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

There was an interesting discussion on the SCC Linked-In group about what cosmetic chemists expect from suppliers. If you are a new cosmetic chemist you might not be familiar with some of the terms or what benefit raw material suppliers can have for you. Here are some ways your raw material suppliers can help make your job better. But first, let’s talk about how you will interact with a supplier.

Making supplier contact

There are basically four ways that you will connect with a supplier.
1. Sales person calls you
2. Distributor contacts you
3. You meet at an industry trade show or event
4. You contact the supplier
No matter the method, it almost always leads to a face to face meeting.

Education

Raw material suppliers should be experts in the field of whatever type of chemical they are selling. So, the surfactant suppliers should know about all surfactant chemistry. Preservative suppliers should be experts in preservative chemistry. You can ask them to give you general background information. Of course, they will push their own materials but that seems like an even trade.

Samples

When you hear about a compound or a sales person introduces it to you, they can also provide you with a (typically free) sample. They do this because it is the best way to ensure that you evaluate their raw materials and increases the chances that you will use it when you launch a product.

Technical support

When you run into a stability problem or batch problem, the raw material suppliers should be willing and able to help you fix the problem. If you run into a problem you can’t solve right away, contact your supplier.

Regulatory paperwork

With the way governments are changing regulations, the job of a cosmetic chemist is becoming more and more one where you have to track down and collect paperwork for every raw material you use. Your raw material supplier is the source for this paperwork. Use them.

Innovation / New product ideas

Suppliers should be bringing you potential new product ideas and you should request them if they are not. Why would they give you new ideas? Well, they make money by selling chemicals to you. If they suggest an idea that you ultimately launch, they will (or should) get orders for some of their chemicals. Suppliers are an excellent source for new ideas but remember, they want to sell chemicals so they’ll give this idea to other companies too.

Industry news

Suppliers are like the bees of the cosmetic industry. They go around to all the different manufacturers picking up inside information and depositing the information to other places around the industry. At times, they may accidentally spill a secret, a bit of gossip, or some other useful bit of news (say a new job opening). When you build a personal relationship with your supplier, you’ll be more likely to learn inside information. Of course, this also raises the possibility that they will learn info from you that gets shared with other places around the industry so beware.

Perks

In an effort to cultivate relationships, suppliers will often take you out to lunch or dinner or otherwise entertain you as a potential client. Most companies do not have a problem with this and remember that there is no quid-pro-quo. That is, just because someone does something nice for you does not mean that you are otherwise obligated to use their stuff. Of course, some companies do not allow their chemists to accept any perks from suppliers so be sure to learn what your company’s policies are regarding the acceptance of gifts.

Suppliers can be a great resource for cosmetic chemists. Use them respectfully and wisely, and they can help make your job much easier.

How have suppliers helped you?  Leave a comment below

Every so often a reporter will contact me and look for answers to questions related to cosmetics and cosmetic science. I’m happy to answer because I like talking about science and because it provides a balance to the “experts” who do not take a scientific approach in their answers.

Anyway, I’ve recently been quoted in a few articles and thought I would just list them here mostly as a convienent way for me to remember them. I also thought you might find them interesting.

Latisse for your dome? – MSNCB – Talking about hair growth technologies.

Dangerous beauty: FDA discusses contaminated cosmetics – Another MSNBC article. This one discusses why preservatives are in cosmetics.

Makeup of Makeup: Decoding blus- Talking about color cosmetics.

My Fox Boston appearance- I can’t watch my tv appearances but you might find it amusing.

While you’re out on the black Friday shopping spree, don’t forget about the cosmetic chemist in your life.  Here are 10 gift ideas that any chemist would love.

1. Cosmetic Science books
Nothing says Happy Holidays like the gift of knowledge. Some excellent choices…

Beginning Cosmetic Chemistry

Harry’s Cosmeticology 8th Edition

Handbook of Cosmetic Science and Technology, Third Edition

2. Cosmetic Chemistry kits

While most cosmetic chemists will create formulas at work, the aspiring cosmetic chemist might not have access to all the chemicals she’ll need. Or she might want to share a creative activity with her children. Here are a couple of excellent cosmetic chemistry kits.

