One of the fundamental principles of cosmetics and personal care products is the action of surfactants in a solution.

Here is a video that demonstrates what happens to the surfactant molecules when they are put into a solution of water. Essentially they form structures called micelles.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdKlyofu0Xw

There is a lot more activity going on in the cosmetic science forum and we are delighted! The questions have been excellent and the responses too. I am especially happy to be learning from the different experiences of my fellow cosmetic chemists.

Here is a run down of the hottest topics.

1. What is the proper way to label an ingredient via INCI?

2. The best way to work with Carbomer.

3. How do you stop product rancidity?

4. Tips for scaling up batches from lab to production

Feel free to add to the conversation or post your own questions or comments. It’s free to join and participate in the Cosmetic Science Forum.

There are a couple of things I like about this video.

1. It encourages girls to be interested in science.
2. It demonstrates simple safety testing that should be done

They do brush over the science a little too much but maybe that is best for this audience.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLHhHqH8P84

Click here to find out how you can purchase this cosmetic science kit

This has been a great year for Chemists Corner and I have thoroughly enjoyed working on this project. We’ve got some big things planned in 2012 but before we get there, here is a list of the top 10 highlights of 2011.

1. Complete cosmetic Chemist – First developed in 2010, we teamed up with Allured to make the program even better. It has been satisfying to help introduce people to all they need to know to get started in cosmetic science.

2. Trip to China – I traveled a lot this year and got to talk about cosmetic science. My trip to China to speak at the PCHi show was an excellent experience.

3. Trip to Europe – The inCosmetics event in Italy was also a great experience. I was fun to meet people from around the world who knew me only through this website. It was also great to see all the new technologies in the cosmetic industry. The other part of the trip sent me to Berlin to talk to a pharmaceutical industry group about stability testing. Then I went to the UK and spoke at an SCS event. An incredible experience.

4. Media appearances – This year I did a number of TV appearances. It was all the result of the launch of my book Can You Get Hooked on Lip Balm. TV has its challenges but being on the Rachel Ray show, Dr.Oz, and numerous local news broadcasts was lots of fun.

5. Talks around the country – I was fortunate to be invited to do a number of talks around the country including places such as Connecticut, Long Island, Dallas, San Jose, and Boston. I also spoke at a few events here in Chicago.

6. Cosmetic Science forum – I was very happy about the launch of the cosmetic science forum this year and even more pleased at the quality of discussions that are going on. Thanks so much to all of you who participate! If you want to join the forum just click on the Forum link at the top of this website.

7. Five-minute cosmetic science talks – This was an experiment I tried with our November SCC meeting here in the Midwest. Essentially we had 7 speakers give 5 minute talks about a variety of cosmetic science topics. It worked well and I hope to expand the event in the future. Here is the link for my five minute cosmetic science talk.

8. Podcast – We doubled the number of podcasts that we did this year. The guests have been excellent and so has the feedback. I look forward to recording more next year. We might even get a sponsor!

9. Regular posting – Perhaps the biggest change on this website is that we went to a “post every day” model. Whereas the beginning of the year we posted maybe 5-6 times a month, now we post every day. This has been challenging to continue to generate fresh content but I love the challenge. Hopefully, next year we will have a few more authors who will contribute more articles.

10. Website traffic – One of the most satisfying things for me about this blog is how much traffic growth we’ve seen in 2011. At the start of the year we were getting around 7000 visits a month. In November, we got over 27,000 in a month! I’m proud of those numbers and hope to double them next year.

Thank you so much for your participation in this website. I especially enjoy the comments and questions that you continue to send. This direct contact with cosmetic chemists around the world has really re-invigorated my interest in this subject.

Thank you also to the people who have helped me build this website by providing articles, comments, and ideas. And thank you to Allured for the excellent work you’ve done on the Complete Cosmetic Chemist training program.

Have a great 2012!!

Yesterday, I wrote about what makes a good scientific study and how you can prevent fooling yourself. The key was to remain skeptical and create studies that are blinded.

Here is a video which shows just how one can be done. Granted this video is not about selecting a cosmetic ingredient level. However, it does illustrate the proper way to do a scientific study.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-drpViV5LSw

Here’s what they do.

1. Start with a hypothesis. In the video, the hypothesis is that people with different immune systems will be more attractive to each other than people with similar immune systems.

2. Figure out a way to test the hypothesis. There are a number of implications of this hypothesis that can be tested. In this video, they look at the relationship between natural odor preference and genetic makeup.
In the video, the hypothesis is that a woman’s natural odor will be prefered by a man based on their mutual genetic composition. If the hypothesis is correct, the man should pick the woman who has the least common genetic immune system.

3. Do a blinded test. The evaluator is unaware of which sample is which so he is blinded and therefore, unbiased. Of course, this isn’t a perfectly blinded test because the evaluator does have some information about the study (like why he should pick a difference). A better study would have been to have evaluators that are completely unaware of the purpose of smelling the t-shirts.

However, in cosmetic formulating it’s rare that you could use unaware panelists to help in this way.

This study is a bit simplified and for real science you need to be more rigorous (e.g. have a lot more panelists) but overall, this type of study is a nice example of how you should create studies for evaluating new raw materials in your cosmetic formulas.

