Handbook of Practical Formulating [PDF]

Zitiervorschau

Tips and Tricks to Improve Your Cosmetic Formulating Skills

Handbook of Practical Formulating A collection of articles to help you make better, more effective, cosmetic formulations

Perry Romanowski

Copyright 2015

1

ChemistsCorner.com

Introduction Creating cosmetic formulas is not something most people learn in college. Typically, you spend most of your time learning about theoretical principles of molecules, how to classify them, analyze them, and perhaps how to make them, but you don't learn what to do with those compounds you make. Creating cosmetics is all about combining different molecules and turning them into a mixture that has some useful application for the people who use them. For this reason you need to know what compounds to use, how to put them together, and how to create formulas. You also need to be able to test the finished formulas so you know whether you have a successful formulation or not. This book was put together to provide some tips and tricks to the cosmetic formulator. It includes four different sections categorized by where you are in the formulation process. The first part of the book relates to the prep work you need to do prior to formulating. The second section focuses on being in the lab and the prototyping process. The third section covers what you do with your prototypes after you've created them. And the last section covers various evaluation methods. Hopefully, you find this collection of articles helpful in your formulation career.

Perry Romanowski Cosmetic Formulator http://chemistscorner.com/

Copyright 2015

2

ChemistsCorner.com

Table Of Contents Introduction..............................................................2 Table Of Contents.......................................................3 Section 1 : Before Batching...........................................5 Philosophy of Minimalist Formulating.........................................5 Making Cosmetics the Scientific Way..........................................9 Essential Lab Equipment.......................................................12 Why cosmetic chemists must remain skeptical............................13 How to pick a Benchmark......................................................18 Using the 1% Line for Formulating...........................................20 Converting a formula from ounces to percent.............................23 How to Determine Cost of a Formulation...................................24 Switching Sources for Cosmetic Raw Materials............................26 5 Steps for Getting Replacement Raw Materials...........................28

Section 2 : Prototyping...............................................31 The 10 Different Types of Cosmetic Formulas.............................31 Working with Base Formulas..................................................35 How to Test Raw Materials....................................................39 What is the best ingredient to use?..........................................43 Evaluating Raw Material Marketing..........................................46 Conducting a Knockout Experiment.........................................49 How to Reduce the Cost of a Cosmetic Formula ..........................53 Three Ways to Make Surfactant Free Emulsions..........................56 So you want to formulate sulfate free?.....................................57 Strategies for formulating green products.................................60 Becoming an excellent cosmetic formulator...............................63

Section 3 : Post Batching.............................................65 What are cosmetic product specifications?................................65

Copyright 2015

3

ChemistsCorner.com

Controlling Cosmetic Product Quality.......................................68 How to save a cosmetic batch................................................70 7 Tricks for Saving a Bad Body Wash Batch.................................73 Salt Curve Analysis..............................................................76

Section 4 : Product Evaluation......................................78 Cosmetic Chemists Should Always Try Their Products...................78 Becoming a cosmetic evaluation expert....................................81 When should you reformulate?...............................................85 How do you know if a cosmetic raw material works?....................87 Demonstrating a cosmetic benefit...........................................90 Cosmetic formula testing – Triangle Test...................................93

Section 5 : Resources.................................................96 Cosmetic Formulating Checklist..............................................96 Formulation tool kit...........................................................100

Copyright 2015

4

ChemistsCorner.com

Section 1 : Before Batching

Philosophy of Minimalist Formulating I was once discussing a formula on which another cosmetic chemist was working. Without getting into the exact details, she was working with another cosmetic chemist to develop a moisturizing shampoo. She showed me the list of ingredients (LOI) and it had over 20 ingredients. This included a half dozen cleansing surfactants, a dozen extracts, multiple conditioning ingredients, and multiple solvents. It was astounding that a cosmetic chemist could create such a formula. In my estimation, the formula could have and should have been made with fewer than 10 ingredients. But then it occurred to me that perhaps my formulation philosophy is not typical in the cosmetic industry. However, it should be because it leads to the best performing and safest products in the most efficient manner possible. So before going further in this book, it makes sense to explain this formulation philosophy. It basically influences everything else written here.

Cosmetic formulating philosophy

I'm a formulation minimalist. That is, I believe that the best formulas are the ones that use the least amount of cosmetic ingredients at the lowest level to produce noticeable differences. “Use the least amount of ingredients at the lowest levels that produce noticeable differences”

Copyright 2015

5

ChemistsCorner.com

This philosophy has a number of advantages including 1. Low inventory of ingredients 2. Low chemical exposure 3. Low production of environmental waste 4. Low cost of final formula 5. Low complication during scale-up The biggest advantage of this cosmetic formulating philosophy is that it allows you a way to determine whether one formula is “superior” to another. I'll explain this in a moment. Not just the cheapest formula

Before getting into the specifics of the philosophy, you should know that Formulation Minimalism is NOT a philosophy of just creating the cheapest formula possible. Instead, it is about creating a formula with the greatest value for the consumer. In this philosophy, PERFORMANCE and safety always trumps cost. However, superior performance has to be demonstrably noticeable by the consumer. Unfortunately, this is rarely true. How to be a formulation minimalist

Here are the 6 primary principles of minimalist formulation. Throughout this book I think about these principles to inform formulation choices.

Principle 1: Less is more The basic tenet of formulation minimalism is that fewer ingredients at lower concentrations are superior. So theoretically, the best formulation will have one ingredient at a low level. Of course, this can't be the only thing driving your formulating efforts as it would lead to formulas that perform significantly worse than ones that have multiple ingredients. Remember that performance is a major consideration. But this idea of fewer ingredients being better can help you decide whether to add another ingredient to your formula.

Copyright 2015

6

ChemistsCorner.com

Principle 2: Know why you add any ingredient This naturally leads us to our next principle. Always know why you are adding an ingredient. As a cosmetic formulator you will frequently inherit a formula from another chemist or you might have a starting formula from someone else. Before trying to improve the formula, you should conduct a knockout experiment to determine which ingredients are most important and which aren't necessary. You should also have a set of standard tests and run the formulas through them to determine exactly which characteristics you want to improve. How will you know that a formula has been improved with the addition of an ingredient? Testing!

Principle 3: Blind test your products Richard Feynman said it best when he was describing how science is done in The Pleasure of Finding Things Out. Science is a way of trying not to fool yourself. The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool.

When you are formulating you will naturally feel some affection for your creations. Formulas are like works of art. It's how we express ourselves as cosmetic chemists. But don't fall in love with your own work unless it is warranted. Doing blinded tests on formulas is the ONLY way to ensure that your work is as good as you think and deserving of your love. If you remain rational and continue to make judgments about your work based on results, you'll create a demonstrably superior formula. That is the goal of formulation minimalism.

Copyright 2015

7

ChemistsCorner.com

Principle 4: Always compare to a standard This is related to principle 3 but I state it separately because it is critical. Whenever you begin a formulating effort, you should always have some target that you are trying to beat. Find a similar product or use your best performing prototype. Then when you find a prototype that beats the standard, make this the new standard. Comparing to the best standard is the only way you are going to know you've created a better product. And changing standards when it's warranted should be done. Use caution however, as single experiments should never be taken as definitive evidence against a well-tested standard.

Principle 5: Start with high levels and cut back as needed When creating a formula, don't worry too much about using low levels. In fact, I suggest you use high levels. Use the levels that the supplier suggest and see how the product performs. The initial prototype should not be the place to start optimizing. This happens after you have something that performs well. However, at this stage you should minimize the number of ingredients you are using. This way it will be less complicated to figure out which ingredients are actually having an effect.

Principle 6: Make lots of prototypes & adjust The final principle is all about making and testing lots of prototypes. If you want to create a great formula, the odds that you make it in one try are practical nil. So often people create a formula, then stop right after the first successful batch. Don't fall into this trap! I know it will take longer but at the end of the process you'll have a superior formula. Make at least a dozen prototypes to start and then a dozen more after you've tested those. The process you used should be make, test, adjust, repeat. Keep doing this until you've gotten to the least number of ingredients at the lowest level to still achieve the performance that you want.

Copyright 2015

8

ChemistsCorner.com

Making Cosmetics the Scientific Way Making cosmetics can be done by almost anyone whether you have scientific training or not. Certainly, it is easier for cosmetic chemists to create new formulas because they won't need to take as much time figuring out the science behind everything, but making cosmetics is not brain surgery. In fact, it is closer to cooking than anything else. If you are able to follow recipes and have an interest in cooking, making cosmetics might be just the perfect hobby or business for you. Here is a 10-step, science based method for making cosmetic products.

Step 1 - Learn about the existing products when someone gets the notion to make their own cosmetic the first thing they usually do is to ask for a formula. But this is the wrong place to start. There are hundreds of different types of cosmetic products and they have lots of different names. So, first you want to learn what is a cosmetic. Next, you'll want to learn what are the different types of cosmetic products. With this background you'll be able to narrow down to the exact type of cosmetic that you want to make.

Step 2 - Get a formula There are lots of sources for formulations that are freely available on the Internet. We have previously put together this list of free cosmetic formulas. Go there to find a starting formula.

Step 3 - Learn the rational behind the formula Unfortunately, just getting a formula then making it right away will not do much to help develop your skills as a formulator. What you have to do is go

Copyright 2015

9

ChemistsCorner.com

through and look at all the chemicals used in the formula. Figure out why each raw material is used in the formula and why it is used at a particular level. This will take a little investigation but you can find it out. And if you can't find the answer, you can always ask one of the experts in our cosmetic science forum.

Step 4 - Get the needed equipment Before you can begin making cosmetics, you'll need to get the equipment to do it. It is unlikely you'll have much of this stuff on hand but you can get the equipment via eBay, laboratory catalogs, or even at your local science shop. Here is a list of all the key cosmetic lab equipment you'll need for making cosmetics.

Step 5 - Get the raw materials One of the things that makes making cosmetics harder than cooking is that you can't go to the local grocery store for raw materials. But there are sources for these things. Here is a list of where to find cosmetic raw materials.

Step 6 - Make your first batch After you've got your equipment and raw materials, the fun begins. Find a lab bench, set up your equipment, weigh out your raw materials and begin mixing. Follow the instructions and be sure to write down in a lab notebook everything that you see. Note how much of an ingredient you put in, what the temperature is, how the batch changes, and anything else you can think of. These notes will be helpful for when you make the cosmetic in the future. And they will be extremely helpful if you are going to try to make even bigger batches. I would suggest you start small with your first attempt (maybe 500 - 600 grams). Also, be sure to use preservatives and make the product in as aseptic conditions as you can. You do not want to injure yourself with contaminated cosmetics.

Copyright 2015

10

ChemistsCorner.com

Step 7 - Evaluate the finished product When you are finished with your batch, evaluate whether it came out the way you expected. Typically, you will have a benchmark formula that you are trying to create products against. If you did, great. If not, try to figure out what went wrong.

Step 8 - Test the finished formula The next step to making your cosmetics is to test them out. I recommend always trying your own formulas. If you aren't going to try your own products, why would you think anyone else would want to use them? And if you have plans to sell your cosmetics be sure to do all the testing required to ensure you are producing a high quality, safe product. This article on cosmetic testing will be helpful.

Step 9 - Figure out how to make it better It's unlikely that you'll make a perfect cosmetic right away. Figure out where your product doesn't match up to expectations then adjust the formulation to compensate for the problems. If you are not getting enough foam, increase the surfactant. If it is too drying increase the moisturizing ingredients or decrease the ones that might be causing dryness. This is done through trial and error so it takes experience to get it right.

Step 10 - Repeat the process Once you've figured out refinements to make, create another batch. See if it is better and keep repeating until you've made the best cosmetic you can make. After that, congratulations! You are a cosmetic chemist. Follow these steps to making cosmetics you will be on your way to creating makeup formulas which you can proudly sell to the world. Of course, if you're working for a company, your company owns them, but if you ever

Copyright 2015

11

ChemistsCorner.com

want to start a makeup line, you'll have some excellent formulations to start.

Essential Lab Equipment To be a cosmetic chemist and make cosmetic products, there is certain pieces of equipment you’ll need. Here is a list of the basic equipment for setting up a cosmetic lab. Weighing equipment. To make proper measurements of the raw materials, you’ll need a good balance. Be sure to get one that can measure up to at least 500g. Other weighing equipment that helps includes disposable pipettes (for measuring liquids) and weigh boats (for measuring solids). Containers. The most common container you’ll use to make a cosmetic formula is a beaker. You’ll need a variety of sizes because you’ll be making different sized batches. Be sure to have a number of 500mL, 800mL, 1000mL, 1500ml and 2000mL beakers. You really want 400g to be the minimum size batch you make. Mixers. In college, you most frequently used a magnetic stirrer to mix your creations. These are rarely used in a cosmetic lab. For mixing, you’ll want an industrial type mixer, something like the Lightnin mixer. It is like a single blade hand mixer with a variable speed control. Quite handy. Controlling Temperature. Most cosmetic formulas require heating and cooling so a good hot plate is a must. Sometimes you can air cool batches but for things like emulsions, you’ll want to have a water bath for cooling it down quickly. This could simply be a tub you fill with cold water and ice.

Copyright 2015

12

ChemistsCorner.com

Testing equipment. After you’ve finished a cosmetic formulation, you’ll need to test it to ensure that it meets specifications. For this, you’ll want to have a pH meter and a viscometer (for measuring rheology). Raw Materials. Of course no cosmetic lab would be complete without a good stock of cosmetic raw materials. Which of these you have will depend on the type of formulas you make. Everyone will want to have a supply of deionized water. Most will also want to have a stock of common preservatives, acids, bases, and dye solutions. Fortunately, if you work for a company they’ll have this equipment for you. They’ll also have more specific equipment for the types of formulas you’ll mostly be working on. However, if you are setting up your own lab or helping your company get into the field of cosmetic science, be sure to stock your lab with the proper equipment.

Why cosmetic chemists must remain skeptical In a recent discussion on our cosmetic science forum about functional cosmetic ingredients a commenter complained that my positions were too demoralizing. I suspect my skepticism about the effectiveness of certain ingredients came off a bit harsh, but also my message was misunderstood. In this post I'll try to clarify my meaning. In reading through the entire discussion I'm struck by the lack of skepticism that many of the scientists and formulators display. Although we are people like everyone else, I would think our training should make us less prone to non-skeptical positions. And though skeptical thinking is not how humans naturally evaluate the world there are excellent reasons why scientists can benefit from being most skeptical.

