Why Are Top Beauty Products Getting Reformulated?

glamour.com:

can get reformulated—or worse, discontinued—without warning.Fans of ’s know that feeling all too well; earlier this month, the French brand announced it would no longer sell the original version of its popular exfoliant, and the latest shipment would be the last.A rep confirms to Glamour that indeed, “The P50 1970 and P50V 1970 lotions are not marketed anymore, due to realignment regarding worldwide existing and evolving practices and regulations.” However, they indeed confirmed that “other iconic P50 lotions of the brand remain available in all markets.”The reason for the discontinuation?

P50 1970 contains phenol, an ingredient that’s no longer allowed in cosmetics in the U.S. Though only present in an extremely low concentration, phenol is potent enough that its other credits include paint thinner and herbicide.

Still, upon hearing the news, the product’s devoted fans went into skincare panic mode.“On my recent trip to New York, I went to and purchased three since that’s the limit, and plan on ordering at least three more big ones,” says , a star of the Bravo series Southern Charm. “P50 changed my life.”The sudden disappearance of a product from shelves is something you can never rule out—even when it’s something as beloved as P50.

And if it does come back, it might not be anything like its original self. Enter: the product relaunch.As Givenchy found out the hard way, product reformulation is a risk—especially for something the brand is known for.“It’s probably one of the biggest consumer pain points,” says Alexis Androulakis, a beauty product developer and educator, and one half of .