Skin care is one of the most common areas in which cosmetic chemists get to formulate. And acne is one of the most common problems they are trying to either prevent or cure. Here is a nice short video that explains exactly how acne is formed and how anti-acne ingredients work. It’s quite good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vy6KX5bZOg0

Well, it looks like the show that I was on was just broadcast nationally.  I personally have a difficult time watching and I haven’t actually done it yet.  In the past, I had no problems watching myself and was not self conscious, but sometime over the summer I started noticing what I sounded like and the way that I said things.  Then watching myself began to make me cringe.  It’s not going to stop me from appearing of course.  It’s fun and it gives a perspective that isn’t often heard on television.

If you are curious you can click on the picture to watch.

Dr Oz show appearance

Perhaps in the future I’ll get into a whole discussion about going on TV shows and remaining an objective, skeptical source (it’s NOT easy) but for now I’ll just put a couple of notes about the appearance.

1.  Dr. Oz and everyone on his staff were exceptionally friendly and kind.

2.  Getting the complete explanation of the science and explaining nuances of technology on TV is nearly impossible.

3.  When put on the spot, it’s very easy to say things in a way that you didn’t exactly mean to say them.

4.  There were a ton of people who work behind the scenes!  Over 30 people.

5.  Friends and family are really excited for you and the kind words and well-wishes make you feel great.

6.  While it was a bit nerve racking, it was also fun to talk about science in front of a large studio audience.  I didn’t even think about the millions watching at home.

I apologize if you can’t see the video based on your location.  In some places around the world it will not work.

There are some pretty good discussions going on at the Cosmetic Science forum. If you haven’t been participating, you should really take a look. Here are some of the highlights.

Top cosmetic science discussions

1. What tests should be done before launching a product? Chemists weigh in on what they think you have to do before going to market with your new formula.

2. What is the must-have equipment for a cosmetic laboratory? Chemists say what they think you need to have for running a successful cosmetic lab.

3. How do you determine period after opening? Excellent info about exactly how you do this.

4. Alternatives for parabens and formaldehyde donor preservatives. Don’t want to use these maligned preseravtives? Well, see this discussion for the best alternatives.

5. Why more cosmetic chemists aren’t doing research? See why cosmetic chemists think that more research isn’t being done in our industry.

We have a great group of contributors to the cosmetic science forum so be sure to click over there and participate.

One of the problems facing sunscreen formulators is that many of the chemical UV filters can cause contact allergies in a large group of consumers. So, you can formulate an excellent product that can not be used by a high percentage of your potential population. This is unfortunate, especially since sunscreen is one of the most useful cosmetics/drugs that you can create. It’s also becoming more and more common to include UV protectors in all types of cosmetics so this could potential limit the market of other product forms.

Well, this story from researchers at the University of Gothenburg and Chalmers University of technology may provide some promising news. They found a substance in bacteria that might lead to sunscreens which do not produce the allergic reaction.

The bacterial produced UV blocker they discovered is called scytonemin. Theoretically, it will not cause the sensitization that other UV blockers can cause. Of course, this is really early research and it is not known how well it would actually work in a cosmetic.

Interesting stuff and evidence that there is still research going on in the cosmetic field. Although, I should note that I doubt this is kind of research that would be done at a company. Getting useable results is just too far off in the future. Hopefully, they have some government or corporate sponsor because finding a new, less allergenic UV filter would be a good thing.

On another post about wrinkle treatment breakthrus, Louise asked this excellent question which I thought would make a good post because people just starting out in the cosmetic industry might wonder the same thing.

Why aren’t cosmetic chemists doing research?

The basic premise of this question is that cosmetic products haven’t really changed much over the years. Cosmetic marketers seem to just take the same old formulas, change them a little and call them a new product.

This is a fair observation (although incomplete). But there are two main reasons cosmetic chemists spend more time on developing products than they do on researching new technologies.

1. Success

Cosmetic companies are in the business of selling products. When you try to research a technology you are not actually creating a new product. Certainly, you might find something that could some day be turned into a market changing product, but the reality is most technologies that you investigate will not turn into products. This is true in the cosmetic business as well as almost every other market. Research has a low level of success.

Product development, on the other hand, has a high degree of success. At least when it comes to whether or not you have a product to sell. When your company has to go to Walmart or Target and tell them the latest product they are launching, they have to have some tangible, new product that can go on store shelves. Product development will almost certainly create that. Basic research will not. Thus if a company has to decide where to focus it’s efforts, they will invariably choose the short term product development strategy over the long-term research one.

2. Money

While success is not guaranteed in research, the fact that it costs money is guaranteed. It’s a relatively small amount of money in the cosmetic industry but it is money nonetheless. When a company pays for something they want to see results. Unfortunately, research does not work that way. Finding technological breakthrus is not something that can be easily planned, budgeted, or guaranteed. Most times it can’t even be explained to marketing and sales people. Therefore, people who are in research have a tough time justifying their work because they can’t show an obvious result.

While basic research is the most promising area to create truly breakthru technologies, most companies do not have the risk tolerance, time, or money to invest significantly in it. And that is why most of the jobs in the cosmetic industry focus on “new” product development rather than new technology discovery.