Gladwell on Innovation
I like Malcolm Gladwell’s stuff. While it gets a little too story like and is more definitive about life than science would suggest, it is…
How do you make cosmetics safer?
I read a couple of articles recently about pressure on governments to make cosmetic products more safe. This article points out that there are “toxins”…
Ideas for solving the toughest hair problem facing cosmetic chemists
Being a cosmetic chemist can be frustrating. You’ll want to create products that can solve consumer’s problems but the reality is that you are handcuffed…
Science fun with a box
I’m going to take a break from writing about cosmetic science today and show you some other sciencey thing that caught my interest. It is…
Midwest SCC technical symposium review
First talk was by Dr Sam Shefer about fighting acne using time release technology. He explained the problems formulating with salicylic acid and discussed a…
Cosmetic Chemists Baloney Detection Kit
I saw this excellent video about critical thinking and how you can detect whether a claim is bogus or not. This is an important skill…
Cosmetic Chemists Guide to Trade Shows
The Midwest SCC Trade Show is this Wednesday. If you are going to be in the Chicago area, it is a free event and you…
Good stories for cosmetic chemists
Here are a few stories that caught my eye. 1. 2012 will be the year of skin care. Really? I think the fact that skin…
Innovation inspiration while traveling
Although I’m on vacation I continue to think of new product ideas. The idea I thought of was related to my running clothes. Whenever I…
Hot topics on the cosmetic science forum
Today I’m traveling to Utah for a little downhill skiing. Of course, I’ve got my sunscreen and travel toiletries as every good cosmetic chemist should.…
How Cosmetic Chemistry is Like Cooking
It’s pretty common to hear people complain that they didn’t like Chemistry in school because it was too hard or too boring. And perhaps the…
Cosmetic Formulating Checklist
Whenever you begin a formulating project there is a variety of information you need to establish before doing anything else. Some of these things will…
The FDA really does regulate cosmetics
There have been a couple stories that demonstrate how the FDA has been ensuring that cosmetics are safe for consumers. Recently, they have sent out…
Evidence for Beauty From Within Products
There is a trend in the cosmetic industry some market research folks have labeled ‘beauty from within’. These are products which consumers are supposed to…
Formula optimization course coming soon
I’m traveling back to Chicago (from Florida) today so don’t have much time to post. But I thought I’d let you know about a couple…
Animal Testing Bites Cosmetic Companies Again
Ooops. I read this story about Avon and animal testing and it looks like they are in a bit of trouble. According to the story,…
What is the right level of cosmetic regulation?
I saw this article about REACH which suggests that the EU regulation is costing industry between 1.5 and 2 billion Euro annually. It makes me…
New EU Cosmetics Regulations - A Quick Guide for Busy Formulators
This is a guest post by UK cosmetic chemist Colin Sanders. You can read more from Colin on his excellent blog at Colins Beauty Pages.…
Do hippos hold the key to new sunscreens?
I thought this was an interesting story that I stumbled on. It turns out scientists have isolated the proteins responsible for protecting hippos (who spend…
Useful Formulating Spreadsheet
We posted this a while back but there are a number of new readers do I though I would post it again. This video shows…