What Cosmetic Chemists Should Know About Natural and Clean Beauty
Clean and natural beauty products remain on trend but the roots of the movement lie in a long-standing problem: formulating with natural ingredients is hard.…
Author: sromanowski
Why Your Formula Isn’t Working (and How to Fix It)
Every formulator has been there. You’re developing a new formula and something just won’t cooperate. It separates. It’s too thick. It’s too thin. When cosmetic…
Should You Formulate a Scalp Serum? A Look at the Science
Walk through any beauty aisle or scroll TikTok for five seconds and you’re sure to see a scalp serum. Brands ranging from The Ordinary to…
How to Read a Raw Material Specification Sheet
You’ve found the right ingredient, or so you think. But before you place that order, there’s one more critical step: reading the spec sheet. Raw…
Formulator’s Guide to Contacting Ingredient Suppliers
If you’re sourcing cosmetic raw materials, especially for the first time, reaching out to a supplier can feel intimidating. But clear communication, preparation, and the…
What to Know About Preservatives in Cosmetic Formulas
Preservatives get more scrutiny than almost any other cosmetic ingredient and not always for the right reasons. Between “paraben-free” marketing and natural preservative claims, the…
Selecting Emollients by Function Not Hype
Emollients affect not just hydration but also slip, spreadability, skin feel, absorption, finish and barrier function. They can make or break the sensorial profile of…
The Science Behind Surfactants
Surfactants are among the most versatile raw materials in cosmetic formulations. But with that versatility comes complexity. Not all surfactants clean the same way. Some…
Choosing the Right Emulsifier
You can’t make a lotion, cream, or serum without creating an emulsion. And, at the heart of any emulsion is the emulsifier, a raw material…
How to Source Cosmetic Ingredients If You’re Just Getting Started
One of the most common challenges for indie formulators and early-stage brands is sourcing raw materials. You can have a great product idea, but without…
The 5 Types of Raw Material Suppliers Every Formulator Should Know
When we talk about cosmetic formulas, the focus is usually on ingredients. But behind every emulsifier, surfactant, or botanical extract is an ingredient supplier and…
Cutting Through The Confusion Between Natural and Synthetic Cosmetic Ingredients
The “natural vs synthetic” debate is one of the most persistent and misunderstood topics in cosmetic formulation. It’s also where marketing often clashes with science.…
What Ingredient Lists Don’t Tell You
You’ve seen it before, a trendy skincare product with rave reviews and ingredients like niacinamide, hyaluronic acid and peptides highlighted on the label. Sounds impressive.…
Why Understanding Raw Materials Improves Your Formulas
It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of finished products. But behind every unique texture and performance claim is a web of carefully…
The 3 Types of Cosmetic Raw Materials You Need to Know
Cosmetic ingredient lists can be long and overwhelming but nearly every ingredient in a formula serves one of three core purposes. While there’s some overlap…
What does Chat GPT mean for beauty and cosmetic chemists?
No doubt you have heard about Chat GPT which seems to have taken the world by storm. AI is a fast growing and ever developing…
First Aid Beauty Bump Eraser Body Scrub and the science behind its TikTok success
Love it or hate it TikTok is one of the fastest growing digital platforms and has become an essential marketing platform for beauty brands. In…
Pixi Glycolic Body Wash - Formula Review
Next up in our series of evaluating ingredient lists is Pixi’s Glycolic Body Wash. As we have written about before, when you analyze a cosmetic…
Clinique Cleansing Balm - Formula Review
Understanding how to decipher cosmetic ingredient lists is an essential skill in developing your formulating skills while also making you a more informed consumer. By…
The best cosmetic preservatives
At Chemists Corner, one of the most frequent questions we get is from people looking for the best cosmetic preservative to use for their formula.…