A formula comparison should answer a practical question: what changed between the version you trust and the alternatives you are reviewing? Formulator Online now provides a dedicated comparison workspace for live formulas and saved historical versions.

Start with the right baseline

Select the formula or saved version that represents your reference, then add the alternatives you want to inspect. Changing the baseline updates the comparison immediately, so the highlighted differences always describe the records currently on screen.

You can compare multiple formulas in one workspace, add a formula directly from its record and compare saved versions of the same formula. Each historical version keeps its own title and available version metadata instead of borrowing the current working-copy title.

Review more than the ingredient list

  • Ingredient percentages and calculated weights.
  • Oil percentages and INCI composition.
  • Ingredient phase and row order.
  • General formula information, including the formula title.
  • Saved-version dates, author information and file snapshots when available.

Equivalent dates are normalised so formatting alone does not appear as a business change. Historical versions created before richer snapshots were introduced continue to show the metadata that can be derived safely from the version record.

A useful review routine

  1. Choose the approved, tested or currently manufactured formula as the baseline.
  2. Add the candidate formula or saved version.
  3. Review composition and phase changes before looking at secondary metadata.
  4. Confirm whether weight differences come from percentages, batch size or ingredient composition.
  5. Save a new controlled Formula Version when the reviewed working copy should become a reproducible reference.

Comparison supports decisions; it does not make them

A highlighted difference is not automatically an improvement, a safety issue or a regulatory conclusion. Use the comparison to locate changes, then evaluate stability, safety, compliance, manufacturing and commercial impact with the appropriate evidence and qualified reviewers.

Open Formulator Online, select a trusted baseline and compare it with your next formula iteration.