Copyright 2015

13

ChemistsCorner.com

What is skeptical thinking First, we should cover what is meant by skeptical thinking. Skepticism just means following a specific logical process when evaluating the validity of claims. It involves keeping an open mind and questioning whether a claim is supported by empirical research and has demonstrable reproducibility. The scientific method is a critical tool in the evaluation of these claims. It is extremely difficult to evaluate everything in life skeptically, but it is crucial if you want to avoid following fallacious beliefs. And when you are formulating, striving to create the best products possible you will only be able to do this by critically examining all your beliefs about the functionality of any ingredient.

How can formulators benefit? While the benefits of removing from your mind unsupported or erroneous beliefs seem obvious, not everyone would agree. There are some things that we want to believe or our gut tells us is true even if we can't prove it. This is the philosophy of people who are staunch supporters of the precautionary principle. For them, you just need a gut feeling that an ingredient is bad to ban it. As a skeptic I find this philosophy mistaken and irrational. But even if you support that kind of philosophy there are still other reasons for a formulator to be skeptical.

Make Functional formulas One of the primary benefits of being skeptical is that you will be more likely to make formulas that work. You will not waste your time chasing after technologies that have no chance of working. Having a skeptical mindset when creating your formulas will force you to review your formulations with a critical eye. You will not fall in love with your ideas or technologies and

Copyright 2015

14

ChemistsCorner.com

exaggerate positive results while ignoring negative results. Find real innovations There is so much opportunity in cosmetic formulation to create products that out perform the ones that are on the market. However, you will not find real innovations if you spend all your time chasing after technologies you like and ignoring ones that you don't. Petrolatum is currently the best skin moisturizer from a functional standpoint. Any innovation that you are pursuing has to outperform petrolatum on a blinded basis. If it doesn't, move on and look for the next innovation. Being skeptical allows you to find these innovative technologies because it prevents you from becoming enamored with ones that just aren't going to pan out.

Inspire supplier innovation In addition to your own innovation, being a skeptical formulator will also inspire raw material suppliers to become more innovative. If they are not selling ingredients that have a good story but don't work in practice, they will be more likely to find or develop technologies that actually work in a demonstrable way. When you take a supplier's technology that doesn't work as they say you are contributing to the dearth of innovative technologies in the cosmetic industry. Being skeptical will inspire supplier innovation.

How to be skeptical

Verify all results. As a cosmetic scientist you will be inundated with marketing information from cosmetic raw material suppliers. They will present you all kinds of impressive claims which may even be backed up by actual lab studies. However, remember they are trying to sell you something so you need to be highly skeptical of any data that they show you. If you didn't run the study you should doubt that it is true. Now this doesn't mean you completely reject any study you didn't perform, it just means until you

Copyright 2015

15

ChemistsCorner.com

verify the functionality of an ingredient you should assume that the data you've been shown is highly suspect. Reject anecdotal evidence. This is probably the hardest one for people to do. Just because you've experienced a positive result using a technology doesn't mean that it works or that other people will experience the same results. Your experience or anecdotal evidence can guide your research and help you in developing hypotheses however, it is a terrible thing to base your conclusions on. You (and all people) are easily fooled. We want to believe that our experiences are correct. This is not how science works. Unless you can validate the performance of a technology on a double-blinded basis you should be highly skeptical that there is a positive effect. I know it's difficult to conduct these tests but this is the only way to know. Don't trick yourself and you are the easiest person to trick.

Question your beliefs. The best way to be skeptical is to ask questions and conduct blinded experiments. When a supplier shows you a technology and the evidence to support it ask for the data or method they followed. Better yet, ask for a sample and conduct some blinded studies yourself. And just because you read about a technology that worked in the lab that does not mean the technology will work when applied on skin from a topical treatment. You need to test it in your base, with your raw materials, produced by you. And do this on a blinded basis.

Reality based formulating Remember science is science and reality is just how it is. If things are not the way we want them to be we shouldn't pretend that they are. As scientists it is up to us to have the highest standards when it comes to proof of effectiveness. Be willing to believe, but before supporting a specific ingredient in a formula at a certain level because it's going to have some effect on the skin, you need to demonstrate whether it's noticeably functional or not. If you can't

Copyright 2015

16

ChemistsCorner.com

demonstrate that an ingredient used at a significant level is superior to using a drop of that ingredient then there is really no reason to use a high level. You owe it to your

Copyright 2015

17

ChemistsCorner.com

How to pick a Benchmark Whenever you start a new project it is a great idea that you find an existing formula that will serve as a benchmark for your formulation efforts. Typically, your marketing person will propose a benchmark for you but you should also have your own benchmark that you try to outperform. Here are some guidelines on picking a cosmetic product benchmark and using it to guide formulation.

What is benchmarking Before picking a benchmark it's helpful to know what it is. A benchmark is an existing formula that has many of the same characteristics that you want in your future formulation. It doesn't have to be exactly what you are trying to create, but it should give you a target for your formulation to meet or exceed.

Factors in picking a benchmark There are a number of things to consider when picking a benchmark but the most important things include. 1. Market Position - While the best selling product is not necessarily the best performing product, you still want to make sure that your new formulation performs as well as the most popular product. No matter what, you should always be sure you compare favorable to the market leader. Use market data to find out which is the market leader. If you don't have access to that, go to your local store and see which of the products they stock the most of. 2. Performance - The best benchmark is the one that performs the best and you should look at the market to find this. To find the best performing benchmark you should get samples of all the competitive products you can find and run them through a series of lab / consumer tests to figure out Copyright 2015

18

ChemistsCorner.com

which is best. When I was working on hair care products, the Pantene formula consistently scored highest on both our lab and consumer tests. It's important to note that these were blinded tests so as to not bias the results. When you are trying to identify the best performing product in your category, always do blinded testing. 3. Aesthetics - For some products, the performance is not equivalent to the aesthetics. For example, a body wash could perform great on a foam test but preform terribly on a consumer evaluation. Therefore, you should also find a benchmark that is aesthetically the strongest product on the market. 4. Cost - While you would like to compare yourself to the best product on the market, sometimes you don't have to. If you are competing in the 99 cent shampoo category, you don't necessarily have to create a formula that beats a $5 a bottle shampoo. The final cost of your own product should be considered when finding a good benchmark. 5. Manufacturing - Sometimes your marketing people will direct you to pick a benchmark that clearly requires some special manufacturing equipment to create. You should shy away from this kind of benchmark unless buying the equipment needed to make it is a possibility. There is no reason to create a final formula that your company can't mass produce. 6. Patents - The final thing to consider when picking a benchmark is to find formulas that have patents and ensure that you avoid infringing on them. You can endeavor to copy them but remember you can't sell anything that might infringe on another company's patents.

Using a benchmark Once you've picked your benchmark you need to come up with a battery of tests to quantify how well it performs. This will be highly dependent on the type of product it is but it should include a mix of lab tests and panel tests.

Copyright 2015

19

ChemistsCorner.com

You should use the product yourself too to get a good sense of how it performs. Be sure to conduct blinded tests so you can't easily pick the samples. And also repeat tests multiple times to see if you get consistent results. For something like a shampoo you might run the following tests. 1. Foam test (with and without oil) 2. Tress combing test 3. Tress washing test 4. Panel test Use the scores from these tests to set benchmark levels for you to meet or exceed. Benchmarks are a great way to help guide your formulations and also show data to your bosses that the formula you created is every bit as good as the competition. You should use a benchmark for every product you formulate.

Using the 1% Line for Formulating A fun activity for any cosmetic chemist is to look at a list of ingredients (LOI) and try to determine where is the 1% line. If you don't know the 1% line refers to the place in the LOI which indicates where the concentration of ingredients is less than 1%. According to cosmetic labeling rules everything in the formula that is used in a concentration higher than 1% is required to be listed in order of concentration. At 1% or below, you can list it in any order. So, if you can figure out where the 1% line is a formulator can get a pretty good idea of the concentration of the main ingredients in the formula. Let's look at an example. Here is a color-enhancing hair conditioner. Water, Cetearyl alcohol, Glycerin, Behentrimonium chloride, Cetyl esters, Isopropyl myristate, Quaternium-80, Polysorbate 20,

Copyright 2015

20

ChemistsCorner.com

Fragrance, Methylparaben, Polyquaternium-37, Mineral oil, Benzophenone-3, Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate

Where is the 1% line? In doing this exercise you want to start with the last ingredient and work your way up the list to figure out where the 1% line might be. Once you figure this out you can guess at what the formula concentration of the other ingredients might be. It also helps to know what most of the ingredients do and some of their approximate use levels. Since I know that Methylparaben is a preservative, there's no reason it would ever be used as high as 1%. So, we can figure that everything after that ingredient is also used at a level of less than 1%. That brings us to our first principle... Preservatives are almost never used at a level of 1%

Other ingredients like colors (except for color cosmetics) and fragrances are rarely used above 1%. So in this list, fragrance is also probably under 1%. That brings us to Polysorbate 20. This ingredient is used as a solubilizer typically for fragrance so it is like that it is not used at a 1% level either. Usually a 1:1 ratio of fragrance to solubilizer is used. Ignoring everything we've looked at thus far we are down to the following ingredients... Water, Cetearyl alcohol, Glycerin, Behentrimonium chloride, Cetyl esters, Isopropyl myristate, Quaternium-80

Educated guess at the formula Now that we've narrowed down the number of ingredients we can guess at what a reasonable percentage might be for the remaining ingredients. I know that conditioners are mostly water so this formula contains at least 90% water. If we figure that the last ingredients, Quaternium-80, is used at just

Copyright 2015

21

ChemistsCorner.com

about 1% we can start to fill in reasonable guesses for the other ingredients. Here is a reasonable starting formula. •Water

90%

•Cetearyl Alcohol

4.5%

•Glycerin

1.5%

•Behentrimonium Chloride

1%

•Cetyl Esters

1%

•Isopropyl Myristate

1%

•Quaternium-80

1%

Remember the total formula should equal 100%. This would just be a guess and I know it is not exactly the formula because we've left out all the other ingredients that are less than 1%. But this formula should get you reasonably close. Incidentally, I could be mistaken and both Quaternium-80 and Isopropyl Myristate might be used at levels lower than 1% (say 0.75%) but it seems a reasonable guess.

Next steps After creating this approximate formula, the next step would be to make a batch of it and see how it turns out. Then you try tweaking the levels and adding some of those ingredients that we ignored at levels under 1%. Eventually, you should be able to create something that performs similar to the product you are trying to emulate. This is a fun exercise and I would encourage you to go find other cosmetic ingredient lists and try to see if you can figure out where is the 1% line.

Copyright 2015

22

ChemistsCorner.com

Converting a formula from ounces to percent Converting your formula from ounces to percentages is an important skill for cosmetic chemists to learn. So here we provide the simple steps for anyone who might not know how to do it. Step 1 — Add up the common mass terms If you have the mass of formulas you can simply add up all of the like terms. So, if you have something in ounces, you can add up those. If you have other masses in grams, add those up separately. Step 2 — Convert masses to grams Since it's easier to do calculations in metric units it is useful to convert the ounces into grams. This is done by multiplying ounces by 28.3495231. So, 2.0 ounces = 56.7 grams. Step 3 — Convert volume measurements to masses (grams) The challenge comes when you have some values in volume rather than mass. Volume units have to be converted to mass before you can add them. To do this, you have to know the specific gravity of a liquid. This website gives some helpful values. Step 4 — Find the total mass of the formula Once you've changed all the units to grams, you need to add up the total amount of grams. This will give you the formula's mass total. Step 5 — Figure out individual percentages The next step is to figure out the individual percentages. To do this take the individual gram mass and divide it by the total gram mass. Step 6 — Double check your figures To make sure you've got everything right add up the individual percentages. They should equal 100%.

Copyright 2015

23

ChemistsCorner.com

How to Determine Cost of a Formulation Deciding on the use level of raw materials in a cosmetic formula is an important aspect of formulation. However, product performance is only one factor that you should consider when formulating. Additionally, you have to consider the cost of a formula. But before you can consider the cost, you have to be able to figure out how to determine the final cost. In this short post we'll show you how.

Step 1 - Start with a formula We are going to assume that you already have created a formula. Use this cosmetic formulation spreadsheet to make it easier for you. The key is that when you make your formula you have to know what % of the ingredient is in your formula. This means you have to equalize your formulas by weight. For example, if you are following a formula like this that calls for cups, teaspoons, and tablespoons of ingredients, you have to convert those units to % weight. The best way is to weigh all your ingredients and determine the number of GRAMS that you are using. Once all the ingredients are in terms of grams, you can figure out what % in the formula they are. The cosmetic formulation spreadsheet does this for you automatically.

Step 2 - Get your raw material costs To get your formulation costs, you need to know the costs of each of your raw materials. This is something you should be able to get from the supplier. Although if you work at a large company you might have to go to your Purchasing department because they will have the real prices that your company pays. All the costs should be in the same units.

Copyright 2015

24

ChemistsCorner.com

Since I formulated in America, we took all the costs in terms of Dollars per Pound. Most other places in the world you are going to use Cost per Kilogram. It doesn't matter which you use as long as all the raw materials are consistently in the same units. Also, the final number that you get will be in the same units as the cost of the raw materials.

Step 3 - Multiply formula % and cost Next, multiply the % of the ingredient by the cost and divide by 100. So, if your ingredient is in the formula at 20% and it costs $4 per pound, you multiply 20 * 4 / 100 = 0.80. The partial cost of that ingredient in the formula is $0.80. This is what I call the residual cost.

Step 4 - Add up the residual costs to get total formula cost Then it is just a matter of adding up all the residual costs to find the final formula cost. Pretty easy (especially if you are using the cosmetic formulation spreadsheet).

There you have it. 4 steps to calculating the cost of your formulation. No complicated math required. If you have any questions, leave a comment below.

Copyright 2015

25

ChemistsCorner.com

Switching Sources for Cosmetic Raw Materials

How do you go about switching ingredient vendors? If you want to switch vendors because of lower prices and lower minimums what do you do?

