BUTTER-C
Signature ingredients
Neem leaf facial cleanser OEM/ODM manufacturing
Neem Leaf Facial Cleanser · Signature Ingredients · OEM/ODM
Neem (Azadirachta indica, synonym Melia azadirachta, mahogany family) is a familiar tree on the Indian subcontinent, where neem leaves are used in folk practice for many purposes, including on the skin. That is a traditional story, not evidence of efficacy. Scientifically, the data on neem leaf extract itself (Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract) are thin and easily confused with neem seed oil: we have not found any controlled trial using leaf extract alone in a cosmetic on human skin; the closest human study is a cleanser containing neem and turmeric, open-label and without a control group, and the rest is laboratory data — the evidence is limited. In a facial cleanser the product stays on the skin for only a few minutes before being rinsed off: removing excess oil and dirt is the job of the surfactant system, while neem leaf is a skin-conditioning ingredient and the identity of the line. A neem leaf facial cleanser is therefore aimed at oily, blemish-prone skin with a gentle cleansing base, and can be paired with ingredients that have better data, such as niacinamide or salicylic acid within the legal limits. Butter-C offers full-service OEM/ODM manufacturing, from formula development and testing to labeled finished product with its notification dossier.
Formula base
Neem leaf in a gentle cleanser base
Neem leaf extract is only a small part of the formula; cleansing, lather and after-wash feel are decided by the surfactant system and the conditioning phase. The four groups below are the directions Butter-C works with.
Neem leaf extract (Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract)
The raw material on file at Butter-C is a blend declared as “Water (and) Butylene Glycol (and) Glycerin (and) Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract (and) Ethylhexylglycerin (and) Phenoxyethanol”: the percentage in the formula is the percentage of the blend, not of dry extract, and the label must list all six INCI names. CosIng (EU) classifies the leaf extract as skin conditioning. No use concentration has been established (no CIR report, no SCCS opinion listed in CosIng): it is used according to the technical data sheet (TDS) and confirmed by stability and tolerance testing.
Gentle cleansing system
Amino acid surfactants (Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate) or glucosides (Coco-Glucoside, Decyl Glucoside), paired with Cocamidopropyl Betaine. Carboxylate amino acid systems are pH-sensitive: pH is set from the formula's own pH–clarity–viscosity curve. “Sulfate-free” only describes the ingredients; mildness must be tested on the finished product.
Conditioning phase for a milky lotion
Glyceryl Stearate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride and Glycol Distearate give the milky look and a soft after-wash feel; Glycerin and Panthenol as humectants. Just enough conditioning phase — too much collapses the lather and destabilizes the emulsion.
Supporting ingredients for oily skin
Niacinamide; Zinc PCA (cautiously grouped with water-soluble zinc salts, max 1% calculated as zinc — ASEAN Annex III, Ref 24); Salicylic Acid at max 2.0% (Annex III, Ref 98); Kaolin helps absorb excess surface oil by a physical mechanism. Niacinamide's facial sebum data come from a 2% leave-on moisturizer (Draelos et al., 2006); in a rinse-off cleanser, any perceived effect must be tested on the finished product.
Key technical points
Five points specific to putting neem leaf into a facial cleanser
This is where this page differs from the general facial cleanser page: issues that come from the neem raw material itself and from the product being rinsed off.
Right plant part: leaf, not seed kernel
Each part of the neem tree is a separate INCI (Leaf Extract, Seed Oil, Bark Extract…), and the data are not interchangeable. ASEAN Annex III, Ref 345 restricts “Margosa, ext. [from the kernels of Azadirachta indica extracted with water and further processed with organic solvents]” to 0.1% in all cosmetic products; footnote (23) permits other Azadirachta extracts unless restricted in other annexes. Leaf extract does not fall under this entry, but CosIng assigns the same CAS number 84696-25-3 to the leaf extract — the COA must clearly state the LEAF as plant part, and the supplier must confirm it is not a seed-kernel extract.
Short contact time
A cleanser stays on the skin only while it is massaged in, then is rinsed off. The neem data are mostly in vitro: less reactive oxygen species and fewer inflammatory cytokines in white blood cells incubated with culture fluid of acne-associated bacteria (Jain et al., 2003 — plant part not stated), and pure limonoids isolated from the leaves tested on pigment cells (Takagi et al., 2014). Cell-culture concentrations cannot be converted to a product level; the formula does not rely on neem for performance, and any effect on skin is measured on the finished product.
