At the start of every year I put together a goal list which articulates all I want to accomplish for the year. I’ve been doing this since 2003 accomplishing many of the things I list but not accomplishing many more.

So, I thought it would be helpful to do monthly updates to keep me honest and on track. Here is how I did in January 2012.

Chemists Corner goal progress

I’ve actually made decent progress on almost all my goals thus far. Here is the 7 goals I listed at the start of the year and the progress I’ve made.

1. Write a blog post every day – I’ve written 31 posts in 31 days. On track

2. Launch the “How to Start Your Own Cosmetic Line” program. I’ve actually written the report and anticipate this training program to be ready sometime in mid-March. You’ll be hearing a lot more about this in this coming month.

3. Record 26 podcast episodes – I’ve recorded 2 and have a third one half way done. So, I’m no pace here.

4. Create a series of basic chemistry videos (30) – I’ve brainstormed these and read a refresher book on chemistry so I’m just about ready to start. But I should have 3 videos completed and I don’t. A little behind here.

5. Begin an open source formulation site – Haven’t done much on this yet because I don’t know how it will work. Need to come up with a plan.

6. Run for SCC VP elect – Can’t do anything on this until late March or April.

7. Grow the website traffic & social networking followers – January had the second highest traffic month in the history of this website. And we had 16,000 more visitors to Chemists Corner than in January 2011. Our Facebook page is up to 803 likes and Twitter has 825 followers. We’re making progress on all of these.

Making goals at the beginning of the year is an excellent way to help you get things done. But if you aren’t regularly reviewing your progress it’s easy to let things slip. Hopefully, by doing reviews like this I’ll ensure that I keep gorwing this website and spreading information about cosmetic science.

How are you doing on your 2012 goals? Leave a comment below.

A little while back we received the following questions about being a cosmetic chemist consultant.  Since there are a number of you who may end up becoming consultants at some point in your formulating career, it will be useful to have these questions answered.  If you have other questions about cosmetic chemist consulting or other cosmetic science questions, leave a comment below.

How do cosmetic consultants work?

“When cosmetic chemistry consultants work independently, where do they do the formulating?”

Many consultants have their own lab space. Some can be in their houses or they rent space. Other cosmetic chemists will make a deal with a contract manufacturer and use the manufacturer’s lab space. In exchange they generate business for the manufacturer. Typically, consultants will outsource the manufacturing but some have enough space to create batches that are 5 gallons or less.

Start-up costs

“What should be factored into startup costs?”

When stating a consultant business you have to figure in costs of…

• Business startup costs – filing paper work, accountant, setting up bank accounts, incorporating, getting business stationary, website, logo, etc.
• Getting lab equipment. If you are going to create your own lab this will cost money.
• Getting lab space. If you create your own or if you rent from an outside lab it will cost money upfront.
• Chemical inventory. You may have to buy chemicals to start formulating. This might be covered by some upfront money you receive from your client but it probably won’t be sufficient.

Getting paid

“How are consultants paid?”

Consultants are paid in different ways. Typically, they quote a price on a project and get paid 50% up front and 50% upon completion. Also, their expenses will be negotiated into the price. Some formulators are paid a royalty on the formulas they develop or they are paid based on % of sales.

Cosmetic chemist consultants

If you have anything to add, please feel free to comment below.  Also, if you are already working as a consultant be sure to sign up on our cosmetic chemist consultant page.  We often get contacted here at Chemists Corner by people looking for cosmetic chemists to help them formulate products.

A lot of people have asked us what they should major in if they want to become a cosmetic chemist. There are a wide variety of majors you can have and still become a formulator but these are the best.

1. Chemistry major

No doubt that the most versatile major for breaking into the cosmetic industry is a BS in Chemistry. By far the largest percentage of people working in cosmetic science have these kinds of degrees. A BA in Chemistry is also acceptable and in my experience, there is no difference between a BA and a BS in chemistry when it comes to getting hired. The jobs you can get with a chemistry degree include formulator, research scientist, quality control chemist, and analytical scientist.

2. Chemical Engineering

There are a number of chemical engineer majors who have become cosmetic chemists. However, since engineers often know about mixing equipment they usually end up in the process engineering group. These are the scientists responsible for scale-up of batches. If you like this kind of job you should get a chemical engineering degree.