Why switch cosmetic ingredient sources Before we answer, it is a good idea to explain why you would want to have an alternate source for a raw material. There are a number of reasons. 1. Price - You can get the raw material for lower cost. An excellent reason to switch suppliers. 2. Lower minimums - You can buy less of the ingredient. This is particularly important for small businesses. 3. Insurance - If you have a single source, you are at the mercy of your supplier. You should have other sources just in case something goes wrong. 4. Reliability - You need to have a supplier who will be able to reliably fill your orders.

Changing cosmetic raw materials sources Unfortunately, changing from one source to another is not so simple as just buying from a new source. The primary problem is that just because ingredients have the same name, that doesn't mean they are the same material. INCI names cover a wide range of mixed materials. Another problem is that suppliers often make raw materials in a different way which can lead to different residual materials in the finished product. These residuals can wreck havoc with your formula. The bottom line is that you can't just switch raw materials from one source to another without testing.

Copyright 2015

26

ChemistsCorner.com

How to approve alternate suppliers To approve a new supplier there are a number of things you need to do. First, you need to make sure the specs for the ingredient match. To do this, you can look at the certificate of analysis (C of A) that the new supplier provides with samples. Compare this to your current spec and note where there are differences. Then you can tell the new supplier changes in the specs that you can make. It may also be easier to just give the new supplier your specs. Remember, specifications are negotiable. Once you have the specs for the new material, you'll need to make batches and run some tests. The first test is simply to see what happens to your batch when you use the new raw material. Check the pH, viscosity, appearance, order, and anything else that might be different. You should also conduct performance tests. Finally, if things look good you'll have to conduct stability tests of the formula in your final packaging. Once you are satisfied that you can't tell any differences you can start using the new raw material. Note, it may make sense to make a batch where you blend the new raw material with your current source just to make sure that you can safely blend the two ingredients in the future. Sometimes when you are making a batch you may run out of a raw material and be forced to use something from a different supplier.

Testing depends on material There are some ingredients where it's not too risky to use an alternate supplier. Things like Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, and Salt will be so similar that there is little risk in using a different source. But materials like natural ingredients, fatty alcohols, and surfactants are much more risky. For these you'll want to do a full battery of tests.

Copyright 2015

27

ChemistsCorner.com

5 Steps for Getting Replacement Raw Materials There are a number of reasons why you might want to find a replacement for a raw material you currently using. It could be because the supplier can't get you the ingredient, you can save money on your formula, the product is no longer stable, or for marketing reasons you want to change. If you're going to switch out a raw material you can do it in the most efficient way by following these 5 steps.

Understand what the ingredient does in the formula If you inherit a formula as most formulators do, there are probably ingredients included for which you are not sure the function. You need to figure this out before you switch for something new. Also, you may think you know the function of the ingredient but it could have multiple functions in your formula. To best figure out the importance of an ingredient for which you want to find a replacement, do a cosmetic knockout experiment, comparing your full formula versus the formula without the target ingredient. This will give you an idea of the performance impact of the ingredient plus the aesthetic impact on the formula.

Find potential replacements Once you know the full impact of the ingredient on your formula you can find potential replacements. The easiest thing to do is to ask your suppliers for their suggested replacements. Certainly, you should get samples of those ingredients. But a single ingredient replacement might not work. You may have to find multiple materials to replace all the functionality of a single ingredient. For example, Guar Hydroxypropyl Trimonium Chloride has both a conditioning effect and some thickening effect. Instead of finding a single ingredient to replace it you could find a new thickener (e.g. Hydroxyethylcellulose) plus a conditioning ingredient (e.g. Polyquat-7).

Copyright 2015

28

ChemistsCorner.com

Sometimes it's not a simple replacement.

Create prototypes Once you get your potential ingredients start making your prototypes. Ideally, you can make multiple formulas at the same time using the same ingredients. When you compare replacements you should keep as much the same as possible. Also, be sure to create a control sample so you know how your new formula compares to your current formula. Take special note of any manufacturing changes you have to make to incorporate the new ingredient. This will be important when you write the manufacturing instructions later.

Test prototype functionality After you've made the prototypes you'll want to test them to see if they function the way you want them to. See how they compare to your control formula. Of course, you only need to test the formulas that hold together properly. If they separate or don't look right either try again or reject that replacement alternative. The specific tests you run will depend on the type of formula you are making. Foam tests for cleansing products, moisturizing tests for moisturizing products, etc. For all your formulas you should have a standard battery of tests that you routinely conduct and compare your prototypes to those standards.

Test prototype stability Finally, if any of your replacement ingredient prototypes look promising you'll want to do a stability test to make sure it stays together. Having a great functioning product is great but if it isn't stable you won't be able to sell it. I recommend doing functionality tests before stability tests however because there is no point in finding a stable product that doesn't perform the way you want it. Plus, you can always fix a formula that has stability issues.

Copyright 2015

29

ChemistsCorner.com

You can't improve a functional deficit without having to repeat your stability test. Remember, stability tests should always be the last test you do. Much of your time as a formulator will be spent finding replacement ingredients either for cost savings reasons, marketing reasons, or just trying to improve your formulas. Following these 5 steps will help make the process more efficient and effective.

Copyright 2015

30

ChemistsCorner.com

Section 2 : Prototyping

The 10 Different Types of Cosmetic Formulas While there are literally thousands of different types of cosmetic products, there are actually only 10 different types of cosmetic formulas. Here is a brief overview of those types including what they are, how they’re made and when you might use them. As a formulating chemist, you should make it a point to learn to make each type (even if your company currently doesn’t make these particular products).

10 Cosmetic Product Forms The basic categories for cosmetic formulas include 1. Solutions 2. Creams / Emulsions 3. Lotions 4. Ointments / Pastes 5. Suspensions 6. Tablets 7. Powders 8. Gels 9. Sticks 10. Aerosols

Solution Cosmetics These are the simplest type of cosmetic formulas and are used for a wide range of products such as shampoos, body wash, hand cleansers, colognes,

Copyright 2015

31

ChemistsCorner.com

etc. They are homogeneous mixtures of soluble ingredients. To make them you simply fill your container with the main diluent (usually water) then mix the rest of the ingredients into it. Sometimes warming the system slightly will increase the speed at which you can make them.

Creams / Emulsions The majority of cosmetics use raw materials that are not compatible so a cream or emulsion is used. Emulsions are pseudo stable mixtures of immiscible liquids dispersed in another liquid. They are used for products like hand moisturizers, make up, hair conditioners, sunscreens, etc. To create them you need three formula components including an oil phase, aqueous phase, and an emulsifier. The formulas are made by heating up the oil and water phases separately, mixing them together (along with the emulsifier) when they are hot, and cooling them down with thorough mixing. The result is a cream with tiny particles of dispersed in the diluent phase. See this article on emulsion HLB for more information on creating emulsions.

Lotions Creams are not always appropriate for some applications because they can be too heavy or greasy. In these cases, the lotion form is used. Lotions are essentially thin creams. They are used for facial moisturizers, leave-in hair conditioners, and moisturizing cleansers. Since these are emulsions, you make them the same way you would a cream. They are generally easier because you do not have to worry about the emulsion getting thick enough as it cools down.

Suspensions Suspensions are another product form for delivering incompatible ingredients. Unlike creams, they are typically clear products with visible particles like gelatin beads or inorganic minerals (e.g titanium dioxide) suspended throughout. They are used for sunscreens, hand washes or shampoos. To create them you need to include a polymer or clay that gives

Copyright 2015

32

ChemistsCorner.com

the formula some internal suspending structure. Ingredients like Carbomer or bentonite clays are useful.

Ointments / Pastes These are super thick products used for things like hairdressing and medicated skin products. Usually, they are anhydrous (contain no water) and are sticky & greasy. Some common ingredients used to create pastes include petrolatum, lanolin, or dimethicone. Making them is a simple matter of heating up the raw materials and rapidly mixing them until they are dispersed.

Tablets & Capsules Another product form that is often used for creating color cosmetics is the tablet. These are physically blended solids that are held together by being pressed into shape. You’ll need special equipment to create these products. They are also generally more expensive.

Powders One of the most common types of product forms for color cosmetics is powders. Powders are also used for products like baby powder & foot powder. They are just mixtures of solid raw materials blended together into a fine powder. Some typical ingredients include talc, silicates, and starch. Special equipment is needed when making these products as the fine powder can be dangerous.

Gels Another common form of cosmetic products is gels. These are thick products, typically clear, and have a property known as “shear thinning”. This means they stay thick until you apply a force which makes them thin and flowable. Anyone who has tried to get ketchup out of a bottle knows what we’re talking about. Gels are used for hair products, body washes, shaving

Copyright 2015

33

ChemistsCorner.com

products, and in toothpaste. They are made by using a gelling agent such as an acrylic polymer, a natural gum or a cellulosic thickener.

Sticks Sometimes you need to create a product that the consumer won’t necessarily want to touch, for example, lipstick or underarm deodorant. In these cases you’ll use a stick product form. Sticks are solid delivery forms that deliver active ingredients through a rubbing action. The way you create them is by using mostly materials that are solid at room temperature. The ingredients are heated until they melt, mixed, and poured into either a mold or the final container. When they cool, they take the shape of their packaging.

Aerosols Aerosols are more of a packaging product form than a specific formulation type. You could actually create an aerosol out of almost any cosmetic formulation if you have the right can, propellant, and nozzle set-up. Aerosols are any cosmetic delivered from a pressurized can. They are composed of a concentrate and a propellant. You first make the formula as you would any other cosmetic, then fill it into the can. You seal the can and pressurize it using the appropriate propellant. Recent VOC (volatile organic compounds) regulations have reduced the use of aerosols in cosmetic products.

Copyright 2015

34

ChemistsCorner.com

Working with Base Formulas When you start out as a cosmetic formulator you will not be asked to come up with your own formulas. There may be some exceptions at small companies or contract manufacturers but at companies that have established brands and products new cosmetic chemists don't get to be terribly creative. Instead, you will be working with base formulas.

Cosmetic base formulas Base formulas are in-house or stock formulas that your company owns. Typically, they are recipes which have been developed over a number of years and have a lot of testing behind them. They also have a proven track record in the market and are easy for the production people to make. New chemists are assigned base formulas primarily because they are a great way to learn formulating without being too risky. Also, there are a lot of financial incentives to using base formulas

How are base formulas used? In every cosmetic laboratory there is a list of all the formulas you create for producing products. What you will notice about these formulas is that while there may be hundred of variants there are often only a couple of dozen "different" formulas. To see the base formula in action, let's take a look at how a company like Suave uses base formulas. Suave has a line of products called Suave Naturals. In this line they have a number of different varieties (or SKUs) such as Coconut, Sun-Ripened Strawberry, Wild Cherry, and more. Here is their Coconut Shampoo with the following ingredient list.

Copyright 2015

35

ChemistsCorner.com

Water (Aqua), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamide Mea, Ammonium Chloride, Glycol Distearate, Fragrance (Parfum), Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Tetrasodium Edta, Dmdm Hydantoin, Citric Acid, Ammonium Xylenesulfonate, Propylene Glycol, Tocopheryl Acetate [Vitamin E Acetate], Isopropyl Palmitate, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Silk Amino Acids, Honey, PPG-9, Urtica Diocia (Nettle) Extract

It's a pretty standard formula with featuring Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Cocamide MEA and thickened with Hysroxypropyl Methylcellulose. Now take a look at another Suave Natural formula Waterfall Mist. Water (Aqua), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamide Mea, Ammonium Chloride, Fragrance (Parfum), Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Tetrasodium Edta, Dmdm Hydantoin, Citric Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate [Vitamin E Acetate], Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Ppg-9, Spirulina Maxima Extract, Mentha Aquatica Leaf Extract, Nymphaea Alba Flower Extract, Blue 1 (Ci 42090), Red 33 (Ci 17200).

See the similarities? They have the same detergent system, same thickener, same preservative and same adjusting ingredients. So their base formula is... Water (Aqua), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamide Mea, Ammonium Chloride, Fragrance (Parfum), Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Tetrasodium Edta, Dmdm Hydantoin, Citric Acid, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone

So every time they want to launch a new SKU of the Suave Naturals formula, they start with the base formula and add a new fragrance, color, and feature ingredients. As a formulator, you spend a lot of time adapting this base formula to the new marketing concept.

Copyright 2015

36

ChemistsCorner.com

Benefits of creating a base formula While working with a base formula can be a dull exercise from the standpoint of a creative cosmetic formulator, there are a number of benefits to using them. Speeds up product development - In the cosmetic industry there isn't the luxury of taking multiple years to create new products. At a large corporation the product development cycle happens over the course of one year at the most. This means you have to come up with ideas, validated concepts, prototypes, testing and first production runs all within a year. If you had to create a new formula every time you launched a new product, there just wouldn't be enough time to get everything done. Stability testing alone takes 2 months minimum. Optimize performance - Since base formulas are used year after year, there is time to tinker with the levels on ingredients to find which percentages work best. And with optimization comes optimal costing. Using a base formula allows you to reduce the cost of your formula to the lowest level possible. Cost savings is easier - Speaking of cost savings, in addition to optimizing the cost, it's also easier to find much larger cost reductions when a single change will have an effect on your entire line. In the Suave example above if they can find a savings in the price of their SLES they can save money across their entire line. If they had a different base formula for every shampoo formula then a cost savings in one ingredient wouldn't have nearly the same impact. Reduce testing requirements - Testing cosmetic formulas can be a time consuming and expensive process. However, when you have a base formula that you simply modify you don't have to conduct as many safety tests as tests done on the base formula will typically qualify as being applicable to all your derivative formulas. It also gives you higher confidence in stability

Copyright 2015

37

ChemistsCorner.com

testing success. Can be used in multiple brands - Not only does using a base formula work within a single brand but some companies actually do the same thing across multiple brands. I remember when P&G bought the Herbal Essences brand they quickly switched all the formulas over to the Pantene base shampoo and conditioner formulas. This gave them more leverage with their raw material suppliers and resulted in a less expensive way to produce two brands instead of just one. I believe they have subsequently gotten away from this strategy but you can see there are still significant similarities between the two brands. Useful for testing new raw materials - From a formulator's point of view a base formula makes it easier to test new raw materials. I had a base shampoo and conditioner formula in which I would post add any new raw material that was presented to me. I would test it at the highest level that the supplier suggested and compare it to the base formula without the ingredient. It was amazing how many ingredients had no impact on the performance of the formula. But it did let me screen lots of new raw materials. While base formulas aren't the most creative way to make new cosmetic formulas they are the most efficient and the way that most cosmetic companies launch multiple product SKUs under the same brand. I would suggest that every formulator create their own "base formulas" so you get comfortable with making them, testing them, and improving them. When you move around this industry you'll be expected to be able to make your own base formulas.

