, which is required for some cosmetics.

Testing is used to determine a product’s relative sun protection factor (SPF), which is required for product labeling. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration enforces specific guidelines concerning the SPF of sunscreen products to protect both consumers and manufacturers.

The product’s SPF number is the theoretical span of time anyone can be exposed to the sun without getting sunburn. Say, for example, a person would experience sunburn after 10 minutes of exposure to the sun. If he or she applies SPF 15 sunscreen, he or she may stay under the sun for 150 minutes (computed by multiplying the SPF value by 10 minutes) without getting sunburned.

AMA Labs tests are performed according to the standards of global regulatory agencies such as FDA and ISO, as well as various international testing standards. SPF testing comprises static, water resistance, UVA, and UVB tests.

AMA Lab’s solar simulators undergo calibration at least three times a year. Calibrations are performed by two independent certification facilities accredited by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

A Brief Overview of AMA Laboratories’ Equipment and Capabilities

An experienced leader in the cosmetic claims testing industry, New City, New York-based AMA Laboratories uses instrumental, bio-physical, and photographic measurements to provide claim substantiation services for cosmetic companies, television networks, and large corporations. AMA Laboratories uses evidence-based efficacy testing methodologies with range of equipment.

To measure the study subject’s skin hydration and moisturization levels, AMA Laboratories uses the Novameter to measure electroconductivity of areas of the skin that have been treated by any product under investigation. This meter provides data on how much water is retained in the skin following treatment. Similarly, the Corneometer measures the level of hydration on the skin’s surface.

Visioscan is a device that incorporates halogen lamps and a CCD-camera to take an image of the skin, which is then analyzed by Visioscan software. This program provides calculations on the skin’s level of smoothness, roughness, and wrinkling by creating a topographical interpretation of the skin using a mathematical method. To gain information on the level of elasticity and firmness of the skin, the cutometer can be used. This meter employs a suction technique to measure the resistance of the skin when pulled into a probe to determine its viscoelastic characteristics.

About AMA Laboratories Inc

AMA Laboratories, Inc. is a fully outfitted New City, New York testing facility that has more than three decades of experience in the cosmetic and personal care products sector. With health and safety a major priority, AMA Laboratories, Inc. uniquely combines marketing and scientific clinical research capacities in a package that delivers results.

One of AMA Laboratories’ capacities is support testing for haircare, skincare, and cosmetics products. The aim is to provide regulation-compliant and independently verified claim support. When testing for common solar wavelengths, the lab provides an advanced technology combination that includes Infrared, Visible, and Blue Light (High Energy Visible) testing.

The lab testing facility encourages interested men and women to take part in upcoming studies as panelists. Testing personal care and cosmetic products is a dependable way of earning cash, with all products used having previously passed safety tests.

One representative test involves the evaluation of an antiperspirant product to reduce perspiration effectively. Participation requires discontinuing the use of any powder, deodorant, or antiperspirant before the study. The study lasts from two to five days and requires sitting in a state-of-the-art sauna.