Sophisticated Science Perfume Science kit

Creative Cosmetics:The Science of Skincare

3. Lab Equipment

Digital Pocket Scale
- In case you are out of the lab and you need to do a little formulating on the run.

Or how about a cool mixer?
Talboys 101 Light Duty Overhead Mixer

4. Complete Cosmetic Chemist training program

You can never get enough training and if you don’t know about all the different areas of cosmetic science and formulating, this course will get you started.

Sign up here

5. DIY cosmetic books

Learning the science of cosmetics is great but you need some recipies to start somewhere. Here’s a book that will help the cosmetic chemist on your list make their own color cosmetics.

Recipes for Color Cosmetics

6. Music

You might not know that the coolest cosmetic chemists are really into cutting edge music. If you don’t know their tastes, try one of these science-themed albums.

Here Comes Science – They Might be Giants

Feed the Animals – Girl Talk

It’s Blitz! (Deluxe Version) – YYY 

7. Clever T-Shirts

Chemists are proud of their jobs so why not get them a shirt to show it off. I particularly like this shirt which has the saying “Bond…Ionic Bond” “Taken, not shared”.

Bond, Ionic Bond Chemistry Dark T-Shirt

Or how about this Chemistry Bacon t shirt

8. Molecular modeling kit

Sure you can do these things on the computer but having a molecular modeling kit right at your desk is a cool thing for a cosmetic chemist to have.

Molecular Modeling Kit

9. Chemistry Mug

Almost every cosmetic chemist drinks coffee and the ones that don’t drink hot tea. A chemistry mug is a great gift idea. Here are a couple of options.

Glass Beaker Mug with Handle 400ml

Konitz 15-Ounce Science Chemistry Mugs

10. Chemistry Set

If you don’t have a lab at home, can you really consider yourself a chemist? hmmm. Get the cosmetic chemist in your life this chemistry set so they can work on their ideas any time they want.

Chemistry Lab Set – Advanced Level AA

What do you want for the holidays this year? Leave a comment below.

One of the biggest challenges a formulator faces is creating products that are different than their competitors. Unfortunately, most cosmetic chemists have to do this using the same ingredients that everyone else can use and the public is not good at discerning subtle differences. This is why most cosmetic formulas end up relying on packaging, story, fragrance and color to stand out. Most cosmetic chemists find this unsatisfying.

A strategy that still holds promise for allowing you to make your cosmetic formulations stand out is the creation of multifunctional cosmetics. While there is no single definition to what constitutes a multifunctional cosmetic, there are three aspects of it that can impact your formulation.

Multifunctional Performance

This is the most obvious type of multifunctional formulation. Essentially, you create a formula that will have multiple benefits during one application. This would include things like a 2-in-1 shampoo which combines both cleansing and conditioning in a single product. Antiperspirant/Deodorants are also technically multifunctional products as they combine both wetness protection and odor relief. This type of multifunctionality has also been applied to makeup, skin products, hair styling products, oral care and more. For some companies multifunctional products are their primary innovation strategy.

Creating a list of different types of cosmetic products then randomly choosing two to mash-up into a single product is a great way to generate new product ideas

Multifunctional Cosmetic Ingredients

With the push to sustainability and reduction of compounds, multifunctional ingredients will play a more important role than ever in the cosmetic formulating business. Multifunctional ingredients are those which have dual purposes in a formula. For example, some fragrance ingredients will double as preservatives. Emulsifiers can both keep the formula stable while thickening the system. They can also have a significant effect on the feel of the end product. These type of ingredients can help formulators reduce chemical inventory, reduce formula complication, and improve ease of manufacture. They are also an excellent source of patents if you can find multifunctional ingredients.

Multifunctional Applications

When I worked at Alberto Culver we had a product called VO5 Hairdressing. The marketing department wanted to increase use up rates and thought that if they could find other applications for the product it would help. So, we discovered that you could use VO5 hairdressing for lots of things like removing scratches from wood, stopping squeaking doors, using it as lip balm, protecting from chaffing, etc. The idea is that your formulations may have been designed for one function but if you give it some thought you may be able to discover other functionality or applications for which the product might also work.