Copyright 2015

38

ChemistsCorner.com

How to Test Raw Materials As a cosmetic chemist you will likely be inundated with new raw materials and sales people encouraging you to try out their latest and greatest offerings. If they have an interesting sales pitch you might even request a sample. Unfortunately by the time you get the samples a few days later, you often forget why you were interested in the first place. You're left with unopened samples which will pile up on your lab bench only to be moved and pitched the next time you have lab clean-up day. This is a complete waste of effort for both you and the sales people. To prevent this from happening you need to create a system obtaining and evaluating raw material samples. Here are some tips for setting up a system to evaluate new cosmetic raw materials.

Write down your ideas During a meeting with a sales person be sure to keep notes about the meeting. Specifically write down raw material names and the reason you might want to get a sample. Note also whether you requested a raw material & if you received it. This way when you get a sample a few days later you'll know why you wanted it in the first place. It's useful to keep a list of raw materials and ideas related to the material on a separate sheet from your meeting notes. So when you receive a raw material sample you can consult the list and quickly remember why you asked for it.

Have a place for your samples After you receive a raw material sample, you should put it in a designated space. Leaving it out on your lab bench or randomly putting it on a shelf makes it less likely that you will ever do anything with it. Keep only new raw materials in this space. Also, don't make the space too large as this will only

Copyright 2015

39

ChemistsCorner.com

encourage you to put off doing something with the sample. You should also have a policy where you can't get a new sample if there isn't room in your designated area for it. This will make you do something with old samples before filling the cabinet with new ones. Oh yes, be sure to put a date on every sample you receive. If a sample is over 1 year old, THROW IT OUT and get a new one. But remember, if you haven't done anything with a sample in over 1 year it's not likely you are ever going to do something with it.

Have a plan for your cosmetic raw materials In addition to labeling your new raw material sample, you should also put a short Post-It Note on the sample indicating what you plan to do with it. This can be a simple sentence like “test in body wash” or “evaluate in skin cream” depending on what idea you had for the sample. These reminders will make it easier for you to remember why you requested a sample and what you plan to do with it.

Create blank base formulas for testing The best thing you can do with most samples is to evaluate them from a standard cosmetic base. If shampoos are your area of work, create a gallon of a shampoo base that contains only the surfactants, preservatives, and other critical ingredients. Leave out ingredients like fragrance, color, or conditioning ingredients. You want to keep the system as simple as possible.

Pick areas for evaluation You should record various characteristics of the blank base such as foam level, moisturizing levels, viscosity, pH, etc. This will give you something to compare to when your new raw material is added to the blank base. Perhaps most critical is to use the blank base yourself in the manner in which the consumer would use a finished product. Get familiar with how the product

Copyright 2015

40

ChemistsCorner.com

works and feels. You have to become an expert evaluator of the base before you can determine whether the new raw material improves the product or not.

Create your test samples Often the hardest thing about testing new cosmetic raw materials is figuring out what level of the ingredient you should use. You can get some direction from the supplier but realize that they are going to tell you a higher level than you actually need. (The more the sell, the better). At this stage of development however, I like to use the highest level of an ingredient that seems reasonable. You can always cut back on the level if the initial tests are promising. In general, put any new ingredient in at at least 1% of the formula when evaluating it for effectiveness

Record your results After you've created a sample with the new raw material in your base, check the appearance for any effect the ingredient might have had. Note clarity, color, and odor differences. Try the test sample and the blank sample one after another. Ideally, you will do this on a blinded basis so you won't be biased in favor (or against) a new material. In your first evaluation just answer the question, “do I notice any difference between the sample with and without the raw material?” If the answer is 'no' then you can probably stop further evaluations. Don't waste your time on ingredients that don't have a significant, consumer-noticeable effect. If the answer is 'yes' then design a more rigorous test to evaluate further.

Focus on consumer important raw materials Since there are lots of different raw materials out there, spend your time evaluating ones that can have a consumer-noticeable effect. There is certainly a place in the world for new emulsifiers but the truth is consumers don't care about emulsifiers. No one will create the next greatest cosmetic formula by changing their emulsification system. Look for ingredients that

Copyright 2015

41

ChemistsCorner.com

can effect feel, moisturizing effect, foam levels, etc. These are the areas in which the best new formulas will be found.

Take action Perhaps the most important thing about getting a new cosmetic raw material sample is to do something with it. Put it in a formula, evaluate it, then either get rid of it or ask for more. No one benefits from a sample sitting untouched on your lab bench. One final point, it is also nice to provide feedback to the sales person who gave you the sample. Even if you tested something and didn't like it, this would be helpful for a sales person to know. They can communicate back to their lab and maybe, just maybe, the lab will be inspired to make improvements and deliver new cosmetic ingredients that chemists can really use.

Copyright 2015

42

ChemistsCorner.com

What is the best ingredient to use? On a few occasions we've gotten a question that goes something like this.... "What is the best preservative to use?" or "What is the best ingredient I can use for moisturizing?" A question like this is incredibly difficult because the answer depends on so many different factors about what you consider important. To illustrate, let's look a little more deeply at the question of preservatives.

What is the best preservative to use? Preservatives are added to cosmetic formulas to prevent microbial contamination. They are hugely important and nearly every cosmetic that is sold should have some kind of preservative. But the best one to use will depend on a number of factors including... •Effectiveness •Formula type •Manufacturing conditions •Raw material sources •Cost considerations •Marketing considerations

Ingredient Effectiveness Probably the most important consideration when you're looking for the "best" ingredient. This is the one that will best give you the effect for which you are looking. In the area of preservatives there are many ingredients that will kill microbes. Some work better than others and combinations typically work better than any single ingredient. In my opinion as far as efficacy goes the best preservatives are Parabens and Formaldehyde donors. Methylisothiazolinone blends are also quite effective.

Copyright 2015

43

ChemistsCorner.com

Certainly, other ingredients work but they aren't as broadly effective as these. However, since other ingredients can work, effectiveness is not the only factor to consider when choosing the "best" ingredient.

Formulation While ingredients can be effective alone that doesn't mean they will be effective in your particular formulation. Some ingredients are known to deactivate preservatives and some preservatives won't work at certain pH levels. Also, the oil content in your formula or the structure of your emulsion can all have an impact on whether the ingredient is effective. Since you generally can't know whether something will be effective just by looking at the formula on paper you have to test preservatives in your formulas. And it makes sense to try different options. Without giving information about the exact components of the formula, you can't answer the question of which ingredient will work best.

Manufacturing conditions The preservative system that you use will often depend on the manufacturing conditions under which you create your products. Some plants are just cleaner than other plants and some facilities have tougher resident microbes than others. I know one hair care manufacturer had to put Kathon in all their formulas because their manufacturing lines had a biofilm which was resistant to everything except Kathon. The "best" preservative in their case was that one because it was the only thing they knew would work.

Raw Material Sources This is similar to the manufacturing conditions but the quality of the raw materials that you are starting with will impact the decision of which is the "best" preservative to use. If you are using ingredients from natural sources which haven't been decontaminated from natural microbial residents you'll

Copyright 2015

44

ChemistsCorner.com

have to use a stronger preservative. If you use clean raw materials you might be able to get away with a less broadly effective preservative.

Cost Considerations Of course you can't figure out what the "best" ingredient is if you don't have some sense of how much cost you are willing to absorb. Sometimes the most effective ingredient also costs hundreds or thousands of dollars a pound and if you are selling your end product for one or two dollars you'll never be able to afford the most effective ingredient. In your case the "best" ingredient is the one the performs adequately within your cost constraints. Ideally, you'll get an ingredient that performs the way you want it to at the lowest possible cost. For preservatives the ones that work the best also happen to be the ones that cost the least...parabens and formaldehyde donors.

Marketing Considerations Sadly, there is a trend in which these marketing considerations get more attention than the more important factors I've already discussed. But these are real considerations and sometimes you aren't allowed to use the most effective, least expensive ingredients because your marketing position does not allow it. If you are trying to sell a natural brand in Whole Foods you won't be able to use parabens or formaldehyde donors. You just can't. In that case the "best" preservative then becomes one of the organic acids, phenoxyethanol or other alternative, less broadly effective, and more expensive ingredients. So, when you ask what the "best" ingredient is for your formulation remember to consider all the other factors before finding your answer.

Copyright 2015

45

ChemistsCorner.com

Evaluating Raw Material Marketing The annual Suppliers Day for the New York chapter of the SCC is always a huge event. You can find thousands of raw materials from hundreds of different suppliers. And to convince you to try out their materials, cosmetic raw material suppliers employ marketers. You'll get all kinds of promises what an ingredient can do but as a skeptical cosmetic chemist you won't know what to believe. Here are a few of tips on how to evaluate cosmetic raw material marketing.

Are the claims supported with studies? The first thing you should look for when presented with a new raw material is whether there have been any studies done at all. Is there any data for you to look at that supports the claims they are making about the new ingredient. Often, a raw material will be touted as better because of the source of its starting ingredients. Unless you are going for an all-natural or sustainability angle in your formulation, the source of the raw material shouldn't matter much to you. But it's crucial to know the claims made about the ingredient and the studies done to back them up.

Was the study size large enough? Fortunately, most cosmetic raw material suppliers have done studies to support their claims. This is where you have to be a curious chemist. The first thing to ask about is the size of the study. Were there enough samples used? They often do not give this information to the sales person but it is always worth asking. A study in which one sample was compared to one other sample is much less impressive than one in which multiple samples were compared. Ideally, at least 30 runs or samples should be done to support a claim. For you to be interested in a raw material however, the study should have been run at least two or three times.

Copyright 2015

46

ChemistsCorner.com

Was it compared to a control? One of the most frequent problems I see with cosmetic raw material marketing is that they present data of a material compared to no control or to a water control. For example, they'll claim the ingredient is moisturizing then show you data of the subject done with and without treatment. This might be fine for commercials and products directed towards consumers but for scientists this isn't good enough. At the very least you should ask for data of the product compared to a placebo control. It's great if you can get a formula compared with and without the raw material. But perhaps the best thing is when you can see a material as compared to the best material out there. Raw material suppliers love to compare their product to no control or a placebo control. However, what you really want to know is how does the raw material compare to the best technology out there for solving the problem you are trying to solve.

Was the study done by an independent lab? While you should expect that all the data presented to you by a supplier is biased (they are trying to sell you something after all) some data is more biased than others. The best studies are the ones that are produced for the supplier by independent labs. Presumably, the independent lab will be paid no matter what the results of the study so they are not inclined to skew the data in a specific direction. When you see truly data produced by a truly independent lab, you should take more notice of that raw material. Although, it's worth pointing out that just because you are seeing positive data and it came from an independent lab, that doesn't mean it isn't without bias. The raw material supplier wouldn't show negative data if there was any, so always remember no matter what data you get from a supplier about their raw material, it is likely biased.

Copyright 2015

47

ChemistsCorner.com

Will it make a meaningful impact on your formulation? The most important thing to look for when trying to find new raw materials is whether something will have a significant impact on your formula or not. The best ingredient choices will have an impact that your consumer will notice. The second best ones are ingredients that can save you money. Finally, some ingredients can provide you a new story for your formula that can help boost sales. But if the new ingredient can't do any of these or can't be a reliable secondary supplier, then there is no need to look at the ingredient any further. Although we are scientists, we are not immune to the power of marketing. If you maintain a healthy level of skepticism and objectivity, you'll be able to avoid being fooled and still find the new raw materials that will help you make the best cosmetic products possible.

Copyright 2015

48

ChemistsCorner.com

Conducting a Knockout Experiment There are many different routes you can take to learn to become an expert formulation chemist but few are more powerful than conducting your own knock-out experiments. These type of experiments can help you learn a number of things such as, 1. The function raw materials 2. The performance effect of raw materials 3. The formula effect of raw materials It can also potentially lead to the discovery of a new formulation and cost savings ideas.

Formulation Chemist Knockout Experiment The term knockout experiment was taken from the field of genetic engineering. In it, scientists create organisms in which they remove or “knock out” a specific gene. Then they see what effects the removal of a certain gene has on the organism. In the cosmetic chemist’s version of a knockout experiment, you take a known formula and “knock out” a specific raw material. You then see what effect the absence of that raw material has on the final product. It’s a simple yet powerful study that can quickly get you familiar with any formula.

What will a cosmetic knockout experiment teach you? When you first start your cosmetic formulating job, you will often start new projects with a formula that your company had previously developed. I remember the first formula I ever made (a shampoo) was originally developed by the guy whose notebook I inherited. My boss asked me to make samples to give to our Marketing group for evaluation. I had no clue about why any of the raw materials were used, what they did, or even how hard

Copyright 2015

49

ChemistsCorner.com

they were to work with. You will undoubtedly be in the same position if you are just starting in this industry. Even if you’ve been around for a long time, it’s impossible to know the effect of raw materials in any formula you haven’t personally made (or observed being made). Knockout experiments can rapidly tell you when making a batch exactly which ingredients have the most effect, which ones can be removed and which ones interact. When you’re done making the formulas, you can learn what raw materials have the most impact on the final specifications and the product performance. The amount of information you can learn from a single knockout study makes it well worth doing on every new formula you are asked to work on.

How to conduct a cosmetic knockout experiment Running a knockout experiment is fairly easy. All you have to do is take your initial formula and make a series of batches in which you remove one ingredient. If it’s a water-based formula, you simply add water to replace the missing mass. Here is an example batch sheet for conducting a knockout experiment on a shampoo formula. As you can see, each subsequent formula has a line where the value of one ingredient is supposed to be.

Copyright 2015

50

ChemistsCorner.com

In this formula there are 8 unique ingredients which means you will need to make 8 different batches. The first batch is the control batch which should be made first. This ensures that you are able to successfully make the formula. You should try to control as many variables as possible such as temperature, mixing speed, mixing time, etc.