3. Biology

The third most common degree for cosmetic chemists is Biology. This degree will help you get a job in the industry but will usually be in the microbiology department. If formulating is what you want to do you may have to work a few years in the micro area then try to move jobs.

4. Environmental sciences

Some cosmetic chemists get specialized degrees in environmental sciences. This allows them to get safety and environmental jobs in the cosmetic industry.

5. Any Bachelors of Science degree

While it is harder, it is not impossible to get a cosmetic chemist job with a degree in something like Physics or Anthropology. You’ll probably have to start in the role of a technician or QA scientists and work your way up but it can be done.

If you are interested in getting into the cosmetic industry and you’re just deciding on a major, Chemistry is probably the best one to pick. However, if you did choose something else and are too far along to change, that doesn’t mean you can’t become a cosmetic chemist. It may just take you a little longer.

On Tuesday I had the opportunity to be a guest expert on the Dr. Oz television show here in the US. It’s a nationally televised show and has a rather large audience, so it was a good opportunity to plug my book (Can You Get Hooked on Lip Balm) and counteract some of the typical BS you see on TV. At least, the latter half was the plan. TV appearances are much more difficult than you can imagine. Here is what happened to me.

Getting on TV

The first time I was on TV related to my work as a cosmetic chemist was back in January. My publisher arranged to get me a spot on the Rachel Ray Show. Over the next couple months I made a number of TV appearances. You can see them here. I should back up and explain how I got a publisher.

A couple years ago, I started a beauty blog with other cosmetic chemists called The Beauty Brains. The concept was simple, real scientists answering your beauty questions. People would write in questions, and we would give science-based answers. It was a bit like Mythbusters for cosmetics. In fact, one of the original names for the blog was BeautyBusters. But after kicking around the idea a bit, we decided it could be a bigger idea because we could do more than just bust myths. So, instead we went with The Beauty Brains.

The blog gained some traction and we developed a pretty sizable audience. This prompted us to self publish a book called The Beauty Brains. It was simply a paper version of the best questions and answers from our blog. The sales were decent but we didn’t do much to get distribution and we were writers, not publishers. Then a book agent contacted us and we worked up a proposal to sell the book to a large publisher. After getting a number of offers, we settled on Harlequin to be our publisher. About a year later, our book was turned into a new book called, “Can You Get Hooked on Lip Balm?” And the launch of the book prompted the television (and radio) appearances.

I should note that originally, The Beauty Brains was written anonymously. We didn’t think that we could be completely honest answering questions if we had to answer to the legal or regulatory departments of our company. I think this was a good move and if you are considering starting a blog, it’s something to think about. You don’t want to jeopardize your job for your opinions on the Internet.

Media training

So last year my publisher sent me to some “Media Training” which is designed to help you figure out what message you want to get across and how to do it. It was rather helpful and enlightening. The idea is that you are not supposed to answer questions, rather you are supposed to use every question asked as an opportunity to get out your message. Most people on TV or in the media have gone through similar training and it explains why politicians, athletes and actors never directly answer anything.

Of course, it’s difficult to train yourself not to answer questions when they are asked and I’ve never been very good at it.

First TV experience

As I said, my first experience was on the Rachel Ray show. Prior to the show, I was in communication with a producer and we worked out the details of what we would be talking about. Since plugging the book was a primary goal, we picked about 4 questions from the book to discuss. This is the point where you can have the most input on how the segment goes. After this, you start to lose control over what happens, especially on nationally syndicated shows.

Once we had the segment topics worked out, the TV people took it from there. They wrote up an outline and a script and got all the demos and samples together. The script wasn’t so detailed that I had lines to memorize, but there were phrases they wanted me to include for legal and other reasons. And I had my list of message points that I wanted to get on the air. There was definitely a lot of things bumping around in my brain. Combine this with new surroundings plus basic nervousness and it became really easy to get mixed up.

At the studio, I spent a little over an hour waiting in the green room with people from my publisher. The producer (who was extremely bubbly and energetic) came in and went over the script. We rehearsed once and she left. I had hair and makeup done and was backstage before I knew it.

In front of a studio audience

When they brought me out on stage, my nervousness multiplied. The crowd, the cameras, the lights, and the commotion was a bit overwhelming. I just kept re-running what I was going to say in my head. Then I relaxed. Rachel Ray was nice enough but she was all business.