Differentiating your formulations will continue to be a challenge all cosmetic formulators face. You can achieve some real differentiation if you apply some of these principles of multifunctionality.

Previously, we talked about how sustainability will effect the formulating efforts of cosmetic chemists. In this article, we’ll discuss some of the different formulation strategies you might use to implement the sustainability principles.

Cosmetic Green Washing

Since there are no set standards, one of the easiest ways to appeal to consumers who care about sustainability is to practice green washing.  This involves adding non-functional ingredients with natural sounding names to your formula that look good to nave consumers and can support a natural story told by your marketing group. For some consumers just adding words like ‘Natural’ or ‘Organic’ on your label is enough to convince them your product appeals to their sustainability notions. Companies can even make aerosol products sound sustainable with the right green washing story. Many companies take this route because it is the least expensive and relatively effective on consumers.

Minimalist formulation.

While the green washing technique can be effective, as a scientist and formulator you’ll likely find the strategy less-than satisfying. A better approach is to incorporate the principles of sustainability into your formulation efforts. To do this I recommend a minimalist formulation approach.

The guiding philosophy of minimalist formulating is that less is better. This means while formulating you should strive to use
+fewer ingredients
+lower levels
So instead of ending up with an ingredient list that has two dozen ingredients you should try to get one that has less than a dozen.

Using fewer ingredients in your formulas has the benefit of reducing inventory storage, reducing transportation energy, and reducing formula costs. It also may reduce the overall chemical exposure of consumers to potentially sensitizing ingredients making them safer for more people.

Formula optimization.

The key to implementing a minimalist approach is to optimize your formulas. You should be constantly scrutinizing which ingredients you put in your formulas and finding exactly how much you need. This means testing them out at different levels until you find the best performance at the lowest level.

Knockout formulas.

One of the simplest ways to begin optimizing is to conduct a knock-out experiment. In biochemistry there is the notion of knock-out mice where they remove a gene and see how it affects the animal as inspiration for the name of this experiment. In a knockout formulation experiment you make a series of batches in which you completely leave out one ingredient then test to see how it effects the formula. Many of these batches will be completely worthless but some of them will perform just as well without the ingredient. And if the formula works without an ingredient, there is no good reason to leave the ingredient in the formula.

One of the problems with knockout experiments is that it doesn’t do much good showing you synergistic effects of raw materials. A more sophisticated version of this experiment is to run a formula through a DOE. DOE also involves creating a series of batches and adjusting the levels of ingredients to determine the effects on the formula. It’s just much more complicated, can require many more batches and doesn’t always give you much more useful information than a simple knock-out experiment.

Synergistic ingredients.

In addition to optimizing your formulas, another important strategy in minimalist formulation is to look for synergistic ingredients. These are ingredients that interact with each other to create even greater beneficial effects. The problem of course, is that these are difficult to find. In fact, if you do find some unique synergistic ingredients, you’ll have the basis for a patent. This is an added bonus of a minimalist approach.

The job of the formulator is changing.

You can no longer focus on just the end performance of a product and you have to take in consideration notions of sustainability. Following a minimalist approach and looking for synergistic ingredients are two primary strategies for creating sustainable formulas.

Some years ago I co-edited a book about the different types of conditioning agents that are used by cosmetic chemists for hair and skin products. You can still get the book through (Conditioning Agents for Hair and Skin) and it still has a wealth of excellent information. There’s even a chapter by the famous dermatological researcher Peter Elias.

However, this is such basic information that I thought it would be helpful to have a general blog post on the topic of the book, conditioning agents for cosmetic products. Here are the 7 classes of conditioning agents used in cosmetic formulations.

Occlusives

The classic example of this type of ingredient is Petrolatum and in the book there is an entire chapter devoted to it. You’ll find the evidence that when it comes to skin moisturization, few (if any) ingredients are better than petrolatum. The way occlusives work is that the produce a film on the skin that substantially blocks the evaporation of water from the skin surface. This causes water to build up in the stratum corneum and subsequently makes skin feel moisturized. Dimethicone is another ingredient that can be considered an occlusive. Both dimethicone and petrolatum are used as hair conditioners but they work more like emollients/oils for that application.