Simplifying the knockout experiment While it is best to make a new formula for each ingredient, this can become impractical and unproductive if there are dozens and dozens of different raw materials. In these cases you can minimize the number of batches to make by ignoring ingredients not expected to significantly impact the end performance such as •1. Fragrance •2. Dye •3. Extracts •4. Preservatives If you don’t know which ingredients are superfluous, ask one of your more experienced peers. But be careful. It is wrong to make any assumptions about a formula. There could be ingredients you expect not to have any effect that do. It’s worth noting that more complicated versions of this knockout experiment can be conducted using DOE (design of experiment) software. These experiments can give you much more information. Unfortunately, they also require many more batches to be made. In future articles we will discuss DOE further.

Evaluating your cosmetic knockout formulas After you’ve made your batches you will end up with a series of formulas that need to be tested. At the very least you should take pH and viscosity measurements. You can then correlate the presence of any ingredient with

Copyright 2015

51

ChemistsCorner.com

an effect on those variables. This can be extremely useful if you need to help make adjustments on the production level in characteristics like pH, viscosity, texture, odor and appearance. You should also conduct appropriate lab tests to see how the removal of a certain ingredient affects performance. For foaming products, conduct foam tests. For skin lotions, do a moisturizing test. Perhaps most important is to try the product out on yourself. Try to experience the product like a consumer. This will give you excellent clues about how important any raw material is to the overall effect of the formula.

Knockout your cosmetics The knockout experiment is not a perfect way to learn all you can about a formula. There are important synergistic effects it will miss. That’s why DOE is often superior. However, you can’t beat knockout experiments for speed and ease. And you’ll definitely learn a lot about raw materials quickly. To become a great formulation chemist you have to make a lot of batches and try many different ingredients. The knockout experiment helps get you there faster.

Copyright 2015

52

ChemistsCorner.com

How to Reduce the Cost of a Cosmetic Formula In your career as a cosmetic chemist, you will undoubtedly have the following experience. After months of prototyping and testing you create the most inspired, most incredible cosmetic formulation of your career. You present it to your marketing group and they absolutely LOVE IT! The project starts to move forward and everything is going great, but then they make a simple request. “We love it, but can you make it less expensive?”

While your first inclination will be to answer “No” this is not always an option in the world of the cosmetic industry. But fret not, there are certain strategies you can follow to turn your excellent, expensive formula into an adequate, reasonably priced formula. Here are 5 tricks you can try.

Reduce the fragrance level In most formulas, the fragrance is the most costly ingredient. It's also often put in at a level that is much higher than required. To get a quick cost savings, you can cut the fragrance level in half and see if a panel of users can tell a difference. You will be surprised how few people will notice even a 50% reduction. If people do notice a difference, try lowering it by only 10 or 20%. You probably have more fragrance than necessary and when you're looking for a quick cost savings, that's the first place you should start.

Reduce the level of Claims ingredients Another source of a cost savings is the claims ingredients that you've put in your formula for the marketing story. These natural ingredients are frequently more expensive additions than standard ingredients so you can save a relatively high amount of money by reducing the levels. If you are

Copyright 2015

53

ChemistsCorner.com

using an extract at 0.5% or even more, you're probably wasting money. Verify it yourself by doing a knock-out experiment. On a blinded-basis, see if you can pick out the one that is missing the extract. If you can't, then you can reduce the level to almost nothing. For example, using a level of 0.01% of an extract in the formula is not unreasonable when you're looking to cut costs.

Eliminate unnecessary ingredients Speaking of reducing ingredients, there may be some ingredients that are completely unnecessary. These represent a great cost savings not only in terms of formula cost but in terms of storage costs for additional raw materials. To figure out if an ingredient isn't necessary, you should do a knockout experiment and compare the formula with and without the ingredient. If you can't tell whether a missing raw material is in the formula or not, you don't need it.

Find less-expensive alternative ingredients While you may love your specialty emulsifier or ultra soft emollient, you may be able to replace them with a less-expensive but approximately equal alternative. It is surprising how few differences non-trained beauty product consumers notice. I once created a two-in-one shampoo formula and compared it to a basic shampoo formula that looked and smelled the same. 14 out of 15 panelists didn't notice any difference. To me, the differences were night and day. So, remember, just because you can tell a difference, your audience may not.

Water it down The last strategy to reducing the cost of a formula is to just add water. This only works for aqueous formulas, however, that is the majority of personal care products. When you add water, you reduce the overall concentration of all the other ingredients. This reduces the cost of the entire formula. Depending on the formula, you can add up to 5% more water and not notice any difference. This could be a significant cost reduction. A word of caution

Copyright 2015

54

ChemistsCorner.com

with this approach however, be sure not to decrease the level of preservative. Adding more water increases the chance of microbial contamination so you want to maintain a good level of preservation. (Note: For anhydrous formulas you can use mineral oil or propylene glycol as the less expensive diluent).

Cost saving and the cosmetic chemist Reducing cost is all part of being a cosmetic chemist and if you can find hundreds of thousands of dollars in cost savings, you will be a company hero. When you first develop formulas, don't worry so much about optimizing them. When the product is successful, your business partners will no doubt ask you for a less expensive alternative. If you've already optimized it up front, it will be much more difficult to optimize it later.

Copyright 2015

55

ChemistsCorner.com

Three Ways to Make Surfactant Free Emulsions Emulsifiers are great for keeping mixtures of oil and water together but they do have a number of downsides that has prompted researchers to look for alternatives. Some of the problems include skin irritation, questionable stability, cost, environmental problems, regulatory issues and difficulties in production. There are a few options you can try to remove your emulsifier from your formula. These technologies are relatively new and haven't taken over the industry but this may represent the future of emulsification in cosmetics. Polymeric emulsions - The basic idea in a polymeric emulsion is that the polymer is able to tie up a number of different particles so an emulsion can be created. But since polymers are such large molecules they are not able to penetrate the skin and cause any of the problems typically associated with emulsifiers. Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose or Acrylic Acid polymers like Carbomer can be used to create these emulsions. I expect polymeric emulsions will eventually take over in the cosmetic industry since they are easy to use, highly stable, and can be done via cold processing. Acoustic emulsification - If you don't want to use a chemical method for creating an emulsion you might try a physical method. Acoustic emulsification is a method by which you mix water and oil then use ultrasound to break up the immiscible particles into particles that are so small that they stay suspended in the solution. Thus you have a stable mixture of oil and water without an emulsifier. Shake before use - Of course, you can also make a formulation that is a mixture of water and oil but requires the user to shake the product before using it. Mechanical mixing like this can lead to short term stability which may be just long enough for your purposes. This is a rather crude method of

Copyright 2015

56

ChemistsCorner.com

formulating but it will work in some cases. The oil and water phases just have to have some level of compatibility. You can get this by using an oil that has a high HLB.

So you want to formulate sulfate free? Somewhere along the line surfactants which contain the name “sulfate” got a bad name. It’s difficult to say exactly how this negative reputation was developed but I suspect it was the result of a clever salon shampoo marketer who was looking for a way to make their higher priced brands stand out from the more popular store brands. Since they couldn’t compete in terms of formulation performance or advertising, highlighting the negative aspects of the competition was a logical strategy. Nothing moves alternative products like fear of conventional ones.

Anyway, this idea was spread to salon stylists (who get commissions from the sale of salon brands) which then spread to consumers. Now, it’s pretty firmly established in a high percentage of people’s minds that sulfate containing surfactants are harsh, more color stripping and bad for your hair. There’s little evidence for this but it persists. So, cosmetic formulators have to learn how to formulate sulfate free.

The challenge of formulating sulfate free The reason we traditionally use sulfate surfactants is because they are effective, inexpensive, easy to formulate and easy to thicken. Sulfate free alternatives lack many of these characteristics. Realize that you are going to have a greater challenge to make formulas that foam the same way, clean, and meet cost goals. It’s likely that you’ll need an additional thickening

Copyright 2015

57

ChemistsCorner.com

system as salt doesn’t thicken many of these alternative surfactants.

Options for sulfate free There are a number of options for making a sulfate free shampoo. Here are some strategies various companies have used. 1. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate free - since SLS is the big objection one simple solution is to use Magnesium Laurel Sulfate and then advertise your product as Sodium Lauryl free. This is technically true and might be appealing to some consumers. However, it still contains the term ‘sulfate’ so this won’t be effective for most people. 2. Sodium something else - Some alternatives to SLS include Sodium Lauryl Sarcosinate Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate Sodium Lauryl Methyl Isethionate Sodium Lauroyl Taurate Sodium Lauroamphoacetate 3. Try a non-sodium name - If you want to get rid of the sodium from your label completely, there are some other options. Decyl Glycoside Lauryl Glucoside Coco Glucosides PEG 40 Glyceryl Cocoate Potassium Laureth Phosphate 4. Alternative detergent systems - One other option is to offer a dry shampoo based on starch. You can easily call these formulas sulfate free. While science may not agree with the notion that sulfates are inherently bad for people’s hair, you have to make products that both your marketing

Copyright 2015

58

ChemistsCorner.com

department and ultimately, your consumer wants. Sometimes this means ditching the traditional surfactants for other options. To be a complete cosmetic chemist you need to know these options.

Copyright 2015

59

ChemistsCorner.com

Strategies for formulating green products Previously, we talked about how sustainability will effect the formulating efforts of cosmetic chemists. In this article, we'll discuss some of the different formulation strategies you might use to implement the sustainability principles.

Cosmetic Green Washing Since there are no set standards, one of the easiest ways to appeal to consumers who care about sustainability is to practice green washing. This involves adding non-functional ingredients with natural sounding names to your formula that look good to nave consumers and can support a natural story told by your marketing group. For some consumers just adding words like 'Natural' or 'Organic' on your label is enough to convince them your product appeals to their sustainability notions. Companies can even make aerosol products sound sustainable with the right green washing story. Many companies take this route because it is the least expensive and relatively effective on consumers.

Minimalist formulation While the green washing technique can be effective, as a scientist and formulator you'll likely find the strategy less-than satisfying. A better approach is to incorporate the principles of sustainability into your formulation efforts. To do this I recommend a minimalist formulation approach. The guiding philosophy of minimalist formulating is that less is better. This means while formulating you should strive to use +fewer ingredients +lower levels Copyright 2015

60

ChemistsCorner.com

So instead of ending up with an ingredient list that has two dozen ingredients you should try to get one that has less than a dozen. Using fewer ingredients in your formulas has the benefit of reducing inventory storage, reducing transportation energy, and reducing formula costs. It also may reduce the overall chemical exposure of consumers to potentially sensitizing ingredients making them safer for more people.

Formula optimization The key to implementing a minimalist approach is to optimize your formulas. You should be constantly scrutinizing which ingredients you put in your formulas and finding exactly how much you need. This means testing them out at different levels until you find the best performance at the lowest level.

Knockout formulas One of the simplest ways to begin optimizing is to conduct a knock-out experiment. In biochemistry there is the notion of knock-out mice where they remove a gene and see how it affects the animal as inspiration for the name of this experiment. In a knockout formulation experiment you make a series of batches in which you completely leave out one ingredient then test to see how it effects the formula. Many of these batches will be completely worthless but some of them will perform just as well without the ingredient. And if the formula works without an ingredient, there is no good reason to leave the ingredient in the formula. One of the problems with knockout experiments is that it doesn't do much good showing you synergistic effects of raw materials. A more sophisticated version of this experiment is to run a formula through a DOE. DOE also involves creating a series of batches and adjusting the levels of ingredients to determine the effects on the formula. It's just much more complicated,

Copyright 2015

61

ChemistsCorner.com

can require many more batches and doesn't always give you much more useful information than a simple knock-out experiment.

Synergistic ingredients In addition to optimizing your formulas, another important strategy in minimalist formulation is to look for synergistic ingredients. These are ingredients that interact with each other to create even greater beneficial effects. The problem of course, is that these are difficult to find. In fact, if you do find some unique synergistic ingredients, you'll have the basis for a patent. This is an added bonus of a minimalist approach.

The job of the formulator is changing You can no longer focus on just the end performance of a product and you have to take in consideration notions of sustainability. Following a minimalist approach and looking for synergistic ingredients are two primary strategies for creating sustainable formulas.

Copyright 2015

62

ChemistsCorner.com

Becoming an excellent cosmetic formulator I saw this infographic by George Deckner titled “how to excel as a formulator” which lists 9 things you need to achieve that goal. Unfortunately, the infographic doesn't go into much detail so I thought I would expand on it here. Be an innovator not an inventor An inventor makes a new product and hopes the benefits are so obvious it sells itself. Sometimes they do, but usually they don’t. An innovator takes an existing product and makes it better. Since most cosmetic formulation types have already been invented, to be a great formulator you need to focus on innovation. Partner with suppliers It used to be that formulators tried to keep their projects a secret but this doesn’t make much sense these days. You can get much more accomplished if you outsource as much of your research as you can. Getting suppliers to assist your lab work will help you screen more materials and develop better products faster. Don’t worry about secrecy. The formula does not sell the product! Your idea is not unique and the thing that will make it successful is your marketing efforts. Great formulations are important but there are lots of excellent formulas that never achieved market success. Develop raw material expertise Being a cosmetic formulator is like being a cook, you just use different ingredients. To become a great formulator you need to know all the ingredients at your disposal. You should make it a point to create & test samples of any new raw material you encounter, even if it is not obvious when you would use it.

Copyright 2015

63

ChemistsCorner.com

Kill bad prototypes quickly Don’t waste time on technologies that don’t have great promise. Whenever you get a new raw material test it at the highest concentration level suggested. If you can’t see a performance difference at the highest use level, don’t bother testing it at lower levels. Sell your ideas As a scientist and formulator you probably didn’t get any sales training. However, in the business world people don’t really care which surfactant you used or about the clever emulsion technology you developed. They want to know the benefits of your technology and why they or anyone else should want to use it. Learn to tell stories that inspire people to get behind your ideas. And try not to get discouraged. The ideas from R&D people are often ignored in the cosmetic industry. Benchmark your formulas Excellent idea. There is no reason you shouldn’t be able to create a formula that works as well as the best performing cosmetic products on the market. Here you can learn to benchmark cosmetic formulas. Quickly identify killer issues Think through the entire production process and address potential issues. Know whether your suppliers are going to be reliable or whether your lab formulation can still be produced on a large manufacturing scale. Archive your knowledge You are going to learn a lot over time and you are going to forget most of it. You should have a way to relearn information and keeping a digital archive is a great way to do that. Write notes about what you learned from every project. Keep copies of articles you found particularly helpful. Using a service like Dropbox or Evernote is a great way to keep your information online and secure.