Overall, I thought the segment went pretty well. I didn’t say things exactly as I would have liked and I’m sure I stumbled a bit, but overall, I was pleased. The most nerve racking moment was having to respond to the first question. They do this big lead-up to you, ask you a question and you’ve got to immediately give a entertaining but accurate response. It’s tough. This experience made me better empathize with people who say stupid things on TV. It’s so easy to get ideas jumbled in your head.

The aftermath

After the show, everyone told me how I did a great job. I wasn’t awful but don’t think I was nearly as good as they said. It was difficult for me to watch and it remains difficult for me to watch any appearance on TV. But my friends and family were thrilled for me and it was nice to hear all the compliments from them.

The other notable thing was that on the website where they posted a clip of the interview, the comments were brutal! I was called names, accused of being a shill for the chemical industry and basically told that I was an idiot for the things I said. That was even more difficult to read. My suggestion to you, don’t read comments about your appearance! It is pretty depressing. Fortunately, I had some of my scientists friends come in to defend me but it still makes me cringe knowing that is out there.

Media appearances

I think it is important for scientists to go on TV and radio and to talk with reporters who are writing stories. Just realize that you will feel pressure to say things more definitively than you want and they may even edit what you say to better fit the story they are trying to tell. But the fact that your words can be manipulated is not a good reason to skip doing it. Even if the appearance doesn’t come off exactly as you’d like, it will make people aware that there is science behind cosmetics and there are people in the industry who are not trying to trick you.

Overall, I think it is a positive thing to do. But there is a downside. The Dr. Oz show appearance illustrates this. I’ll cover that in a future post.

I stumbled on this interview that a cosmetic chemist working in the UK gave for the Guardian.  She does an excellent job of describing what a cosmetic chemist does and really can make people excited about working in this industry.  The video captures the feelings of many cosmetic formulators that I’ve met.

Anyone know who she is?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5WOFIYLDo0

Here is the 5-minute, speed talk I did at the Midwest SCC November dinner meeting.  The idea is that speakers get 5 minutes to talk about a topic.  There must be 20 slides and the slides automatically move after 15 seconds.  It’s really a challenging way to give a talk.

The topic I picked was just meant to encourage people to become experts at their chosen field and discussed the steps to do it.  Essentially,

Step 1 – Develop a general knowledge of all cosmetic science then pick a niche to specialize in.

Step 2 – Share your expertise with the world by writing, giving talks, and communicating with people.

Step 3 – Continue to learn.  The field is constantly changing and experts have to keep up.

Midwest SCC meeting

We had a total of 7 talks at the meeting and everyone did a great job getting their ideas across in only 5 minutes.  I’m hoping this becomes a regular feature of the SCC meetings.  I’d love to see a National SCC version of this.

Here at Chemists Corner, we have an online training course (the Complete Cosmetic Chemist) and we encourage everyone who would benefit to take the course.

But there are a number of other types of courses on the Internet. Best of all they are put out by various universities and are often free.

Here are a couple of our favorite sources.

1. Open Culture – Lists 400 online courses from top universities. Includes a number of Chemistry courses and Biology courses. Also useful are the Business courses. You can get really smart just going through these links.

Make Use of – This website lists a number of free online video lectures. We especially like the videos from Big Think.

You can sped a lot of time on the Internet. Instead of being unproductive by watching funny cat videos, spend your time learning and improving yourself. This could ultimately lead to you having the ability to create something like your own product line or business, and this is a goal worth pursuing.

If you’re like me, you went through college and focused on learning & passing some of the toughest courses they had to offer. You didn’t give much thought to what you would be doing once you left college.

Well, I was fortunate enough to stumble into the cosmetic industry. Certainly, there were other fields that need good scientists, but the cosmetic industry has a number of benefits that make it one of the best places for a scientist to work. The brain trust here at Chemists Corner pondered what we think is the best part of this job and came up with the following list.

Why Become a Cosmetic Chemist

You get to practically apply what you learned in chemistry – While most of what you learned in college won’t be applicable; the skills you developed in Organic lab will be incredibly helpful. As a cosmetic chemist you will spend some of your time actually applying your knowledge & not just working on theoretical problems.

You love science and can express your creativity – Cosmetic science is as much an art as it is a science. You have to sharpen your creative skills to come up with new product ideas, new formulating approaches, and new ways to solve unique manufacturing problems.

