Longer lasting formulas are more sustainable
Living in America, I was raised to wash my hair every day. In 2005, while developing a new shampoo and conditioner formula for the mass…
An example of how to test a hypothesis
Yesterday, I wrote about what makes a good scientific study and how you can prevent fooling yourself. The key was to remain skeptical and create…
How to determine the level of cosmetic ingredients
In yesterday’s post we talked about cosmetic claims ingredients and why they are used at low levels. In today’s post we’ll describe a process by…
Why natural extracts are not put in cosmetics at high levels.
One of the things that people find surprising when they first enter the cosmetic formulating business is that many of the feature ingredients have very…
Jergens Natural Glow – Dissecting a cosmetic label
On one of my other blogs (The Beauty Brains) we do a series where we look at the ingredients on a cosmetic label and write…
What can cosmetic raw material companies do for formulators?
There was an interesting discussion on the SCC Linked-In group about what cosmetic chemists expect from suppliers. If you are a new cosmetic chemist you…
Get a free Formulating Natural Cosmetics ebook
The most common types of questions that we get here on Chemists Corner are ones about formulating natural cosmetics. This is a hot trend in…
Thanksgiving Ingredients in your Cosmetics
As a cosmetic formulator, you can find some fun stuff by looking through the INCI dictionary. In honor of the US Thanksgiving holiday, today we’re…
Cosmetic formulation basics – Sunscreens
The sunscreen market is a growing one and to be a competent cosmetic chemist, you should know the basics of how to formulate one. How…
New Naturals Cosmetic Formulation Program Coming Soon
Last week I spent a couple days working with the instructors of our new Formulating Natural Products online training course. Here’s a shot of Art…
Optimizing cosmetic raw material levels
As a cosmetic chemist, you will frequently be called on to evaluate a new raw material or to optimize its level. But unless you’ve done…
Formulate Differently
Here’s a short video worth watching. Phil McKinny explains why “best practices” is not a great way to do innovations. [youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdhotZXVbMI&feature=player_embedded’] A quote that…
Electronic Devices in Dermatology
I saw this article about electronic devices being more important in cosmetic treatments. It seems that dermatologists are using these gadgets more frequently to deliver…
Cosmetic Formulation Basics – Skin Lotion
Click here for a complete list of the the Cosmetic Formulation Basics series. Since skin care represents the largest market in cosmetics and oil soluble ingredients are…
Why does salt thicken shampoos?
When I first got into the cosmetic industry I worked on hair care products, specifically, shampoos. One of the things that I found fascinating about…
How Will the Beauty From Within Trend Affect Cosmetic Chemists
According to a recent report by the market research firm RNCOS, the nutricosmetics market is due to experience significant growth and will reach $4.24 billion…
Nail Polish formula
Consumers like to change the appearance of their nails and the most common way to do this is to use nail polish. What Nail Polish…
Formulating Multifunctional Cosmetic Products
One of the biggest challenges a formulator faces is creating products that are different than their competitors. Unfortunately, most cosmetic chemists have to do this…
Conditioning Agents for Hair and Skin
Some years ago I co-edited a book about the different types of conditioning agents that are used by cosmetic chemists for hair and skin products.…
Ingredients Cosmetic Companies Add As Puffery and Why
One of my favorite times when training new cosmetic chemists is the moment they learn that many of the ingredients cosmetic companies put in their…