Copyright 2015

64

ChemistsCorner.com

Section 3 : Post Batching

What are cosmetic product specifications? When you create a formula in the lab it's rather easy to create batches that are consistently the same in terms of their physical and chemical characteristics. This is because you use sensitive balances, you work with smaller amount and you are not typically under pressure to get something made on a specific schedule. These same conditions are not true of production and for these reasons (and others) you need to set specifications for your finished formulas.

What are cosmetic specifications? Specifications are a range of values assigned to a formula which dictate the physical and chemical characteristics of any batch that are acceptable for a quality product. If some characteristic of a batch is found to be outside of the specifications the batch is either adjusted or discarded before it can be sold. In this way, specification ensure that every consumer will have a consistent experience every time they use the product.

Who sets specifications? The specifications are initially set by the product development team.Traditionally, R&D takes the leading role in this process but they also get input from the marketing and market research departments for factors that will affect consumers. As the lead product formulator, you are ultimately responsible for setting specifications.

Copyright 2015

65

ChemistsCorner.com

What characteristics? The product specifications for any cosmetic formula will vary depending on the type of product it is, but there are some commonalities. For example, all products should have an appearance specification. When the batch is done it should be checked for color, clarity, or any other unique appearance that the formula is supposed to have. If your product is a blue body wash but the final batch appears green, it would fail the specification test. Another common specification (or spec) would be odor. Product batches should always be checked against an odor standard to ensure it has the proper odor. Other key characteristics that get listed in the specifications would include pH - A range should be set for every aqueous based formula Viscosity - A range should be set for any liquid formula. Also, the test should be done using a standard spindle and speed. Of course there can be other specifications that are measured including product performance tests, penetration tests, moisture % tests, and more. Ideally, you'll set specifications for the least amount of testing required to ensure that the product is consistent. Production people are under a time crunch and often don't want to wait for intensive testing before releasing the final batch.

Who tests the product? Normally, the specification testing is done by the Quality Control group at your company. In this way there is an independent verification of the quality of the final product. The production group is under pressure to release as many batches as they can so if they were responsible for the testing, they might pass batches which are borderline.

Copyright 2015

66

ChemistsCorner.com

What happens when a product is out of spec? Since there are numerous reasons a product could have characteristics outside of specifications there are numerous answers to this question. Sometimes adjustments are made. For example, if the pH is too low or high and acid or base is added to adjust the pH. If the viscosity is off sometimes the batch is reprocessed (heated, mixed and cooled again) or an ingredient known to increase or decrease the batch is added. If something like the color or odor is off often the batch will be blended off with another batch in a small enough proportion that the mistake isn't detectable. But sometimes, and production people hate when this happens, a batch is too far out of spec to be saved and it has to be discarded. Specifications are an important aspect of formulating and as a cosmetic chemist you need to be familiar with why they are used and how you set them.

Copyright 2015

67

ChemistsCorner.com

Controlling Cosmetic Product Quality One of the most important thing you can do when making cosmetic formulas is to produce cosmetic products and formulations that are of high quality. But you might be wondering how you do it. The short answer is probably the same whether you are making cosmetics, cars, or computers...Consistency. Let's expand on that.

Use consistent raw materials When you make a formula you need to use the same ingredients every time you make a batch. Ideally, you would use ingredients that are even from the same batch of raw material produced by your supplier. However, this isn't possible because you will eventually run out of that lot. What you should keep consistent is who you get the raw material from (supplier) and the specifications of the cosmetic raw material that you get. If you have a consistent supplier and specification for a raw material you are well on your way to producing a consistent product.

Consistent ingredient levels Using the right ingredients is important but equally important is using the right levels of these ingredients. When you weigh out the amount of raw material you're going to use to make the formula you have to be consistent in how much you use. This can be challenging as some raw materials tend to stick to the side of weighing containers and sometimes you just pour too much onto the scale. One of the most common reasons for a batch not turning out the way you expect is because of inconsistent weighing. Ideally, you will have no more than a 5% error in your ingredient weighing.

Copyright 2015

68

ChemistsCorner.com

Consistent procedures How you make a batch is almost as important as which ingredients you use. To have a consistent, high quality product you need to combine the ingredients in the same way every time. You should keep track of the mixing speeds, the equipment, and the time for making the batch. These should be the same every time you make a new batch. Also, the temperature should be consistent too as should when you add ingredients. To get the best chance of making a repeatable product you should make the product the same way every time.

Consistent filling Another thing to consider is after the batch is made. You need to be consistent in the way that you fill the product into containers. You can effect the viscosity if you send the product through a small nozzle or you try to fill it too quickly. The method of filling can definitely affect the final product.

Cosmetic product testing Finally, you need to do some consistent testing to ensure that your batches are indeed consistent from batch to batch. This would be things like viscosity and pH measurements plus color, odor, and appearance evaluations. Do the testing at the same temperature using the same equipment. Creating a high quality cosmetic product is not difficult but it can be made much simpler if you do one thing...be consistent.

Copyright 2015

69

ChemistsCorner.com

How to save a cosmetic batch As a cosmetic formulator you will undoubtedly run into a situation where you screw up a batch. Or maybe the batch just gets ruined through no fault of your own. Most of the time you should simply throw the batch away and start over. Of course, I am speaking from the point of view of a cosmetic chemist who worked for a large corporation and usually had access to a nearly unlimited supply of most of the raw materials I was working with. The only negative thing about pitching most batches was the extra time required to make a new one. But for most cosmetic formulators pitching a product and starting over is a luxury and saving every batch is important. So, here are some tricks I've used (for the times I couldn't discard a batch) to save a batch.

When is a cosmetic batch bad? Before we give tips on saving batches, it makes sense to consider how to decide whether the batch is really bad. Since every cosmetic formula should have a set of specifications these can be used. If a value such as the pH, viscosity, color, odor or consistency is "out of spec" then the batch is considered bad. While this does not guarantee that every in-spec batch is good, it is a reasonable filter for most cosmetic chemists to follow. The other way a batch can be considered bad is that it doesn't perform the way it's expected but that is a much more complicated situation which we will ignore for this post.

Figure out why it went bad Once you've decided a batch is bad, you should figure out what went wrong. This will depend on which characteristic is out of spec. For example, if the pH is too low maybe you added too much acid or not enough base. If the

Copyright 2015

70

ChemistsCorner.com

color is off perhaps the wrong amount of dye was added or one of your starting raw materials was a different color than usual. Go through your batch notes and identify what the possible problem could have been. Sometimes you just can't know but it does make fixing things easier.

How to save a bad batch Here are some tips and tricks on how to save a cosmetic batch. The specific tactic you use depends highly on the type of formulation you are making. Remix & Reheat If your product is thin or has the wrong consistency one of the first things you can try is to reheat the product and mix it again. Often an emulsion won't form properly during the cooling phase and remixing at a high temperature can reset and fix things. If you do try this however, be sure to add back more of your heat-sensitive ingredients like preservatives and fragrances as these can breakdown when heated for a significant period of time. Add more of the missing ingredient When you notice an obvious error in the amount of an ingredient, you can often add more of the ingredient at the end of the batch to make things come out properly. This usually only works with liquid raw materials. Add adjustment ingredients If the pH is off you can add ingredients like acids or bases at the end to get the batch in spec. This is where doing something like a formulation knockout experiment is extremely helpful. By doing a knockout experiment you can determine the effect that every ingredient will have on the end characteristics of your formula. Some of the ingredients will have a significant effect on thickness or pH even if you wouldn't expect them to.

Copyright 2015

71

ChemistsCorner.com

Dilute with a new batch Sometimes you can't adjust a batch for a variety of reasons such as adding 10 times too much dye. In those cases, you can make a second batch where you leave out the color and then blend the two batches together to make one that is the correct color. This can work for pH and viscosity too. However, you should know that while this technique can lead to a fixed batch, it can also lead to two broken batches! So, use it with caution. There were times when we would have to dilute a production batch over months and many other batches just to save it.

Sometimes you have to throw things away While there are often ways to fix batches, there are times when things are a lost cause and you should pitch the product. For example if your batch is microbial contaminated you should not use it. Granted you can do things to kill off any contamination but certainly on a lab scale it is more safe to just discard these batches. Remember the time and effort required to save a batch is sometimes not worth it.

Copyright 2015

72

ChemistsCorner.com

7 Tricks for Saving a Bad Body Wash Batch This will happen to you at some point in your career as a cosmetic chemist. You'll either get a call from the QA people telling you a batch is "out of spec" or the huge batch you made for a consumer test is not right. Now, you have to figure out how to fix it. How you do this depends on the type of formula but in this post we are going to focus on things you can do to save body wash and shampoo systems. We'll cover other types of formulas in the future. Note: sometimes a batch is just too far out of spec that you have to just dispose of it.

Common problems and possible solutions 1. Problem: pH is too high This can be solved by adding some type of acid to reduce the pH. Typically, something like Citric Acid or Lactic Acid works best. 2. Problem: pH is too low This common problem can usually be solved by adding a base like Sodium Hydroxide to increase the pH. Note - You should always fix pH problems BEFORE trying to fix a viscosity problem! Sometimes fixing the pH problem will solve the viscosity problem. 3. Problem: Viscosity is too thin This is the most common problem you'll have. The easiest way to fix most formulas is to put additional salt into the formula. As we've written about previously, salt will affect viscosity. Don't add too much however, as that can push the solution to the other side of the salt curve and make it permanently thin. Another remedy is to add some additional secondary surfactant like

Copyright 2015

73

ChemistsCorner.com

Cocamidopropyl Betaine. This may change the micelle structure enough to make the batch thicker. 4. Problem: Viscosity is too thick This is another common problem for body washes and shampoos. Unfortunately, it's a little tougher to fix. While salt addition could make it thinner, that is too difficult to control so it is not recommended. Better is to put in additional nonionic surfactant or a lipophilic ingredient. Diluting with water is another possibility but that will dilute all the ingredients in the formula and could lead to a lower quality product. One other option is to make a completely new batch but withhold the salt. Then blend the new batch with the old in the correct ratio to get the right viscosity. 5. Problem: Color is wrong This can happen for a number of reasons but often it is because the surfactant you are using is more yellow than normal. One solution is to add additional color to the batch. You can take a small sample of the batch and mix in the appropriate amount of color until it matches a standard. Then calculate the amount that should be added to the full batch and make the adjustment. If the color is completely off you can either discard the batch, get marketing to approve it, or blend off the batch in such small increments that it doesn't spoil the color of future batches. 6. Problem: Odor is off Sometimes the surfactant or feature ingredients will smell slightly different and make the whole batch smell wrong. Adding more fragrance is one possible solution. Another trick is to blend the batch with an unfragranced one, then add back the original fragrance to bring it back to an acceptable level. Often, fragrance problem batches have to be discarded. 7. Problem: Appearance is grainy If you have a pearlized formula that is supposed to look elegant but it is grainy, one way to fix it is to heat the batch back up, mix it until it is clear,

Copyright 2015

74

ChemistsCorner.com

then rapidly cool it. This will make the particles reform in a better configuration and might solve the problem. Remember that each formula is different and these solutions might not work for you particular system. However, these tricks have saved many a batch and they may just save yours too.

Copyright 2015

75

ChemistsCorner.com

Salt Curve Analysis When you formulate an anionic surfactant based cleansing formula, you don't normally have to include a separate thickening system. This is because salt will thicken surfactant systems. This is a pretty handy phenomena as it reduces the cost of your formula and can give you better control over the final viscosity. However, to get that control you need to do a salt curve analysis. Here's what you do.

Salt Curve Analysis The fundamental idea behind a salt curve analysis is that the concentration of salt predictably affects the viscosity of the system. Therefore, you can create a plot of the salt concentration versus the viscosity which can then be used to determine the final salt concentration of your formulation. It can also be used to adjust a batch if the viscosity is too low. Here is what you do. 1. Make a large batch of your formulation but do not add any salt. Record the initial viscosity. 2. Pour off samples (100g ) of your batch and create different salt concentrations for each. Use the following salt concentrations. (0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6%, 0.8%, 1%, 1.2%, 1.4%, 1.6%, 1.8%, 2%) You may want to go higher in salt concentration. 3. Remove any air from the samples, let them equilibrate at 25C and take viscosity measurements. 4. Plot the concentration of salt versus viscosity on a graph. 5. Choose the most desired viscosity level and set that as the salt concentration of your formulation. 6. Create a new batch of the formulation using the new salt curve determined salt concentration. Copyright 2015

76

ChemistsCorner.com

7. Measure viscosity and compare to predicted salt curve level.

Using the salt curve You should have no problem creating a salt curve for your system. Since it is dependent on the composition of the entire formula, you should do this for any new formula. Even if you simply change the fragrance it could have a significant impact on the salt curve. For most systems, the salt curve will max out at 2% and viscosity will actually start to decrease. When you are formulating you'll want to set your salt concentration on the left side of the salt curve. That way you will have some room to add salt if the viscosity is too low. If you set the salt concentration at the peak of the salt curve, your compounder might put in too much and you will have no way to adjust the viscosity except blending with a new batch. To use the salt curve in production, just look up the viscosity of the final batch, estimate where it is on the salt curve, then add just enough salt to the batch to thicken it up. You should try this in the lab first as you want to make sure it works. And for a more detailed and complicated discussion of what is going on with the salt curve, see this excellent article by Kevin Penfield.

Copyright 2015

77

ChemistsCorner.com

Section 4 : Product Evaluation

Cosmetic Chemists Should Always Try Their Products The number of people I've known who work on products that they've never even tried has always amazed me . They miss so much when they don't have direct experience with a product. Perhaps it's understandable if you are not in the target market for your product, but anyone can safely use most any product and the information you'll learn from the experience will be invaluable. Here are 5 reasons cosmetic chemists should be trying every cosmetic formula they work on.

Learn the most important characteristics When I first started working on the cosmetic industry, I was making hair care products. While I always used shampoo, I rarely used conditioner. It seemed like a waste of time. But when I was given the task to make a new hair conditioner formula, I needed to figure out the most important characteristics.

