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Subscription to communities and useful books
Hello colleagues from around the world.
I am trying to deepen my knowledge of cosmetic-specific chemistry (e.g. colloids, surfactants, rheological properties …). I graduated as a industrial pharmacy, so I mainly studied powders and tablet technologies.
This year, however, I started my first job as a formulator scientist in the cosmetic field, which is also a passion since 10 years.There are a couple of professional communities I’d like to join in order to have access to publications and valid study material, like e.g. IFSCC or RSC. However, each time I try to join, a referee is needed in order to become a member. How did you find professionals keen to serve as a referent during the subscription process? Did you follow the same path or came in these communities later on in your carreer-path?
Please note that I’m based in Switzerland at the moment, even if I follow mainly english-speaking communities because I feel more comfortable when researching in english.
Also, are there specific books you would suggest me to buy? My aim is to really understand why molecules behave in complex mixtures as they do. For example I loved the approach used by the Encyclopedia of Emulsion Technology. I know already the basics of cosmetic chemistry (e.g. DLVO, brownian motion…), so please don’t suggest me general books, but something that goes in technical details.
Already big thanks for reading!
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7 Replies
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Hi @Bebalevis I wish that you will give an interesting add for the forum as you have good profile then for your request I guess @Perry can help
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Bebalevis said:…
Please note that I’m based in Switzerland at the moment, even if I follow mainly english-speaking communities because I feel more comfortable when researching in english.
…If you’re fairly fluent in German, then the PTA Forum on the DAC/NRF site might be a place to look at. However, its focus is on pharmaceutical preparations (BTW German PTAs are usually better formulators than German pharmacists).Me, I’m not in any professional cosmetics community (other than here)…Regarding recommended lectures: THIS is one of the ‘must read’, one of the very few. Else, use ScienceDirect and PubMed… or a free mirror for pre-print publications if you can’t afford buying publications (most of which have unknown value just from reading the abstract, anyway). There aren’t many books with useful real-life details but just general knowledge and theoretical in depth studies regarding highly specific subjects. Hence, read tons of books (not only cosmetics and stay clear of cosmetic journals, they suck) and use your brain and experience to extrapolate to your specific task at hand
.Maybe go to trade shows such as in-cosmetics for networking?PS Greetings from Zürich. -
Pharma said:Bebalevis said:…
Please note that I’m based in Switzerland at the moment, even if I follow mainly english-speaking communities because I feel more comfortable when researching in english.
…If you’re fairly fluent in German, then the PTA Forum on the DAC/NRF site might be a place to look at. However, its focus is on pharmaceutical preparations (BTW German PTAs are usually better formulators than German pharmacists).Me, I’m not in any professional cosmetics community (other than here)…Regarding recommended lectures: THIS is one of the ‘must read’, one of the very few. Else, use ScienceDirect and PubMed… or a free mirror for pre-print publications if you can’t afford buying publications (most of which have unknown value just from reading the abstract, anyway). There aren’t many books with useful real-life details but just general knowledge and theoretical in depth studies regarding highly specific subjects. Hence, read tons of books (not only cosmetics and stay clear of cosmetic journals, they suck) and use your brain and experience to extrapolate to your specific task at hand .Maybe go to trade shows such as in-cosmetics for networking?PS Greetings from Zürich.Thank you for the advices. I am quite ok with german, but not fluent, and I also don’t like to study in german as for me it’s still really energy-consuming and easily causes my brain to burn-out.
I already know Steven Abbott’s work and I am reading it right now. I’m also in contact with him. The work he did it’s really amazing, and useful. His books are though very complicated and technical, so I believe I would need a lot of time to understand everything. I believe I still lack some basic concepts to fully understand them (e.g. colloids, rheology, polymer properties).
What do you mean with cosmetic journals? Publication journals or magazines? Do you think that for example cosmetics from mdpi is worth reading? I got very interested in some articles of the journal of colloid and interface science, but as you already said, I cannot afford to buy singularly publications that I believe “could” be interesting.
I subscribed to a magazine to remain updated about new discoveries and innovations, and I find it pretty helpful, so that I can find all the interesting new publications summarized in one, same, place. Then if I find it interesting, I can always read the original paper cited.
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For the microbiology of cosmetics - from preservation/global regulation safety of preservatives/process and manufacturing hygiene - suggest Cosmetic Microbiology a Practical Approach , 3rd ed. 2020, CRC Press. AND
Preservatives for Cosmetics 3rd ed. 2012, Allured Pub.A grain of salt with articles from cosmetic-focused journals . Too many articles from half-smart academics and self-promotional “professionals.”
For trade magazines like Cosmetics and Toiletries and Happi, more than a few grains. -
@PhilGeis I’ve only zipped through your first recommendation and it looks really promising, certainly better than the others I’ve read so far. For my taste it could be a bit more in depth regarding single substance but that’s just me. I haven’t read the second one though… does it include ‘naturals’, alternative, and multifunctionals in more than a short paragraph like so many other books do?As a scientist/researcher I can only shake my head (the urge to actually hit it against a wall is there as well… but that wouldn’t help either…) when reading ‘scientific’ cosmetic journals or publications of ‘clinical trials’ in things like ‘Journal of Cosmetic This or That’. Most are just awful… you likely get paid for publishing there and, honestly, one should get paid for reading them, too.I think reading/zapping through C&T or Happi isn’t bad if it’s for staying up to date in who’s who and which trend and hype is rising or falling but they usually give no useful scientific insights or help with understanding mechanism on a deeper level.
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@Pharma
I’m with you! The “scientific ” cosmetic journals publish much shallow dreck. take a look at this “pilot study” for one,https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ics.12802
Steinberg’s book is good - but looks at conventionals.
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