Adding up blend components
Phenoxyethanol carried in by the blend counts toward the 1.0% limit of Annex VI, Ref 29 (2-Phenoxyethanol) — its level in the blend is taken from the COA/TDS and subtracted when the preservative is added. Butylene Glycol, Glycerin and Ethylhexylglycerin are also added to the formula totals. The composition description in the raw material record does not currently match the declared INCI regarding the preservative — Butter-C checks the original COA before formulating and labeling.
Color, odor and stability
There is no independent source on the pH stability, heat or light stability of neem leaf extract in solution. The blend is added in the cool-down phase like plant extracts in general; Butter-C runs stability testing with light exposure and monitors color, odor, pH, homogeneity and microbiology before choosing packaging.
Neem and pesticides
Some neem compounds are used in biopesticides, and the compiled toxicity data are mostly oral (Boeke et al., 2004) — very different from a cosmetic that is applied and rinsed off. These data do not apply to the product, but they are a reason not to write “gentle for everyone” on the label.
Three formulation directions
Three neem leaf cleansers for three customer groups
Neem amino acid – niacinamide cleanser
Fine-lather lotion, sulfate-free, light conditioning phase; niacinamide and Zinc PCA. For oily and combination skin, morning and evening.
Neem cleanser with Salicylic Acid
Salicylic Acid at max 2.0% (Annex III, Ref 98); the lower pH calls for a glucoside–betaine system and acid-tolerant thickeners (Hydroxyethylcellulose, Xanthan Gum); the label states “Not to be used for children under three years of age”. For oily skin with easily clogged pores; requires stricter mildness testing.
Neem – kaolin cream cleanser
Kaolin absorbs oil and water on the skin surface by a physical mechanism (per the kaolin article), giving a matte feel after washing. For very oily skin; heavy metals and microbiology checked on each mineral lot; tight, dry feel after washing assessed on the finished product.
Packaging designed alongside the formula
A tube needs a viscosity high enough not to run when squeezed; a pump bottle needs a lower one. Choose the format before fixing viscosity, and choose clear or opaque packaging after the light-exposure results.
Parameters we monitor
What our R&D lab measures on every sample
Below are the parameters Butter-C monitors during formula development and scale-up to production. Specific limits are agreed with you on the approved sample and then written into the product's in-house specification.
- Sensory profile & color
- Compared against a reference standard; monitoring darkening of the extract across stability time points, including light-exposed samples.
- pH
- Measured directly or on a 10% solution at 25 °C; monitoring pH drift. In amino acid systems, pH is linked to clarity and viscosity.
- Viscosity
- Rotational viscometer, with spindle and speed recorded; tied to the tube or pump bottle.
- Foam height & stability
- Ross–Miles method in standard hard water; initial height and height after 5 minutes.
- Active content
- Salicylic Acid (if used) assayed by HPLC on every batch because of its 2.0% limit; Niacinamide assayed as the formula requires.
- Stability
- Accelerated aging at 40 °C, freeze–thaw cycling, centrifugation and light exposure; monitoring phase separation, mineral settling (kaolin version), color, odor and pH drift.
- Microbiology & preservative challenge
- Incoming neem blend and minerals checked for microbes; finished product tested at a GLP / ISO 17025-accredited laboratory, preservative efficacy (challenge) test according to ISO 11930.
- Tolerance & after-wash feel
- Tolerance testing on volunteers and assessment of tightness after washing — the basis for any claim about how the skin feels.
- Packaging compatibility
- Filled into the exact tube, bottle and pump to be used; monitoring deformation, pump clogging, light transmission and material odor.
Claims
Writing claims within the cosmetic scope
Appendix 03-MP of Circular 06/2011/TT-BYT does not accept acne statements that imply medical intervention for skin care products. The results of the 120-person cleanser study (Rajaiah Yogesh et al., 2022) belong to a product containing neem and turmeric, open-label, without a control group, with one author employed by the manufacturer — they are not used as claims for a neem leaf cleanser; the study of a 10% neem leaf lotion in people with scabies is a medical setting. Below are the wordings Butter-C proposes.
Removes excess oil and dirt from the skin
Instead of: statements about acting on acne or on bacteria on the skin.
For oily, blemish-prone skin
Describes the user's skin type. Instead of: prevents acne, clears acne, reduces breakouts in a number of days.