Reading about slip, spreadability, and hair conditioning properties didn't make sense until I tried the product. After using it a few times, I figured out what these terms meant and why they were important. This gave me a basis for evaluating new formulas allowing me to know when I made something better. If you don't try a formula, you can't make it better

Copyright 2015

78

ChemistsCorner.com

Build your powers of observation Many of the formulas you will work on are ones you've tried all your life. But most of the time you use them without thinking. Your mind has become dulled to the experience. When you try a product thoughtfully, you can build your powers of observation and discover all sorts of details you never noticed. For example, you might start to notice the ease at which your hands slide while applying a lotion, or the length of time it takes to "work into the skin". You might notice the bubble density of your body wash or shampoo. In short, using a product frequently and mindfully can make you an excellent evaluator. You can't make formulas better if you don't know what to change

Figure out formula problems Sometimes your Market Research data will come back suggesting there is a problem with your formula. This will be surprising to you because companies do not like to field consumer tests with formulas they know will exhibit problems. Even if all your lab testing shows your formula is good, there may be some subtle things you miss if you don’t try it. For instance, the product might sting or cause another unpleasant sensation during use. There might be a foul odor which you only smell when it’s exposed to skin, hair, or moisture. You might feel tiny particles that interfere with the experience. Trying a product identifies unseen problems

Learn the effects of raw materials A great benefit to trying your formulas is that you learn quickly how different raw materials change the experience. You can read all you want

Copyright 2015

79

ChemistsCorner.com

about a raw material but until you actually experience it from a formula, your knowledge isn’t useful. Every cosmetic chemist should have a standard “blank” formula which they can incorporate a new raw material in and try it to determine the effects. This is the best way to learn. Even if the raw material isn’t meant to affect performance, it can have a subtle impact that you would never notice unless you used it. The fastest way to learn about a raw material is to use it

Inspire new product ideas Finally, trying cosmetic formulas is an excellent way to inspire new ideas. When you think about the different products while using them, you may start to notice common problems. For example, maybe all the skin lotions you use feel too greasy or don’t last long enough. You should write down these observations and try to come up with new solutions. Product brainstorming while you’re in the act of using a product leads to much more useful ideas than sitting in an office just trying to think.

If not you, who? As a formulator, you should take pride in everything you make. And if your formula is not good enough for you, how can it possibly be good enough for anyone else?

Copyright 2015

80

ChemistsCorner.com

Becoming a cosmetic evaluation expert To become an expert cosmetic chemist, it is not enough to learn the science of cosmetic raw materials and which ones are compatible or not. Indeed, this information is critical but another part of the cosmetic formulator job is just as important. Evaluating your prototypes.

Evaluating cosmetic prototypes We've previously written about the importance of trying your own formulations. However, we did not get into the details of what to observe while doing that. Here is a system that you can follow which will help make you a formula evaluation expert.

Step 1 - Pick a benchmark It is almost never the case that you will be working on a product that is completely new to the market. There is always a market leader that you should be comparing yourself to. This can be a competitive product or one of your own formulations. You just need to pick some product as a starting point. This is the thing you are trying to beat. If you're looking for a benchmark, it is always a good idea to look at sales information and see which ones consumers are buying most often. This is a good place to start.

Step 2 - Develop your baseline skills In 2005, I believe that I had the most shampooed head in America. That year I was working on a new shampoo formula and a conditioner formula. I washed my hair over 1500 times. Yikes! While I did develop some redness and an itchy scalp, I always developed keen senses to differences between formulations. To be able to tell differences you have to experience the products.

Copyright 2015

81

ChemistsCorner.com

Each formulation will be different and you may want to focus on some specific aspect however, there are some general things to start noticing. For hair products the most important characteristics include... 1. Rinse time - how long is takes to be removed from hair 2. Flash foam - how fast the foam forms 3. Lather feel - does the lather feel creamy or loose 4. Feel in hair - how does the product feel in the hair 5. Spreadability - how easy is it to move through hair 6. After feel - what does hair feel like after using it 7. Dry feel - when hair dries how does it feel 8. Lasting feel - how does hair feel later in the day For skin products... 1. Rub in time - how long it takes to disappear 2. Greasiness - how does it feel on skin 3. Tackiness - does skin feel sticky 4. Overall feel - after you've applied it how does it feel 5. Whiteness - how does it effect skin color 6. Reapplication time - how long does moisturizing effect last For each of these characteristics you should develop a rating scale (1-5 or 110 works well). Then use your benchmark formula and give ratings for each important characteristic. It's good to repeat this process and see if your scores stay consistent.

Step 3 - Make prototypes Once you've gotten your baseline skills down, test out one of your prototypes. Ideally, you have created a prototype in which you've changed only one variable. This will make it easier for you to identify which ingredient can create a significant change. If you continually test radically different prototypes it will be more difficult for you to get formulating direction from the results of your test.

Copyright 2015

82

ChemistsCorner.com

Step 4 - Test prototype alone Just as you did with the baseline sample, you should test your prototype a few times and then rate it for the most important characteristics. Be sure to try and forget what your scores are for the benchmark product. At this point it is not that important to be blinded however, as you're just trying to see if your new prototype is worth further testing.

Step 5 - Compare samples Once you find a protytpe that you want to explore further, set up a blinded test and do your evaluation. The key to a blinded test is that you have no way of knowing which samples are which. So, if there are color differences keep your eyes closed when evaluating the product. If there are odor differences try to hold your nose. Ideally, you could match fragrances to eliminate this variable. You can give ratings for the samples or you can just decide which you like better. If you like your prototype better, great! But don't celebrate just yet. Re-run the test a couple of times to see if you consistently pick the prototype over the benchmark. If you can't, then you don't have an improvement.

Step 6 - Get opinions from others If you are satisfied that your testing shows your prototype is better, then try it out on a few colleagues. Give them samples of your prototype and the benchmark and ask them if they notice any differences. Also, have them pick which they like better. Make it a forced choice.

Step 7 - Revise prototypes Make revisions to your prototype based on the response you get from your own testing and that of the other people who have tried your cosmetic formulation. You really should try at least half a dozen revisions before being satisfied with any results.

Copyright 2015

83

ChemistsCorner.com

Step 8 - Performance tests If you are satisfied with your in-use tests, it's time to do some laboratory performance tests. The specific tests you do depends on the type of product you are making. For cleansing products you'll want to test foam. For moisturizing products, test moisturization. Color products you test wear. There are just innumerable number of tests you can conduct. Once your prototype outscores your benchmark, it's time to move forward and push the product along to development. Congratulations! Now, just one other thing...don't forget to do an early stability test.

Copyright 2015

84

ChemistsCorner.com

When should you reformulate? I was just alerted to this article that said J&J will be reformulating their sun cream formulation after receiving 150 allergic reaction claims. It turns out that one of the ingredients, Methylisothiazolinone (a preservative) is a skin sensitizer in some segment of the population. In fact, it is so predominant that the EU recently announced it was restricting its use in leave-on cosmetics. J&J is smart to reformulate. But the story made me think of all the other times when a cosmetic chemist might have to reformulate. Here are the most common reasons. 1. Consumer complaints - As J&J found out, consumer complaints are a significant reason for reformulating. If enough consumers don't like your product or they are having a reaction to it, then reformulating is the only reasonable option. 2. Regulatory requirements - Sometimes you can't sell your formula any more because regulations in a country have changed. This is particularly true of preservatives since countries are banning them all the time. 3. Cost savings - Perhaps the most common voluntary reasons for reformulating is that you are trying to reduce the cost of your cosmetic formula. Since most formulas are not optimized, there is almost always ways to reformulate and make them less expensive. 4. Raw material is discontinued - Sometimes you are forced to reformulate because a raw material supplier stops producing a raw material. This can be very annoying and demonstrates why you should always have a second supplier for every raw material that you use. 5. Inconsistent supply - There are often situations where your supplier is unable to get you the raw material you need when you need it. This is especially true if you are a smaller cosmetic company and one of the supplier's bigger customer needs more attention. 6. Acquiring a company - Acquisitions in the cosmetic industry are quite common. In fact, the company I used to work for acquired a couple of companies while I was there. They also got acquired themselves and Copyright 2015

85

ChemistsCorner.com

subsequently shut down. Anyway, whenever you acquire a company you often have different raw material suppliers or your company does things different. To integrate into the new company, you usually have to reformulate all the purchased formulas. 7. Marketing reasons - Another time to reformulate is when your marketing group wants to sell products in a different way. Suppose they want to relaunch and add the phrase "new and improved formula." You have to change something about the formula to make that happen. There are other marketing reasons such as adding an ingredient consistent throughout the line or claiming your products are all-natural. All will require some reformulation. 8. Production efficiencies - Sometimes your production people find a faster way to do things such as moving from a batch process to an inline, continuous process. Whenever something like this happens you'll have to reformulate to ensure that you can make a product that matches the new process. 9. Stability problems - On occasion your formula will start to exhibit stability problems. This can happen if there is some subtle ingredient change that you didn't know happened. In these situations, you usually have to reformulate to fix the problem. 10. Claims support - Sometimes your regulatory department will look through the claims being made about your product and discover that the product has to be reformulated to meet the performance claims. Or maybe you try to sell your product in another country that has different claims support requirements. Usually, only a product reformulation will help in these cases. While reformulating can be annoying, overall it is a good thing because it keeps cosmetic chemists employed and working. These reformulations have to be done so don't get used to any one formula. No doubt, in a few years you will have to change it.

Copyright 2015

86

ChemistsCorner.com

How do you know if a cosmetic raw material works? I saw a science article that indicated in a mouse study that a compound in apple peals (ursolic acid) was good for helping build muscles. After I "tweeted" this fact, one of my followers responded that Uroslic Acid was also good for skin care. She even included a link to research published in the Archives of Dermatological Research. According to the abstract skin wrinkling and xerosis associated with aging is a result of a reduction in collagen and ceramide content. In their study, they found Uroslic Acid was able to increase both ceramide and collagen production. So, it logically follows that this might make a good topical skin application. In fact, a raw material marketing department would seize on this research and start selling the promises right away. Unfortunately, they would be jumping the gun. There are two things that strike me about this study and raise red flags about the viability of this raw material. First, the study was done on cultured normal human dermal fibroblasts, or more simply, cultured human skin. This is decidedly different than actual human skin. Sure the cells might be the same but the structure of the thing is completely different. Just because a raw material is shown to do something in the lab doesn't mean that it will work on a real person or when delivered from a real cosmetic. Just because a raw material is shown to do something in the lab doesn't mean that it will work on a real person or when delivered from a real cosmetic. The second thing is that the study was published in 2002. That was over 9 years ago! If Ursolic Acid had the ability to increase ceramide and collagen production in skin, why hasn't any more work been done to demonstrate an effect when applied topically to human skin? To be fair, I did read that Ursolic Acid is currently going through clinical trials to see whether it works as an antiwrinkle ingredient. No results are

Copyright 2015

87

ChemistsCorner.com

published yet. However, it seems to me that it would be a remarkably simple test for some cosmetic company to have already done. This would suggest to me that someone has already done it and were not able to get any results that were worth publishing or even launching a product around. This view may be a bit skeptical but "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."

How do you know? This brings us to the question of how a cosmetic chemist can know whether the raw material that your supplier is bringing you really does the things it claims. Here are a few suggestions. 1. Be skeptical but open minded. It's hard to make something new. That is why there are so few new things. The raw material you are being presented probably doesn't work as claimed. It is an easy matter to give only the evidence that supports your case when you are trying to sell something. Of course, you don't want to filter out too much. If you can easily test a raw material for its claims, you should do it. 2. Get independent testing. While the testing of a supplier is a good start, you should never rely on supplier testing to prove a claim. They have an incentive to find information that supports the product they are selling. I'm not suggesting they make up data. However, they certainly aren't going to show you negative data. I like independent data generated in-house. 3. Do blind testing. The first rule of science is to not fool yourself and you are the easiest person in the world to fool. If you don't want to believe in a raw material, you'll find data to support that belief. Conversely, if you want to believe in a raw material, you'll find data to support that. This doesn't lead you to the truth. When evaluating a raw material for a claim, you should do a double blind study. To do this, it helps to have a technician who can label all the samples, do all the testing and give you the data for analysis.

Copyright 2015

88

ChemistsCorner.com

As a cosmetic chemist, you are going to be inundated with information from suppliers demonstrating that their new raw material is the most excellent thing since sliced bread. Use a little skepticism and testing to ensure that what they say is true.

Copyright 2015

89

ChemistsCorner.com

Demonstrating a cosmetic benefit The following quote relayed to me by Jonah Berger struck me as relevant to cosmetic formulators. Figure out how to show people the benefits rather than tell them

Cosmetic product benefits The first step to showing people the benefits of your cosmetic formulation is to figure out just what those benefits are. This can be tricky because product benefits are not always obvious. It's much easier to come up with product features and people often mistake the two. Product benefits are the perceived value or advantage that a consumer derives from using your product. Product features are descriptions of the actual product (e.g. color, size, price, etc). When you are trying to market your product or idea, it is always best to focus on the product/idea benefits. So how do you identify the benefits of your product? A typical way is to list all the features of your product then answer the question... So what?

Skin lotion example If you are formulating a skin lotion and want to figure out the benefits, first list the features. For example, a skin lotion might have the following features Appealing fragrance Thick lotion Moisturizes skin Lasts for 24 hours White lotion Pump delivery system Copyright 2015

90

ChemistsCorner.com

Then answer the question "so what?" Appealing fragrance - Makes you feel happy when you smell it Thick lotion - Does not make a mess you try to apply it Moisturizes skin - Makes you skin feel better Lasts for 24 hours - You won't have to apply it as frequently White lotion - Will not stain clothes or your skin Pump delivery system - You don't have to think about how much to use When you are marketing your product, always explain the benefits of any feature. But as the speaker's quote who started this post suggests, showing your product benefits is better than just telling what your product benefits are.

