Did you know about this source for finding cosmetic information?
Although you can find lots of great formulating advice here on Chemists Corner and on our cosmetic formulating forum, there are numerous other places you can find excellent cosmetic formulation information. 
One of my favorite places to find hidden gems is Google. Using Google I have found numerous free copies of books that might cost you hundreds of dollars on Amazon or other book stores. You just have to know how to search.
Look for the PDFs
Often website owners will put up PDF versions of books or articles they’ve scanned. These files are a treasure trove of useful information but they won’t show up in a typical Google search. But if you add “.pdf” to the search you just might find something really great.
Here’s an example.
Doing a Google search of the phrase “cosmetic formulating .pdf” results in a great find! The Handbook of Cosmetic Formulating! If you have a scribd account you can download it but even if you can’t you can still read it for free online. This book costs hundreds of dollars. Of course, I encourage you to purchase the book if you can afford it but until then read away.
Instead of search for .pdf try “cosmetic formulating ebook” and you’ll stumble on Cosmetic Formulation of Skin Care Products. Again this is a scribd file and you need to join to download it but you can read it online for free.
There are numerous more examples but you get the idea. If you’re looking for a formulation book, resource or even some advice, don’t forget to check your local search engine.
Remember the authors
As I mentioned while you can find lots of information for free online remember that the authors of these works often rely on the income generated from them to survive. I know you could probably find copies of my book online in this way. Downloading it hurts me to some extent but I believe the point of a book is to get as many people as possible to read it so if a certain amount of people who weren’t going to buy it anyway get it for free, that’s just how life goes. I would appreciate it if you alerted me to any books you find though so others can share in the information.