Humectants

Humectants are materials that can attract and bind water. The property is known as hygroscopicity. The humectants used in cosmetics are typically water soluble so they don’t work so well for products that are rinsed off. In skin, they have the ability to rehydrate so work well in lotions. In hair, they can attract moisture so they are good for leave-in styling products. Examples include glycerin, propylene glycol, and sorbitol.

Emollients & oils

These ingredients are designed to lubricate biological surfaces and in this way they condition. There are a wide variety of these types of ingredients including triglycerides, natural oils, lanolin, and synthetic esters. They work best in skin products to change the feel of an applied product however, they can also be used to increase flexibility in hair. The downside is that they can weigh hair down and make it feel greasy.

Proteins

Proteins are a complicated polymer made up of a series of amino acid monomers. When present in living things, proteins can have complicated structures. But when used in cosmetic products, the proteins are typically denatured and have less complicated structures. At that point, it becomes more important what amino acids make up the protein than the specific sequence of the amino acids. Proteins conditions in the same way as humectants or as emollients depending on their water solubility and hygroscopicity. They are not a major conditioning agent and are used as secondary conditioners that support marketing stories.

Silicones

Silicones are ultimately derived from sand and are some of the best ingredients for providing slickness and shine. There are a wide variety of silicones including things like dimethicone, cyclomethicone, and amodimethicone. They work in the same way that emollients work in that they are a non-polar molecule that stays near the surface. This property can have the drawback of weighing hair down or making a lotion feel too greasy.

Cationic Surfactants

Surfactants are versatile compounds in cosmetic products so it is no wonder that they find use as conditioning agents. They are not used so much in skin products as they can be irritating, but they are one of the primary ingredients in rinse-off hair conditioners. The thing that makes them so valuable is that they can be emulsified but will remain on the hair even during rinse-off due to electrostatic interactions between the positively charged cationic surfactants and the negatively charged damaged protein sites on the hair. Some common examples include Cetrimonium Chloride and Stearalkonium Chloride.

Polymers

Polymers make up such a large class of conditioning agents that it is difficult to make general statements about them. The most common polymeric conditioning agents are used in hair care and are cationic polymers or Polyquaterniums. These can deposit on hair via electrostatic interactions or the dilution/deposition method where they become insoluble as the product gets more and more dilute. Other polymers like lauryl methyl gluceth-10 hydroxypropyl dimonium chloride are humectants.

As a cosmetic chemist, improving the condition of the biological surfaces that your products interact with will be a primary goal. Knowing the basic conditioning agents for hair and skin will get you a long way to achieving that goal. It will also take you a long time and a lot of experimentation to find just the right conditioning ingredient for your application.

The Internet is an excellent source for information, learning, and research. Unfortunately, it is not nicely organized and it can make you unproductive if you spend too much time trying to find the information. Here is a system I use to keep informed about the latest in cosmetic science using the minimum amount of time. If you follow a similar set-up you will be able to maximize the information you receive while minimizing the time it takes to get it.

Objective

Staying informed of important developments in the cosmetic industry.

Step 1: Create a homepage

The first thing to do is to create a homepage which is the first thing you see when you access the Internet. On the homepage, you’ll want to include only the most relevant information and links. There are many different options but we suggest you use iGoogle as your homepage. It’s easy to set up and best of all, it’s free!

Step 2: Find websites to follow

In the old days you used to have to go to websites to see their new content. Today, the websites will send links to their new content to you. This is much more efficient for you because you will only have to go to a page specifically to see information you want.

So, what sites are the best to follow for a cosmetic chemist? Follow these and you’ll be off to a great start.

