In ATDS, we organize topical-product evaluation through nine gates, G0–G8. These gates establish objectives at the beginning of development, retain corresponding evidence at every stage and include continuing management after a product reaches the market within our responsibilities.
Establish three foundations before evaluation
G0: Market and ethical admissibility. We require an initial assessment of the development and application pathways for the material source, intended use and proposed claims in the target market.
G1: Target and claim definition. The target skin location, method of use, markers to observe and performance to be supported should be defined before evaluation, so that research addresses questions established in advance.
G2: Identity and provenance. Raw-material and carrier identities, origins, impurities and traceability relationships need to be clear, defining the materials for subsequent experiments.
Keep experiments tied to the final formulation
Once a material enters a product, formulation and packaging both participate in actual use. The next three gates therefore focus on the finished product.
G3: Final formulation and critical quality attributes. Evaluate product-related attributes such as composition, microstructure, rheology, pH and encapsulation state.
G4: Stability and packaging. Include shelf life, transport, opening, mixing and actual dispensing when examining the product’s condition across these stages.
G5: Release performance. Observe ingredient release from the final formulation using reproducible methods capable of detecting meaningful batch or process changes.
Follow the application site and human performance
G6: Skin or follicular delivery. Under realistic dosing and an intact skin barrier, examine where the analyte reaches, how much reaches it and for how long it remains.
G7: Safety and tolerability. Evaluate local tolerability and potential systemic risks in relation to the product’s purpose and exposure setting.
G8: Human evidence, claims and the lifecycle. Connect human evaluation, batch reproducibility, external replication, claim review and post-market monitoring.
We include post-market work in the final gate because a product’s evidence requires ongoing maintenance. New batches, user feedback and major changes all raise questions that need to be checked again.
These nine gates are the evaluation requirements tiptop publishes in ATDS 2026. The stages completed and results obtained by a specific product are explained individually in its own documentation.