How do you show a benefit? Showing a product benefit is done in a number of ways which depends on how you are communicating with your consumer. If you are face to face with a consumer you can show the benefit by giving a demonstration of the effect. For example, there is a commercial where they make the claim that the product “softens hands while you do dishes.” The consumer actually soaks their hand in the dishwashing liquid. If you are face to face with a consumer you can engage the sense of smell, touch, sound, as well as sight. But in most cases you will be communicating via some audio/visual medium like television, magazines, or the Internet. For this you will have to come up with demonstrations to show your benefit. For example, when I was working on a technology to stop hair color from fading, we came up with a demonstration involving three tresses that showed where the color started, what it looked like after washing 20 times without the treatment and what it looked like after washing 20 times with the treatment. It was an impressive visual. Videos are also great for showing a benefit. TV commercials do it all the time. If you want to communicate that using your product will make you

Copyright 2015

91

ChemistsCorner.com

look beautiful and feel happy, you can show a beautiful happy person using your product. For a person in the lab, you could come up with a demonstration that shows your hair conditioner makes hair easier to comb by showing one untreated tress is much more difficult to comb than your treated tress. If you can come up with a great demonstration for your product, it will make it much easier to sell your product to both the consumer and to your marketing group. So spend some time listing the features and benefits of your product, brainstorm some ways to demonstrate the benefits, then do it! This really can be one of the more fun aspects of product development and formulation.

Copyright 2015

92

ChemistsCorner.com

Cosmetic formula testing – Triangle Test As a cosmetic chemist, one of the most basic things you need to be able to do is to evaluate formulas and new raw materials. This is one reason we highly recommend that formulators try EVERY product they make. But just haphazardly trying a product will only give you so much information. If you really want to know if a cosmetic formulation is different, you'll have to conduct a triangle test.

What is a triangle test Simple put, a triangle test is a study in which you compare 3 samples and pick out the one that is different. Of the three samples, one is actually different while two are the same. If you can consistently pick out the different one, there is a pretty good chance that there is actually some difference that you're picking up on. You might not always know what the difference is but sometimes that doesn't matter. The key is that if you can notice a difference then there is probably something different about it.

When to conduct a triangle test Triangle tests are useful whenever you need to determine whether a change in the formula is noticeable or not. So, they work well for... Fragrance evaluations - When you have an odor change and you want to see if there is a noticeable difference. New raw materials - To see if there is some performance effect by using a raw material Cost savings - Remove a raw material and see if anyone can tell a difference Formula development - See if changes you've made actually improve your results

Copyright 2015

93

ChemistsCorner.com

Triangle test basics A triangle test can be done by one person or by an entire panel of people. The former is best when you are making new prototypes and evaluating raw materials. The later is better for making final decisions as it will give you some statistics and numbers to show your boss. Step 1 - Design your test The first thing you have to do is figure out what test you'll run to compare the samples. For odor evaluations this can be a simple "sniff test". Just put your formulas in a small jars, label them and smell. I like to keep my eyes closed for odor evaluations or do it in a dark room so you can't be influenced by color. For other products you can use any number of tests such as foam tests, moisturizing tests, combing tests, etc. It really depends on what you are testing and what characteristic you want to notice. If you are doing a test in which you want to get some useful statistics, you need a panel of about 30 people before you get meaningful data. However, if the differences are significant you'll be able to make decisions on many fewer test subjects (say 15). Step 2 - Make your samples To do a triangle test you need to make two batches of a product. Be sure to create enough to pour off multiple samples. One batch will be your control while the other will be your test. When you are making your samples, flip a coin to decide which batch will be the one you take two samples from and which will be the odd one out. Flipping a coin (or other random process) is important because you don't want to always conduct the test in which the odd sample is always the test sample. Ideally, if you are going to test the samples, you should have someone else make and fill the samples. At the very least you should have someone else fill and label them. That way you can be singly blinded and won't be able to trick yourself.

Copyright 2015

94

ChemistsCorner.com

Step 3 - Test your samples After the samples are made & labeled, run the test. Evaluate the products in the order they are presented and give an initial guess as to which is the odd sample. It is useful to write down your answer at this point. Once you've tested the samples, it is helpful to re-run the test. This time you should randomly mix the samples and evaluate them without knowing which sample is which. Try to hide the labels. If you are unable to pick out the same sample then the first time was probably a fluke and you'll want to rerun it a few more times until you can consistently (or not) pick out the same sample. Step 4 - Reveal the codes Once you are certain you've got the odd sample, look at the codes to see if you picked out the odd sample. If you did, then you can have some confidence that there really is a difference. If you didn't, there probably isn't any real difference and the new raw material or the formulation change you made was likely inconsequential, at least for the characteristic you tested. Step 5 - Determine significance If you were conducting the test with a panel of people you need to determine if there were statistically significant differences. For people who like statistics you can figure out the Chi squared distribution. X 2=? (|OE|)2/E, where O=observed and E=expected. Or you can use a chart. The triangle test is one of the key tools that a cosmetic chemist has at her disposal. You should practice it often because the more you use it, the better you'll get and the more useful it will become.

Copyright 2015

95

ChemistsCorner.com

Section 5 : Resources Cosmetic Formulating Checklist Whenever you begin a formulating project there is a variety of information you need to establish before doing anything else. Some of these things will be obvious and easy but others might be challenging especially if you have to get your marketing department to make a decision. Remember, on some level formulating is a team sport. But here is a handy checklist that any cosmetic formulator could use to speed up their formulating efforts and ensure that they have the best chance for success.

Cosmetic Product Profile The product profile is intended to establish the goals that you are trying to achieve with your product. It should include information about Aesthetics, Performance, Cost, Claims and Packaging.

Cosmetic aesthetics The specific characteristics will depend on the type of formula you are making, but in general you should have targets for all the following parameters. Since your marketing people will typically be the ones guiding the development you will need to work with them on picking the benchmark and most of these other characteristics. 1. Benchmark standard - A product that you are trying to match. 2. Color 3. Intensity of color 4. Clarity - (opaque, clear, hazy)

Copyright 2015

96

ChemistsCorner.com

5. Special effects (e.g. pearled, glitter or not) 6. Consistency - Liquid, Gel, Solid, etc. 7. Rheology / viscosity 8. Product odor (fragrance benchmark)

Cosmetic performance These characteristics depend on what you want the product to do. Your ability to come up with measurements or targets depends on your ability to test these characteristics. These can be instrumental tests or trained panel tests. We can't list them all but here are some standard characteristics for most types of products. Cleansing products 1. Foam volume 2. Foam height 3. Foam density / feel 4. Level of cleansing 5. Feel of surface after cleansing (hair or skin) 6. Level of moisturizing / conditioning 7. Drying rate 8. Other... Moisturizing products 1. Feel upon application (greasiness, dryness, tackiness) 2. Speed of rub-in 3. Immediate moisturizing level 4. Shine 5. Skin moisturization score For hair products 6. Ease of combing 7. Flyaway levels 8. Hair breakage reduction 9. Speed of rinsing

Copyright 2015

97

ChemistsCorner.com

Styling products 1. Hair workability 2. Level of hold

Formula cost Before you start any formulation work, you need to know how much money you have for creating the product. Typically, you will cost a formula out in terms of how much it costs per pound (kilogram) or how much it costs per unit (depends on package size). 1. Total formula cost limit

Cosmetic claims An important thing to consider while in the early stages of formulation is the types of claims you want to make. This will help you choose feature ingredients and make you decide what characteristics you need to build into the formula. Some of this work can be done after formulating but the more you can get done before you actually start to work, the easier your formulating efforts will be. 1. Ingredient claims 2. Performance benchmark claims 3. Competitive product claims 4. Product claims demonstrations

Packaging When formulating it is imperative that you know what type of package the product will be put into. This will affect many of the aesthetic characteristics you choose in the first section. 1. Primary container form 2. Size 3. Type Copyright 2015

98

ChemistsCorner.com

4. Material of container 5. Container pigment 6. Package supplier 7. Type of closure 8. Material of closure

Formulating checklist For each product you could come up with a specific list that is applicable. This checklist provides a starting point which you can expand upon. Putting together this list prior to formulating and getting your marketing or management to agree to the decisions made will greatly improve your chances of creating an excellent formulation that pleases everyone in your company. And hopefully, it will please your consumers too.

Copyright 2015

99

ChemistsCorner.com

Formulation tool kit Recommended Additional Resources for Cosmetic Chemists.

Getting Started If you want a refresher on basic chemistry, the following is a good introductory textbook. Virtual Chemistry Textbook Learn the vital vocabulary. Cosmetic industry jargon. Here's a list of websites that any cosmetic chemist will find useful. Cosmetic Science web resources.

Books Chemistry and Manufacture of Cosmetics Formulating, 4th Edition This is one of the original, complete set of books about cosmetic science. It is packed full of technical information covering cosmetic science, formulating and cosmetic ingredients. Almost every industry expert has written a chapter for this 4 volume book series. If you have a question about cosmetic chemistry, no doubt this book will have the answer for you. Harry's Cosmeticology 8th Edition The first edition of this classic book on cosmetic science was first published in 1940. It is now in its 8th edition and is one of the most comprehensive tomes on the subject. It covers all aspects of cosmetic science in 5 sections including the substrates (skin, hair, nails), formulation approaches, ingredients, specific formulations, and production. As a formulation chemist, you will find this single volume book an indispensable resource that you frequently reference.

Copyright 2015

100

ChemistsCorner.com

Handbook of Cosmetic Science and Technology, Third Edition Much like Harry’s, the Handbook of Cosmetic Science & Technology attempts to cover as many aspects of cosmetic science as it can in a single book. This 880+ page work covers everything from the biology of hair, skin and nails to cosmetic formula types, cosmetic ingredients and even cosmetic claims. Of all the books mentioned thus far, this one does the best job of covering cosmetic claims and testing. It’s definitely worth having on your bookshelf. A Short Textbook of Cosmetology I don’t know where I got this book but it is a nice, short volume that covers the basics of cosmetic science. It was written by an author from Switzerland so it has a more Euro-centric view of the cosmetic industry. Other books discussed many focus on the North American cosmetic industry. I particularly enjoyed the extensive historical section in this book. The book is significantly shorter than others weighing in at only 435 pages, but it packs a lot of information in those pages. Surfactants in Personal Care Products and Decorative Cosmetics, Third Edition (Surfactant Science) This book is a bit more technical about the science of surfactants than any others on the list. It has chapters written by a variety of cosmetic industry experts and is an excellent resource for the advanced cosmetic chemist. It is probably not one you want to start with but after a few years of formulating, you’ll definitely want to have it in your cosmetic science library. Chemical and Physical Behavior of Human Hair This is the most specific of all the books on this list and its inclusion is more reflective of the fact that I spent most of my time formulating products for hair. However, if there is anything you want to know about the science and biology of hair, you need go nowhere else but this book. It explains all aspects of human hair and is based on the latest research. In the hair care world, the book is so ubiquitous it is simply referred to as “Robbins”.

Copyright 2015

101

ChemistsCorner.com

Buyer's Guides In the cosmetic industry, Buyer's Guides list the names and contact information of companies where you can buy raw materials and lab supplies. It also list places to have products formulated, produced, tested and filled. INCI Directory - This is an excellent resource which lets you search raw materials by trade name, INCI name, and supplier. It also provides you with formula suggestions, news about the materials, and spec sheets. A great resource! GCI Directory - contains a searchable listing of a variety of raw material, and packaging suppliers for the cosmetic industry. Requires registration but it is free to use. Happi magazine buyer's guide - Contains information about raw material sources, packaging and equipment, and testing services. It has a limited number of companies that are indexed. Cosmetic Bench Reference - the most comprehensive free guide to ingredients and suppliers around the world. It provides the data you need to select the best ingredients for your formulating challenge. With more than 18,500+ ingredients and more than 600 raw material suppliers, the CBR online directory is a must-have research tool for industry buyers and chemists. Requires free registration to use. Personal Care Products Council buyer's guide - This is a good source for finding suppliers of various INCI approved raw materials on an International level. It is searchable by raw material name, trade name, and mixture name. It only provides listings for raw materials.

Formularies Prospector - Over 5000 different formulas. One of the most extensive collections available. Requires free registration to use. Happi Formulary - Not a bad collection of starting formulas. Searchable too. Cosmetics & Toiletries - A listing of over 100 starting formulas.

Copyright 2015

102

ChemistsCorner.com

Free starting formulas - A list of over 50 sources for free starting cosmetic formulas.

Formulating Software Mar - Kov Chemical Management software - Get a free trial here Excel Formula template spreadsheet - This is a standard formula template that you can use and modify for your own needs.

Lab Supplies Sigma Aldrich - You can get test raw materials and pretty much any lab equipment you need. VWR - If you can't find a lab supply here, it probably doesn't exist yet. Over 400,000 scientific products.

Job sources Careers in Cosmetics This is a site that helps connect employers with job seekers. You can post your resume and search for cosmetic science jobs by job title, company, and location. If you're searching for a job in the beauty industry, you should be looking here. Indeed.com This website takes aggregate results from a variety of online job search sites and puts them conveniently in one place. You can search by job title or location. It also gives you alternative terms which will help you expand your search. For example, if you search for cosmetic chemist, it will suggest cosmetic formulator.

Regulatory FDA Cosmetic Info — Everything you need to know about the rules governing the sale of cosmetics in the United States is here. Some say the cosmetic

Copyright 2015

103

ChemistsCorner.com

industry in the US is not regulated but it is, by the FDA. You can find information useful to both the consumer and cosmetic business owner. European Commission — In the EU, cosmetics are regulated by a document called the Cosmetics Directive 76/768/EEC. At this website you can find the full-text version and also some important commentary on the implications of the rules. An excellent website for all things EU regulatory. Health Canada — While it’s not as big a market as the US or EU, Canada is still a significant player in the cosmetic industry and their government wants to have their say. At this website you can find all the rules (current and proposed) that will govern how you can sell your products in Canada. Ministry of Health (Japan) — While all governments have access to the same science, they don’t always come to the same conclusions about what is safe. At this site you’ll find out what compounds are restricted in cosmetics sold in Japan. Cosmetic Ingredient Review Board — This one isn’t a governmental agency but an industry agency that reviews safety data about cosmetic ingredients. They report to the FDA and provide an excellent guide as to what ingredients you can and can not use when formulating cosmetics. Complete list of worldwide cosmetic organic standards A compilation of all the various organic and natural standard agencies. There is no single standard for the world so you must choose which is most appropriate for you to follow if you are creating natural cosmetics.

Copyright 2015

104

ChemistsCorner.com

For more information see our web page: http://chemistscorner.com/members

Copyright 2015

105

ChemistsCorner.com