top of page
Apr 18, 20233 min read

Beginners Start Here ( Equipment )

Updated: Oct 4, 2023

When you are new to cosmetic formulation there is an overwhelming amount of information online. Some good, some terrible! The amount of misinformation that circles the internet and youtube still seeks to amaze me. Then there are ingredients, tons and tons of ingredients to choose from. What does each one do? How does each one work? How do they differ from each other? I personally had so many questions when I first started out yet no one to ask. I bought a ton of ingredients that ended up going bad before I could use them, I was also making what today I am certain were not safe products for my family. Like many I was greenwashed into formulating. I was paying attention to labels, not knowing or understanding the INCI lists on products I was purchasing at the store. If an INCI read anything but water, shea butter, coconut oil or emulsifying wax I was determined the product was filled with chemicals that were harmful. Today I look back and laugh at myself as now that I know better, I can do better. Again, the internet is largely to blame for this. There are a ton of mom blogs, diy blogs and craft blogs that fear monger parents and people into thinking that if its not all natural its going to cause cancer or kill us. What these blogs don't talk about is that natural cosmetics can be extremely harmful if they are not made and preserved properly. There is an abundance of people who make their first whipped body butter and that same week want to start selling products. Unfortunately this isn't safe nor is product formulation an overnight ordeal. Especially if water is involved. If you would like to start selling some products when you are brand new on the scene I would recommend consulting with an experienced formulator or cosmetic chemist and choosing a product(s) that you would like to start with , one that has been pre formulated and tested for stability, learn to make that product and sell that product while you learn how to formulate your own safely. In today's post I will cover beginner equipment, tomorrow beginner ingredients.


BEGINNER EQUIPMENT:


Stainless steel bowls



Jewelery Scale ( you can purchase one for larger batches down the road, this will work for the time being and is affordable )



Precision Scale ( if making make up or something with color powders that need to be weighed for consistency)



Stick ( Immersion ) Blender ( you DO NOT need an expensive immersion blender your motor will not burn out if you take care of it and rest it ( 5-10 seconds ) after every 30 seconds of use )


https://www.amazon.com/Bonsenkitchen-Handheld-Electric-Immersion-Stainless/dp/B09SH9XH37/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2NKQQQSTJZV5S&keywords=stick%2Bblender&qid=1681824667&sprefix=stick%2B%2Caps%2C98&sr=8-4&th=1


2 Thermometers ( With a wide temperature range )



Silicone Spatulas



Gloves



Hand Mixer

If you are whipping anhydrous butters (only)




PH Strips

When first starting out I would suggest purchasing the below linked Ph strips. A Ph meter will be needed down the road for a more accurate reading ( especially for Ph sensitive ingredients). I personally have purchased a variety of Ph meters ranging in price from $25 - $350 over the years. Unfortunately I did buy less expensive ones trying to save myself such a large purchase ( over $300 ), in the end it cost me far more money as none of the lower end Ph meters I purchased from Amazon read accurately or worked for longer than a few weeks. Ph strips are enough to get started with.



Whisks ( Great for 100g sample batches )



Lab Spoons ( Great for scooping ingredients and avoiding cross contamination )


https://www.amazon.com/Kuhn-Rikon-10-Inch-Double-Balloon/dp/B000H7MTV4/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1CUBSK40Z6VUF&keywords=globe%2Bwhisk&qid=1681859912&sprefix=globe%2Bwhisk%2Caps%2C126&sr=8-1&th=1


Look out for tomorrows post on beginner ingredients!


Happy Formulating :)






967 views0 comments
Apr 1, 20231 min read

Preserving Cosmetics For Beginners

Updated: Oct 4, 2023


Effectively preserving your cosmetic formulation is an absolute must! Water in any capacity ( even hummidity droplets from a steamy washroom) CAN and WILL cause bacteria to grow and mold to form. Vitamin mixed tocopherals is NOT a preservative nor is Rosemary extract despite what you may have read online, they are antioxidants, not preservatives. While they are important in a formulation they serve a much different purpose which we will cover in a later post. Beginner formulators should ALWAYS choose a BROAD SPECTRUM PRESERVATIVE! Why? So you don't choose the wrong preservative for your formulation.


When selecting a preservative what should you look for and how should you choose it?


You should look for a broad spectrum preservative first and foremost ( as mentioned above)


Look at the Ph range the preservative is active in! A preservative like Optiphen Plus will be

useless if it is NOT used in the Ph of 4-6. If your product is sitting at the Ph of 6.5, guess what? Your formulation will have no protection whatsoever. You also need to take Ph drift into account (we will cover Ph drift in another post).


ALWAYS CHECK YOUR PH


When should you add a preservative?


Know a preservatives temperature limits. If a preservative is added at a temperature that will deactivate it then it will not protect your formulation. ( Typically add in the cool down phase below 40c )


When making a cold press formulation add your preservative as early as possible, typically in the water phase.


How much preservative should I add?


Each preservative has a safety usage rate and you should know it and follow its guidelines.




315 views0 comments
Feb 22, 20233 min read

Formulating For Profit

Updated: Oct 4, 2023

A great formulator should be able to formulate a stable and effective product first and foremost, however if that product is costing its sale price it may be great on the skin/hair but won't be great for you as a business owner. With the rising cost of ingredients it is more important than ever to know your TARGET MARKET!!! What do I mean when I say this? Target market is a word that can be very loosely used. To formulate for a profit you need to get specific, VERY specific! It is a lot easier to formulate a product for a specific market and their budget than it is to formulate a product and find its market.


Where do your customers shop? Not just for products but for everything! Are they Walmart shoppers or Luxury Brand Shoppers? Or a bit of both? Do they shop at organic grocery stores or discount ones?

What kind of car do they drive?

Where do they work?

When they splurge what is it on?

What is their age group? (get specific and narrow it down)

Male or Female?

Do they hold any packaging values?

Do cosmo approved ingredients matter?

Are they label readers?

Where do they live?

Whats their income bracket? Disposable Income?

What is their ethnic background? ( this is important as different ethnicities have different needs especially for hair products)


GET IN THE MIND OF YOUR CUSTOMER!!!!


Think of absolutely everything you can about your consumer and develop a product that not only works for them but one they can AFFORD, and you can PROFIT from! Create your ideal customer on paper. If your customer shops primarily at Walmart and you are creating a body butter with upward of 20% of expensive exotic oils and butters you are cutting yourself short. How do places like Walmart still stock products with expensive ingredients like Argan Oil in them? Simple they are 1) Buying In mass bulk and 2) Using Argan Oil at 0.5% - 1.0% of their total formulation, just enough to get it on the label!


With an endless amount of products to formulate it is hard to narrow it down when it comes time to launch your starting line up. Choose a few and find some common denominator ingredients in them and purchase those in bulk!


When launching a product you should know your budget for development of that product. Whether you are formulating it yourself or hiring someone to formulate it for you, you need to know your own budget to launch as well as who and where you plan to sell that product. By doing this you can allocate your funds accordingly. When budgets aren't planned out and allocated accordingly they often get over spent on development and by the time of launch not much is left for labeling and packaging.


If formulating is new to you perhaps have a chemist revise your formulation ( with a non disclosure signed for your protection) to ensure its stable and to see if any adjustments can be made so that you can profit the way you are hoping to ( and deserve to ). Keep in mind that you are responsible for the product that is launched and ensuring it is safe for your customers. If you just started making products in the last couple months then this would be worth doing and could help avoid costly mistakes.



395 views0 comments
bottom of page