Where to find find Free Cosmetic Cosmetic Formulas by PERRY on on 06/13/2012
One of my goals is to create a website that gives starting formulas to anyone who is looking for one. I‟m modelling it after the Open Source Software movement and dubbing it Open Source Formulating (or something like that). Essentially it will be a place where people can find and exchange formulas. Almost a recipe swap.
But until I get that going, I thought it would be useful to pr ovide links to places where you can get formulas to start already. Here is what I‟ve got so far. The list will continue to grow. Please feel free to add other links in the comments if there are sources that aren‟t mentioned.
General Cosmetic formulation lists Cosmetic Bench Reference – A list of hundreds of supplier formulas searchable by type, ingredient trade name and more. Suppliers for all materials included. Requires registration. C & T 2008 Skin Care formulary formulary - Formulas for creams, lotions, cleansers, and masks. C & T 2006 C&T Skin formulary formulary - Formulas for creams, lotions, cleansers, and masks. Happi formulary – formulary – Wide range of formulations from suppliers of cosmetic raw materials. materials. Also some formulation formulation of household products if you‟re looking for fo r that. No registration required Personal Care Magazine – Nice set of easily accessible formulas. No registration required . Innovadex - Requires registration but has hundreds (maybe thousands) of formulas from suppliers. SpecialChem4Cosmetics – They have an excellent starting formulations formulations selector. Includes skin care, hair care, sun care, toiletries, fragrance, fragrance, and makeup. Requires registration. Merck formulations – Hundreds of cosmetic formulations and some other interesting things like insect repellent. No registration required . Google Patents - This takes a little digging but if you do a search of the patents on any kind of formula that you want to make, you can find example formulas in the „claims‟ section of most any patent on the subject. Google Books – Google has a number of books that list list some cosmetic formulations. Many you can get listed for free. free.
Supplier Formularies Grant Industry Formulary Formulary - Lots of cosmetic formulas including make-up, creams & lotions, Sunscreens, Skin treatments, Hair care, and more. Over 100 formulas Brenntag Personal care formulas – This company has a nice list of starting formulas for hair, skin and color cosmetics. Not an extensive list of formulations formulations but about 100 formulas.
Colonial Chemicals formulas – A number of cosmetic formulas. Also some household cleaner and metal working lubricants too. Croda Formulary - Some excellent starting formulas using materials from Croda. Formulas in all types of different products and includes some “green” or Natural formulations. Registration is required (a little annoying). Dow Corning formulations – Not organized in the best manner for cosmetic chemists but a good number of formulations that feature silicone as a significant component. Dupont Tate & Lyle formulations – Offers a number of skin care and color cosmetic formulations. Also has a couple of hair care product formulas. Stepan formulary - One of the biggest surfactant suppliers in the business. They have some excellent starting formulas for cleansing products and emulsions. HallStar Formulations – A searchable list of formulations with particular focus on suncare and skin care. It is handy that it allows for searching by keyword including INCI names. IGI Cares formulas – A short list of some interesting formulas that focus on petrolatum and waxes. Jeen International formulary – A small list of formulas but covering a wide range of product categories including bath and shower, sun care, hair care, skin care, and color cosmetics. Kobo formulations – A rather extensive list of formulas focused on color cosmetics and sunscreens. Formulas are all freely available. Lubrizol formulations - A wide variety of formulas in all categories of personal care and cosmetic products. Lipo Formulary - A very slick compilation of formulas for everything ranging from facial care, to general skin care, hair care and color cosmetics. The descriptions provided for each formula are helpful. R.T. Vanderbilt formulas – Cosmetic formulations in 5 different categories including skin care, sun care, color cosmetics, cleansing, and treatments & grooming. Includes reactive hair products like relaxers and perms. Seppic Formulations – One of the best features is that you can search formulas by keyword and also they have a formula selection tool that allows you to choose by application, texture, claim, and target consumer. Nicely organized.
DIY / Hobbiest formulations DIY Cosmetics Formulary - Recipes for makeup, shampoos, cleansers and soap. The Herbarie Formulary - More recipes for making personal care products. Focuses on natural or green technologies. More of a home crafter DIY site than a cosmetic industry site. MakingCosmetics.com – A nice list of recipes for all types of cosmetics from creams, lotions, sun products and color cosmetics. Formulas are available in a number of formats and list % weights and kitchen measurements. Nicest thing is that it doesn‟t require registration to get a formula. Nice going Making Cosmetics!