You get to be an inventor – Painters paint, sculptures sculpt, writers write and cosmetic chemists invent. Your “art” takes the form of a beauty product that is uniquely yours. If you’re good, you may develop a patentable invention or better yet, something that people the world over recognize and love.

You get to make people happy – Consumers love their beauty products. It makes them feel better about themselves. You, as a cosmetic chemist, are responsible for this happiness. Chemistry majors who ended up in the oil industry aren’t so lucky.

You don’t have to work with dangerous chemicals – The compounds used by a cosmetic chemist have to be gentle enough for consumer exposure. So, you won’t have to work with the kind of nasty chemicals that people in the pharmaceutical, oil, and sanitizer industries have to use. Cosmetic chemicals are (mostly) harmless.

You are respected as the smartest people in your company – While you might not be the best paid workers at your company, you’ll certainly be looked at as the smartest. The business majors know how complicated chemistry can be and they respect people who know about it. Being respected for your brain is nice.

You can make a difference in people’s lives – Cosmetic chemists help solve people’s problems in direct ways. Your work can literally change someone’s life. How cool is that?

You get to create formulas – As a cosmetic chemist you get to learn how to make any beauty product and really any kind of formula you want. You can then create nearly anything you want. This gives you a sense of power and satisfaction.

You get free product – I haven’t paid for hair care products since 1992. Why? Because I’m always trying my own products or evaluating a competitor’s. This is a great perk of the cosmetic chemist’s world.

It’s fun! – Being a cosmetic chemist is a relatively low-stress job, with steady hours, that is just fun. There is enough science to keep it interesting and enough problems that still need to be solved. It is a great job to have.

Are you a cosmetic chemist already? What do you like about your job? Leave a comment below.

There are only a few cosmetic science masters programs offered around the world. You can see some of these in a previous post we wrote on cosmetic science programs.

But you might be wondering, do you really need a cosmetic science masters degree to get a job?

According to some recent evidence, getting a masters degree in science really doesn’t improve your chances of getting a job much.

Cosmetic industry

Of course, that evidence is more general but what about the specific case of the cosmetic industry?

Kelly looks at one aspect of this question in her post about whether a cosmetic science degree was worthwhile. For her, the answer is a ‘yes.’ I agree with her and believe that if you can get a masters degree in cosmetic science, it will certainly have a number of benefits.

But do you really NEED one?

I didn’t. And most of the people who I worked with didn’t need one either. In fact, getting an advanced degree in cosmetic science won’t really do much to help you get your first job unless you get placed by your program through the university. When it comes to submitting your resume, having a Masters degree is rarely a reason to give you an edge when making the hiring decision. It might help get you more interviews but it will factor very little in the decision to hire you.

Getting a PHD in chemistry or biology will certainly give you an edge when looking for employment but sadly, a Masters won’t help like that.

Benefit to getting a masters in cosmetic science

This is not to say that there is no value in getting your cosmetic science masters degree. In fact, there are a number of benefits including…

1. Making you better prepared to start a job.
2. Discovering your areas of interest.
3. Meeting people who can be important industry connections.

If you can do it, I say get a Masters degree in cosmetic science. However, I would suggest you try to find employment after finishing your BSc in chemistry or biology. That way you can get some experience and begin your career right away. Ideally, you’ll work for a company who will pay for you to go to school and complete your Masters degree. This works out great for everyone.

Have you thought about getting your Masters degree in cosmetic science? What has your experience been? Leave a comment below.

Ever wonder what kind of salary you might make as a cosmetic chemist? Well, the truth is things are highly dependent on your location, company, experience, and economic conditions. The average salary for a cosmetic chemist around the country is $67,000 per year.

However, this list might give you a good idea of what you can expect in your area. We looked at a popular online career site and found the average salaries of cosmetic chemists around the United States. Here are some of the key cities and areas

Cosmetic Chemist salaries by city

1. San Jose – $90,000
2. Philadelphia – $84,000
3. New York – $79,000
4. Detroit – $78,000
5. Twin cities – $77,000
6. Los Angeles – $75,000
7. San Diego – $75,000
8. Chicago – $74,000
9. Dallas – $69,000
10. Houston – $68,000
11. Cincinnati – $67,000
12. Phoenix – $64,000
13. Nashville – $64,000
14. Memphis – $62,000
15. San Antonio – $58,000

Do you want to know what the average cosmetic chemist salaries are in an area we didn’t mention? Check out SimplyHired.com