Haircare Formulation Workshop
How to build shampoos and conditioners that work in the lab and feel great to your customers.
Instant access · Watch on demand · Lifetime replay
Your Products Are Judged in the Shower, Not the Lab.
Customers don't read lab data. They notice how the lather feels, whether their hair tangles when they rinse, and how it looks once it's dry. A formula can pass every test on the bench and still lose the customer in the shower.
This recorded workshop teaches you how to bridge that gap: how hair's surface charge shifts with damage and pH, which ingredients to reach for, and how to combine them into formulas that feel as good as they test.
What Will You Learn in This Session?
Formulating for Feel
How to build shampoos and conditioners customers genuinely enjoy using — not just ones that pass the spec sheet.
Hair's Surface Charge
How damage and pH change the charge on the hair surface, and why that matters for every ingredient you add.
Choosing Ingredients
Which surfactants and conditioning agents to use, and where each one performs best.
Building the Formula
How to combine ingredients into high performers without conflicts or dead weight.
Live Q&A
Perry and Valerie answer attendee questions on real formulation problems.
You'll Get These Questions Answered
- Why does a formula that passes testing still get complaints about how it feels?
- How does hair damage change what deposits on the hair?
- How does pH affect surface charge — and my formula?
- Which conditioning agents suit damaged hair versus healthy hair?
- How do I pick ingredients for the result I actually want?
- How do I combine ingredients without creating conflicts?
Who Should Attend This Session?
New Formulators
A practical starting point — understand why hair products behave the way they do before you build your first one.
Experienced Formulators & R&D Teams
Troubleshoot formulas that test well but don't win customers, and sharpen ingredient choices for damaged or chemically treated hair.
Indie Brand Owners & Founders
Learn what makes a product feel premium so you can have better conversations with your chemist or manufacturer.
Product Developers & Marketers
Understand the science behind sensory claims and set realistic expectations in your next brief.
About the Presenters
Valerie George
Cosmetic Chemist · Founder, Simply Formulas
Valerie is a cosmetic chemist with more than 10 years of experience at leading haircare brands. She founded her own lab, Simply Formulas, where she helps companies develop products from concept to finish, and she's known for transparent, consumer-led science that explains why products behave the way they do.
Perry Romanowski
Cosmetic Chemist & Founder, Chemists Corner
Perry is a cosmetic chemist and formulation instructor based in Chicago. Over more than 30 years he's formulated products at companies including Alberto Culver and founded Chemists Corner to help formulators and enthusiasts turn ideas into real products. He moderates the session and runs the Q&A.
Watch Now
Recorded workshop with Valerie George and Perry Romanowski · includes the full session, live Q&A and a downloadable guide