List of sites to follow
1. Cosmetic Industry news
Cosmetic World
C&T
GCI
Happi
Perfume and Flavorist
Cosmetic Design EU
Cosmetic Design
Cosmetic Business
Specialchem 4 Cosmetics

2. Beauty Blogs
The Beauty Brains
Total Beauty Blogs
Splendicity
Glam Network beauty blogs
Beauty Blog Network
Alltop Beauty

3. Science sites
Science Daily
Eurekalerts
New Scientist
Science blogs
eScience News

4. Innovation blogs
Innovation Tools
Killer Innovations
Idea Connection
Opine Consulting

And you can find other blogs of interest by using either of these sites.
Technorati
Blog Search

Step 3: Subscribe to relevant websites

The way to follow websites is to click on their RSS feed and add it to your Google Reader page. There are other RSS reader applications but Google is by far the easiest to incorporate into your home page. The RSS is the little button in the address bar that looks like this. (See the top of your browser).

When you click on the orange button it will take you to a page asking if you want to subscribe through your reader or your home page. I suggest adding the website to your reader for most sites. For websites you want to read every day, you should add it to your home page.

Step 4: Scan your feed reader daily

Now that you are subscribed, you should check your feed headlines. Most sites update once a day so checking your feed daily makes sense. This doesn’t mean you have to read every article every day, it just means you should spend some time checking your feed to see if there is some relevant information that will help you do your job better. Checking your feed for 30 min to an hour at the end of the day is a strategy that has been successful for me.

Step 5: Read or tag articles to read later

Just setting up the system is not helpful if you don’t use it. So, when you do your daily check of your feeds be sure to read headlines that you find most relevant. Scanning articles is helpful here too. Another trick is to use bookmarking to tag articles you want to read later.

If you want to be an informed cosmetic scientist who knows the latest happenings in the world of cosmetic science and the cosmetic industry, there is no better way to accomplish this than by following and reading the feeds of relevant websites.

Good luck.

After months of planning, writing and recording, we’re
almost ready to begin our new online cosmetic science
training program.

We’re not quite ready to start, but space will be limited
so I wanted people who are most interested to get on the
list for early notification of the course’s launch date.

See this webpage, watch the video that explains the
new course, then put in your sign-in information.

The Complete Cosmetic Chemist

In the next week, we’ll send out some more information
explaining more details about the course and how it will work.

There is nothing else like this online course and it is designed
to fill a need that isn’t already covered by the SCC or
university programs.

I look forward to working with you.

Perry, 44

PS.  If you have any questions about the program, leave a comment below.

Getting a degree in chemistry will teach you a lot about science but not much about having a chemist job. We’ve previously talked about what you can do to start a cosmetic chemist career, but you might be wondering what your experience will be like.

Types of companies that hire cosmetic chemists

There are a wide range of companies that hire cosmetic chemists including finished goods manufacturers, contract manufacturers, testing houses, raw material suppliers, etc. Among all these companies you will find both big corporations (>$5 billion in yearly revenue), small companies (<$10 million in yearly revenue), and a few in-between. Having worked at a company that made the transition from small company to big and having talked to many cosmetic scientists who work at different companies, I’ve put together this list of pros and cons of working at either type.

Ideally, you’ll get to choose the type of company you work for. Or maybe you took the first job that came along and you’re wondering if another company would be better. This comparison of companies will help you decide what is best for you.

Compensation

Big companies almost always have better compensation packages than small companies. They have HR departments who analyze different corporations around the world to determine exactly the salary range they should be paying you. Typically, you’ll start on a lower pay scale then get modest raises over time. When you get a promotion, you get put up to the next salary range.

Small companies try to keep costs low so they tend to pay the minimum that they can get away with. However, they are much more flexible than a corporation and you can sometimes get a bigger salary than you might have gotten from a big corporation if the owner likes you or the company had a particularly good year.

Verdict: On average, chemist compensation at a Big Company is better than at a Small Company.

Resources

Big companies don’t mind spending money on equipment for all their chemists. You’ll usually have your own work space, your own mixers, lab equipment, computer, etc. You’ll have access to a corporate library with all the important cosmetic science books. You’ll also have access to analytical equipment that can be useful when trying to develop new products. Overall, Big Companies let you use cool stuff!

Small companies are much more limited. You often have to share mixers, balances, and most lab equipment. You probably won’t have access to much more than a GC, IR or Mass Spectrometer. As far as research goes, the Internet and the public library are your best bets.

Verdict: More money means better equipment and more resources. In this area, the Big Company is better than a Small Company.

