Deformulation sample submission information: what should I send with my sample?
Short answer
Send the product’s purpose, actual specimen state, the question you want answered and any relevant reference information so we can connect the analysis to your decision. Describe the proposed sample and provide the requested declaration documents before acceptance review, including its physical form, photographs, known composition and SDS. The English report gives supported identities, semi-quantitative estimates and unresolved findings for the accepted specimen, with its usefulness tied to how clearly the original question and sample state are defined.
Which background information changes the analysis, and which fields serve declaration review?
What should the analytical brief tell us about the product and decision?
Tell us the product name and use, whether the specimen is a finished product or intermediate, and whether it has been cured, used, washed, heated or aged. Describe your real question: identification or comparison, the ingredient class of interest, any suspected compound, and whether the decision concerns a binder, filler, carrier or smaller additive. Include known or suspected ingredients and approximate ranges, distinguishing supplier statements from your own hypotheses, plus available references or matched satisfactory and rejected batches. State relevant use conditions and what you plan to do with the report, such as screen a replacement raw material or investigate a retained additive, without asking chemistry alone to establish application performance.
What does our sample declaration form require separately?
For declaration and receiving review, provide company or full name, country, address, email and phone, product name, brand and SKU or model, category, physical form, quantity and unit size, original-seal status, lot and expiry information, purchase or production source with a link or receipt, packaging, contents and label photographs, requested service, known composition and SDS, declared customs value, and testing purpose. Complete the declarations on lawful sourcing, truthful information, client-side shipping, taxes and clearance or return/disposal responsibilities, our right to refuse and the stated handling terms, and the report’s research nature, then provide signature and date. These fields serve declaration and acceptance needs; the analytical brief above explains which formulation question we would investigate and how the resulting findings would be used.
What extra material does the analysis not need as background?
You need not send a recipe you do not want us to know as an extra analytical brief; we would analyze the submitted specimen, while requested composition and SDS information still remain necessary for receiving review. A literature review is unnecessary background, whereas a short explanation of the uncertainty and the decision it affects directly helps define the question. Our sample confidentiality guide explains confidentiality and how we can consider your non-disclosure agreement before you share details.
How would we turn the background into a sample-specific analytical plan?
1. We would connect the accepted sample to its declared product, physical state and decision question, then log and divide the target material so every result remains tied to the specimen actually received.
2. We would choose preparation and any layer separation around the target ingredient class, looking for backing contributions or material lost during cure rather than assuming the most accessible fraction answers the whole question.
3. We would investigate suitable accessible molecules with GC-MS or LC-MS/MS and relevant elements with ICP-MS, keeping direct compound or elemental findings distinct from broader ingredient-family inferences.
4. We would estimate supported contributions semi-quantitatively on the stated whole-sample, layer or prepared-fraction basis, checking that an apparent amount is interpreted against the same material described in the brief.
5. We would review the findings against the original decision and any comparable reference, explaining unresolved ingredients and alternative interpretations instead of filling missing background with assumptions.
Why does the product background matter to LC-MS/MS, GC-MS and ICP-MS interpretation?
GC-MS separates suitable gas-phase molecules and reads their mass-spectral patterns, while LC-MS/MS separates suitable dissolved nonvolatile molecules and examines ion-fragment relationships. These measurements can support an accessible compound, but background tells us whether it plausibly belongs to the target additive, a carrier, a backing layer or a transformed ingredient. ICP-MS measures relevant elements after suitable preparation, yet one element may occur in several ingredients and does not independently identify their original molecular forms. A cured specimen, diluted blend and isolated layer therefore need different interpretation bases even when they supply similar signals; the analytical question and preparation history connect those signals to a useful material conclusion.
What will the report say if some background is missing?
The English PDF provides a conclusion card, component table, estimated proportions and data appendix, with a plain account of findings that could not be determined. With incomplete analytical background, we would frame the plan conservatively and may leave more identities or source assignments unresolved rather than infer an unreported layer, cure state or formulation purpose. Missing receiving documents are a separate matter: an analytical question does not replace the SDS or component information requested before acceptance.
Our reports are research-grade analytical reports from a laboratory that is not accredited. They cannot be used for product registration or legal proceedings.
Where should I submit the information before shipping?
Submit the declaration through our industrial inquiry page, with the actual form, SDS, photographs and purpose; unlisted materials are reviewed case by case after declaration. Our shipping guide covers declaration, acceptance and shipment; ship after agreement, payment and an acceptance number. Use the missing-SDS guide for that document gap and the layer-selection guide when the question is which material to submit.
Which related guides should I read?
FAQ
Should I label a suspected ingredient as confirmed?
Label a suspected ingredient as a hypothesis and identify its basis, so the analytical plan does not mistake an assumption for a confirmed product fact.
Why describe what I will do with the report?
The intended decision helps distinguish a component-identity question from a comparison or source-assignment question, making the requested output more specific.
Should I tell you about cure or washing before submission?
Yes; cure and washing can change retained ingredients, so disclose that history and any discarded fraction when describing the specimen.
Send a sample declaration and tell us which question the sample should answer.