Weekend chemistry
On the weekend I like to look through Youtube and find cool chemistry videos. Here’s one from a series called Chemistry Life Hacks which gives…
So you want to formulate sulfate free?
Somewhere along the line surfactants which contain the name “sulfate” got a bad name. It’s difficult to say exactly how this negative reputation was developed…
Should your products be organically certified?
There was an excellent write-up of a debate between two cosmetic industry experts about the value of having your products certified by one of the…
7 Cosmetic claims that sound good but don’t mean much
It’s a common misconception that cosmetic companies lie to sell products. This is generally not true. In fact, in the US it is illegal to…
Cosmetic Formulating - Working with Base Formulas
When you start out as a cosmetic formulator you will not be asked to come up with your own formulas. There may be some exceptions…
The science of cosmetics
Here’s some good weekend reading about cosmetic science. They cover some good information but unfortunately, the non-science based EWG gets referenced at the end. It’s…
Soap bar in a microwave
This is pretty cool. Did you know what happens to a soap bar when you put it in the microwave for about 2 minutes? It…
The Three Types of Cosmetic Raw Materials
Did you know that there are only 3 main categories of cosmetic raw materials? Really all of the ingredients used in cosmetics can be put…
Where to find the list of ingredients for a cosmetic
It’s a requirement in the United States and around most places in the world that cosmetic products have their ingredients listed on their label. We’ve…
Thickening cosmetic products
Here’s a pretty good article which outlines the different methods for thickening cosmetic formulas. Cosmetic product thickening In the future we’ll do a more in-depth…
Hair biology that every cosmetic chemist needs to know
Most people working as formulators in the cosmetic industry have a solid background in chemistry. It’s not a requirement that you have a degree in…
Formulating into the new year
One of my favorite times of year is the beginning. This is when I get to reset everything and come up with a new list of…
Have you heard of Laminar Flow?
This seems like it would be a violation of the second law of thermodynamics but if you look at the system as a whole, the…
Top 10 Interesting Cosmetic Stories from 2014
This year we look back on some of the more interesting stories in the cosmetic industry. Thanks to cosmetics design for continuing to publish all…
9 Beauty Trends from 2014
According to Lucky Magazine these were the big beauty trends in 2014 (in no particular order). How many of them do you remember? 1. Beauty…
Scaremongering Groups and the Cosmetic Chemist
I saw this interesting article examining how the media sensationalizes scientific findings and gets things wrong. The article covers the story of researcher Chris Adigun…
Why Cosmetic Chemists Must Remain Skeptical
In a recent discussion on our cosmetic science forum about functional cosmetic ingredients a commenter complained that my positions were too demoralizing. I suspect my…
Episode 37: Botaneco Natural Emulsion Technology
Chemists Corner is a podcast about cosmetic science and formulating. Interview Tony Abboud currently does Technical Sales and Special Projects at Botaneco. Tony graduated with…
Natural Cosmetic Preservative Questions Answered
On a number of occasions we get asked questions about formulating cosmetics and the best cosmetic preservatives. When there are enough questions on a theme…
What does Natural Cosmetics mean to consumers?
Many cosmetic entrepreneurs are interested in producing all natural and organic cosmetics. We frequently get emails here on Chemists Corner that say something like “I…