Chemist Colleagues

Big Companies hire more people so you will potentially have access to a wide range of experience and abilities. For a cosmetic chemist just starting out, this can be a great opportunity to learn. That is, if you can get anyone to pay attention to you. Office politics often keeps people with the most experience too busy to mentor younger chemists. At a smaller company, there are less people but you will often be paired up with someone who has been in the industry for a long time and has a ton of experience. It’s much easier to learn from them as you’ll work more directly with them.

As in any situation when there are more people there is more chance of conflict. The office politics in a Big Company can be frustrating and get in the way of learning and doing good science. Small companies are not immune to office politics but it is much easier to work around.

Verdict: This one is a wash. There will be more people to learn from at a Big Company, but office politics and corporate structure makes it harder to learn.

Job Security

On the whole, working at a Big Company offers a bit better job security than at a Small Company. In a Big Company, it is easier to get away with doing mediocre work because your impact on the overall company is not as noticeable. At a Small Company, if you are slacking off someone will notice. But even beyond job performance, a Big Company is much less likely to be bought out by another company. Small companies (especially successful ones) are frequently the target of a Big Company take-over. Often when this happens, the lab people from the Small Company are either laid off or required to transfer out of state.

Verdict: For the most part, Big Companies off more job security.

Job Flexibility

Big Companies follow specific rules that are created by lawyers and HR departments. These cover things like sick time, personal days, work hours, etc. Unless you can work out some deal with your boss (sometimes you can) you pretty much have to follow the company work rules to the letter of the policy. In a small company, policies are often determined by a person who doesn’t specialize in human resources. This could allow for much more flexibility than at a big corporation. Of course, if you happen to work for a tyrant, then things are even less flexible than at a big company.

Verdict: Overall, a Big Company will be less flexible than a Small Company.

Creative Control

One of the best things about being a cosmetic chemist is the ability to create your own formulas and see your own ideas come to fruition. In a Big Company it will take many years and a lot of schmoozing to get one of your ideas developed into a product. Big Companies are generally not set up to allow chemists the freedom to create. You will be limited to the types of ingredients you can use, the types of products you can make, the types of packaging, the specifications, etc. Big Companies work because they can make a lot of product in an efficient way. This necessarily limits your choice.

Small companies are less limited. When you are responsible for the formulation, scale-up, performance testing, stability testing, claims substantiation and everything else that goes into a product, you become a key influencer in what the end product looks like. When you have a small marketing department they are more reliant on you to come up with clever new product ideas.

Verdict: You’re more likely to be able to flex your creativity at a Small Company.

Responsibility

In a Big Company, research and development is highly segregated. You often work on a small product line of a big brand and have to focus on something like formulation, testing, or product evaluation. There are different groups who each handle some aspect of the formula. Your responsibility for the overall product is limited. In a Small Company, you frequently are responsible for everything from the start of product development through all the testing and production. Also, you frequently have to work on multiple product types including emulsions, solutions, powders, etc.

Verdict: If you want the maximum amount of responsibility for a formula, a Small Company is the place to work.

Impact on the Company

Finally, we look at the impact you can have on a company. In a Big Company, your impact on the overall performance of the company is severely limited. It is easy to get lost and not stand out among your peers both in R&D and those in other departments like Marketing and Sales. This isolated feeling can make you feel less important and the truth is, in a Big Company, no one person is terribly important. Everyone can be easily replaced. In a Small Company, you are definitely replaceable too, but it’s just harder. The skills and ability of one person can directly affect the bottom line of a company. You often know the owner of the company personally and can frequently tell them your ideas.

Verdict: Working for a Small Company will make you feel more important than working for a Big Company.

Which Chemist Job Should you Get?

This is tough to answer as it depends much on what is important to you. If you want a job where you can have access to cool stuff, be well-paid, and have a fairly stable existence, then a Big Company is for you. However, if you want to make a difference, have an impact on the company, and maximize your creative abilities, a Small Company makes more sense.

Of course, for many people neither option is satisfactory. If you want to maximize creative control, flexibility, and financial potential, nothing can beat starting your own successful company. That just takes a bit more work.

What kind of company do you think is best to work at? Leave a comment below.