General guidelines to scale up cosmetic formulations
We had an interesting question posed by one of our readers who has a background in Chemical Engineering. Specifically, he wanted to know if there…
Category: Formulating
A Primer on Magnetic Stirrers
Author: Bob Wilcox Laboratory magnetic stirrers are clever mixing tools that, most simply defined, use a rotating magnet in the base of the unit to…
Why All Sodium Lauryl Sulfate Sources Aren’t The Same
I spent much of my career formulating hair care products including shampoos, conditioners, and styling products. One of the largest projects that I was ever…
Using Homogenizers in the Cosmetics Lab
Author: Bob Wilcox We’ve noted several posts in the Chemists Corner discussion forum on using homogenizers to prepare shampoos. Our take on homogenizers is primarily from the…
What to do with working cosmetic technologies you can’t use
If you are not in the business of formulating hair care products you may have missed the big kerfuffle caused by the use of formaldehyde…
10 Consumer Trends in 2013 that will affect cosmetic formulators
Euromonitor International is One of the market research firms that reports on the cosmetic industry. They often provide interesting insights into what consumers are thinking.…
Why most active ingredients don’t work
I was listening to one of my favorite skeptical podcasts, The Skeptics Guide to the Universe, and they were talking about Deer Antler Spray. Apparently, a…
How to find a cosmetic market niche
While it may be a dream of a cosmetic formulator to make a product that will be bought and used by everyone, this almost certainly…
How long do cosmetics last?
In Colin’s post on nail polish, he reminded me of a common question I’m asked about beauty products and cosmetics is “how long do they…
Greenwashing - A Cosmetic Chemists Guide
I saw that there was going to be a masterclass on greenwashing so I thought I would add my two cents about the different levels…
Preservative free cosmetic formulating - How to make them
There was an interesting question posed on the cosmetic science forum the other day. The forum member wanted to know whether they could still call…
Cosmetic Mixing with Overhead Stirrers
This is a guest post by Bob Wilcox Overhead stirrers find wide application in the cosmetic industry. They provide a fast way to develop formulations and…
Cool chemistry reactions
This is pretty cool. You almost never get to conduct cool chemistry experiments like these in a cosmetic science lab but they are still pretty…
Calculating Cosmetic Formula Costs
Deciding on the use level of raw materials in a cosmetic formula is an important aspect of formulation. However, product performance is only one factor…
Old Technology in New Cosmetic Formulas
There was an interesting discussion going on in the cosmetic science forum about a formulation that one of the chemists was working with which included…
Making Cosmetics the scientific way
Making cosmetics can be done by almost anyone whether you have scientific training or not. Certainly, it is easier for cosmetic chemists to create new…
Olay Oil Minimizing Toner - Dissecting the Label
One of the most simple products that a formulator might be called on to produce is a toner. This Olay Oil Minimizing toner is one…
Where can you get Natural Cosmetic Formulation training
We often get questions about formulating and frequently those are centered on Natural cosmetic formulating. Here is a recent question sent in by someone who…
7 Types of Cosmetic Story Ingredients
Cosmetic formulators have to make great performing formulas. You have to get the functionality right, the formula has to be stable, and it has to…
What does percent solids tell you?
This question came in via the cosmetic science discussion forum and it was something that we hadn’t covered before. The question specifically was “what is…