Contains neem leaf extract
An ingredient and story claim. Instead of: “purifies the skin”, “detoxifies”, “neem as an alternative to antibiotics” — cleansing comes from the surfactant system.
Does not leave skin feeling tight after washing
Only once sensory testing on the finished product is available. Instead of: “will not cause allergy”, “gentle for every skin”.
Helps skin look less shiny
Requires testing on the finished product (surface oil measurement or sensory assessment). Instead of: long-term reduction of sebum production, pore tightening.
Directions and warnings
Wet the face, work into a lather, massage gently and rinse thoroughly; avoid the eye area; stop using if redness, itching or stinging occurs. Most reports of contact allergy to neem concern neem seed oil, with one case report of allergic contact stomatitis caused by neem leaves (Ambooken et al., 2017) — people with sensitive skin should test on a small area first. The Salicylic Acid version states “Not to be used for children under three years of age”. Pregnancy: data are insufficient, advise asking a doctor; do not write “safe during pregnancy”.
Manufacturing specifications
Our capabilities
- Texture
- Fine-lather lotion or milky cream cleanser; a light tint from the extract, the kaolin version more opaque.
- Format
- Tube, pump bottle or flip-top bottle. Volume agreed when choosing packaging.
- Minimum order quantity
- Agreed per order — depends on the formula direction and the format chosen.
- Testing
- Performed at a GLP / ISO 17025-accredited laboratory; certificate of analysis delivered with every batch.
- Documentation
- Product Information File (PIF) and notification dossier prepared by Butter-C, including the full INCI list of the neem leaf blend and the plant part stated on the COA.
- Packaging
- Label design, printing and packing run in parallel with formula development.
Suggested product concept
Sulfate-free neem leaf – niacinamide cleanser for oily skin
A product concept to help you picture the result, not a ready-made product for sale. The actual formula is developed according to your brand's positioning and price range.
Neem leaf extract
Water – glycol – glycerin blend at the TDS level; carried-in phenoxyethanol counted toward the 1.0% total.
Amino acid – betaine system
Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate with Cocamidopropyl Betaine and a light conditioning phase: fine-lather lotion that can be labeled “sulfate-free”.
Niacinamide and Zinc PCA
Two ingredients familiar to oily-skin customers; “helps skin look less shiny” is used only once the finished product has been tested.
100 ml tube, fragrance-free
Morning and evening use; label with directions to avoid the eyes and test on a small area.
Customization options
What you can specify
The same product type can serve very different customer groups. Tell us your requirements in the areas below, and our pharmacists will develop the formula accordingly.
Neem leaf story on the label
Name, neem leaf artwork, tradition of the Indian subcontinent — stated as tradition; INCI and plant part as shown on the COA.
Surfactant system
Amino acid, glucoside or sulfate — decides mildness, thickening approach, ingredient list and price.
Supporting ingredients
Niacinamide, Zinc PCA, Salicylic Acid within Annex III limits, kaolin, houttuynia extract for a “herbal” line (no studies on the combination).
Lather and texture
Fine-lather lotion, low-foam cream cleanser or kaolin version; tube or pump bottle.
Fragrance
Fragrance-free recommended for easily irritated skin; if fragrance is needed, a fragrance-free version is made in parallel.
Ingredient preferences
Vegan, sulfate-free, paraben-free — please state these at the outset so suitable raw materials can be selected.
Further reading
Related knowledge
Neem leaf (Melia azadirachta) in cosmetics
Leaf extract versus neem seed oil, limited evidence, contact allergy, Annex III Ref 345 (in Vietnamese).
Facial cleanser OEM/ODM manufacturing
Surfactant systems, conditioning phase and pH range of facial cleansers in general.
Houttuynia gel cleanser OEM/ODM manufacturing
A product in the same herbal line for oily skin, as a clear gel.
Caring for blemish-prone skin
Where cosmetics fit in blemish-prone skin care; gentle, just-enough cleansing (in Vietnamese).
Kaolin (clay) in cosmetics
Surface oil absorption, safety and heavy-metal checks of clay minerals (in Vietnamese).
How we work
From idea to finished batch
Eight steps and three milestones signed off by both sides: approved sample, notification number, finished batch. Step-by-step details (in Vietnamese) →
Get started
Tell us about the product you plan to launch
Send us your product direction and expected volume. Our team will get back to you during business hours (Vietnam time, GMT+7).
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