Cosmetic Innovation - Sleep Cream to Improve Skin
As a cosmetic chemist it’s always a good idea to come up with new ideas even if you aren’t working in a particular area at…
The Whole Foods Unacceptable List - Part 4
As I mentioned in my previous post on the Whole Foods Unacceptable list, I was able to get in touch with the person in charge…
Factors influencing the deposition of conditioning polymers
There was an interesting article in the November/December 2013 issue of the Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists. The research titled “Use of Statistical…
Skin Gun - Wrinkle Treatment of the Future?
Here is an amazing new technology that could represent a new way to treat skin wrinkles. It is being tested for use for treating skin…
Episode 35: Valdata Formulation Software
Tom Winter is the president of Valdata systems a company which creates hardware and software solutions for manufacturers of food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. He has…
Stem Cells for the Cosmetic Chemist
I just read a story about a new skin care product that incorporates both plant and human “stem cells.” This type of marketing is a…
Old time cosmetic formulations
I just opened up a box I had in storage and rediscovered a formulation series of books called Benett’s The Chemical Formulary. I actually have…
Why people age
Here’s a pretty good video demonstrating how and why aging is programmed right in your cells. I’m still trying to figure out this whole Hayflick…
Solubility – Basic Chemistry for the Cosmetic Formulator
Not everyone who formulates cosmetics received a degree in chemistry. In fact, most home formulators have very little chemistry training at all. While having a…
How to make a shampoo from scratch
I thought it would be interesting to deconstruct a shampoo formula. To do that, we need to begin with the formula. Here’s a nice, simple…
No more formaldehyde - How to modify a cosmetic
J&J seems pleased with themselves for capitulating to fear mongering groups and reformulating their iconic J&J Baby Shampoo. We previously wrote about why caving to…
How long should your cosmetic formulas last?
I have personal care products that I haven’t opened for a few years. These are mostly hair styling products that I got for free and…
Cosmetic ingredients inspired by nature
Cosmetic formulators have long used ingredients from nature to make products. Some of the more common ingredients include Lanolin, Milk, Honey, and Musk. Then there…
California launches cosmetic database
Well, here’s the latest entry into the online cosmetic chemical database world. (California Safe Cosmetic Product Database). This follows sites like the industry supported Cosmetic…
The Whole Foods Unacceptable Ingredient List - Part 3
Wow. The power of the internet is amazing. It only took four days for Whole Foods to update their list after my first post on…
Why you need to substantiate your cosmetic claims
Often, the cosmetic industry is accused of lying to consumers. About half of the time the people making the accusations are wrong. No, the cosmetic…
Beauty From Within Put to the Test
On my other blog The Beauty Brains we spend a lot of time answering questions about what beauty products work and which ones aren’t backed up…
Can You Change Consumer Behavior?
Here’s a story about a technological advance by P&G. According to the company, they have developed a spray technology that solves men’s “overspray” problem. Their…
Cosmetic Prototype Batch Size
As a cosmetic formulator one of the most common decisions you’ll have to make is to decide how large a batch you need to make.…
Silicones for Personal Care - Book Review
This is a post by cosmetic chemist and formulator Valerie Patton. The world of silicones has grown exponentially since the mid-1970s, and their use in…