Quite a lot of skincare brands white label their product formulas (it’s true!), but in case you’re one of the very few who don’t follow us on Instagram, Go-To actually has their own lab complete with peach lab coats (of course), many microscopes, and is conveniently located next to the snack bar for nosey nellies wanting an update on the latest sample. 

The lab is a very valuable resource for Go-To (and Bro-To! And Gro-To!), allowing for a lot of experimentation and innovation across the range. Here’s how…

We’re in control of quality and composition. 

By having our own lab, Go-To can ensure at all times that our ingredients meet the necessary requirements without third parties imposing further restrictions. Every ingredient inside that well-used tub or tube of yours has been selected in line with our philosophy which focuses strongly on efficacy and safety. 

Mercedes, our fantastic Formulation Chemist, perfectly summed up our goal for continued perfection.  

“Nothing leaves the door til it is perfect, and while this might affect our timelines to the dismay of all involved, we can and do refine, refine, refine our formulas for the ultimate (feel-goody, smells-deliciousy) product. Every time. Say we didn’t have our very own peach lab, welp, any fine tuning would incur extra costs which means updates throughout the new product development phase are often avoided.”

Doing it all in-house means Go-To is in control, always, and we can find the perfect formula whether it takes 3 batches or 103 until our founder, Zoë, gives it the green light.

Makes room for more collaboration. 

Zoë is a part of the whole trial and review process, collaborating with our chemists on the preferred ingredients and fragrance, the way it feels on the skin, even the packaging. We bribe the office with Byron Bay Cookies too, for participation in product trials, making sure we have as much feedback as possible before progressing to the final stages of development.

If it’s not loved, we’re not there yet. 

Minimises the potential for product waste. 

Our second lovely Formulation Chemist, Ingrid, used product packaging as a stellar example of how the lab aligns with Go-To’s sustainability efforts.

“As you know we recently made a very conscious decision to incorporate post-consumer recycled materials in all packaging (except for Face Hero, she’ll stay glassy). But the relationship between product and packaging isn’t so straightforward; some oils can soften or degrade certain plastics, some ingredients can negatively interact with packaging and destabilise the formula. Having an in-house lab means our team can carry out extensive research on the stability of certain packaging to find the best possible option. It would be harder to explore such changes off site, with more resources required to reach the same level of optimisation.“

Time is on our side. 

Nathan, our very knowledgeable Head of Product, Research and Development made a point of flagging this may be the biggest factor. 

“With an in-house lab we are able to spend more time on product and focus on really delivering the best experience for our customers. The industry today is very fast moving and very noisy; lots of brands looking to update their products as consumer needs continue to change with the trends. Go-To was founded on the idea that a fast moving environment can feel quite intimidating. We will never launch products on a whim, or to cash-in on the latest must-have.”