Blog: formulating guides for beginners

Step-by-step guides to making your own skincare and cosmetics.

• What does each ingredient do? EU functions explained: Every cosmetic ingredient is filed under a job. Here are the standard functions from the EU ingredient list, in plain language, with examples you can find in the library.
• Why emulsions separate, and how thickeners keep them stable: The four ways a lotion falls apart, what thickeners really do about each one, and how to choose between carbomer, xanthan gum, cellulose, other gums and clays.
• Your first formula: a simple 100 g lotion, step by step: A forgiving oil-in-water lotion with every percentage explained, and exactly what to do at each stage of the process.
• Seven mistakes every beginner formulator makes (and how to avoid them): Most failed first batches come down to the same handful of habits. Fix these and you skip months of frustration.
• Preservatives 101: why water-based products need one: What a preservative does, how to pick one, and why the usual DIY shortcuts do not work.
• Emulsions explained: how oil and water stay together: Why lotions do not separate, what emulsifiers actually do, and what to check when yours does.
• Humectants, emollients and occlusives: how a moisturizer really works: Three ingredient families do three different jobs. Learn what each does and how to balance them.
• How to read an INCI list (and write your own): The small print on every cosmetic label is a recipe in code. Here is how to decode it.
• Why pH matters (and how to test it at home): The acidity of your formula decides whether actives work, preservatives protect and skin stays comfortable.
• Your home lab starter kit: what you really need: A short, prioritised shopping list so you can start safely without buying the whole catalogue.
• Can I sell what I make? The basics of cosmetic regulation: Making products for yourself and selling them are very different things. Here is what changes.