Make Your Cosmetics – A wide range of formulations organized in alphabetical order. Each formula tells approximately how long it will take to produce and has comments from other makers as to what they thought. Has a number of lip and facial care formulations. Cosmetic Formulator – A defunct website but through the magic of the Internet Wayback machine you can still access the formulations. Includes a number of powdered makeup formulas and just a couple of skin care creams. Realize Beauty formulations – A variety of formulations with descriptive procedures for making them. Not a long list but some nice starting formulas for soap, conditioner, toothpaste and more. Ingredients to die for Formulary – 70+ formulations for both hair and skin applications. Most formulas are for skin care products. Personal Formulator – A small list of formulations but includes some products for pets. Skin Essential Actives – Some nice additional resources on the site (like a formula calculator) in addition to a range of skin care starting formulations. Karen Gilbert recipes - Formulations with videos to show how they are made. These are more like cooking recipes than formulations but the demonstrations are excellent. Nicely produced. LotionCrafter – Not a lot of formulas but a nice collection of facial care, skin care, hair care, and spa products. Also, sells raw materials so you are able to make the products.
Have one to add? Leave a comment below. This is a growing list.
Tagged as: cosmetic formulation, Formulating
{ 47 comments… read them below or add one } Jerome June 22, 2012 at 12:44 pm My 10 cents on these formulations. I have sorted through endless formulas from many sources such as the ones you sited above. I typically find they are: never great and/or super expensive. For example, I have a flier on my desk for fantastic hair ingredient that has a very basic starter conditioner formulation on it. I priced it out and it is $5.22/kg without fragrance and preservative. I find this to be the case with many vendor developed formulations. Vendors may be selling a high priced active extract that does fantastic things and they give a formulation that is ready for market. Price it out with your vendor at your desk and see if he/she can keep a straight face. Also, I had a vendor come in with a whole line of products/ formulas/samples focused to what I am working on. I felt confident enough with my knowledge of the paper formulas to ask the person to go to the sink with me and evaluate these formulations for lather and skin feel. This vendor had never tried these samples and was surprised at how bad some of them performed. Some were good, most
were not. One last bit, I took a webinar on sulfate free shampoos, the had a starter formulation, I happened to have all ingredients on the list. I went to the lab and made it exactly as outlined and sent it to the salon for testing. They came back with “aweful” and “horrible”.
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Perry June 22, 2012 at 12:49 pm Great comments Jerome. That has been my experience too. You are also correct that most of these formulas will be bad. If a cosmetic chemist thinks she can just take a formula, make it, and will have a nicely functioning product, she is mistaken. But you have to start somewhere. These sources are probably the best place. It‟s just a starting point though. To make an actual product that works and could be sold, you have to do the prototype development which is a whole different problem.
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Gary Neudahl June 22, 2012 at 1:12 pm Jerome, Having spent thirteen years on the finished goods producer‟s side and then seventeen on the ingredient producer‟s side, be aware of the differing dynamics in formulation development for each. The quality of the formulae you get from ingredient vendors will depend on the standards of the chemist (and company) presenting them. Because ingredient suppliers are in the business of selling ingredients, their formulations will, of course, contain their ingredients. And because they don‟t expect these formulations to be used as presented, they want to make sure the particular esthetic and/or functional benefits from the focus ingredient(s) are as obvious as possible (i.e., show that IT WORKS). Hence higher costs and higher use levels than for an optimized product. Formulation assessment is typically done on pr ototypes stored at room temperature, so the ingredient supplier may figure that if it‟s stable for a relatively long time at room temperature, that‟s good enough. Better suppliers check elevated temperature and freeze-thaw stability as well. It‟s fair game to ask your ingredients suppliers what their stability testing standards are for releasing a formula to the formulating public. That will give you a better idea of what to expect from th eir formulations, not just functionally, but with respect to shelf stability as well. REPLY
Jerome June 22, 2012 at 1:56 pm
Amen to both Gary and Perry. So if you are new at this or even experienced at this, understand that it can take you a year, and o ftentimes more, to make a bad starter formulation fantastic! At that point, you need to be very selective about who you share it with. You worked hard for that and it belongs to you (or your company; depending on what you signed when you got hired).
Perry, perhaps you could do a bit on protecting your formulas and products from diversion, knockoffs and counterfeits?
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Edna Van Buren June 21, 2012 at 8:58 pm Hi Perry,
I use the website: http://www.innovadex.com/ and I think it „s very interesting for a chemist since s/he can get samples from the suppliers companies for his/her project. Nice job, Perry!
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Dennis A June 19, 2012 at 2:25 pm Colonial Chemical‟s formulary is athttp://colonialchem.com/Formulations REPLY
Nancy Liedel June 19, 2012 at 11:48 am There are three here I didn‟t have! I‟m thrilled. I d on‟t have any that have not been posted though, except sites that encourage you to, “ditch the preservatives and put it in the fridge.” I‟m going to make a dartboard out of those and when I get a bad day, play darts
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Manoranjan June 18, 2012 at 8:47 pm This is really excellent collection and very useful. Hope the following site also may be useful: http://www.cosmeticanalysis.com. Thank you Perry for your selfless hard work.
Manoranjan.
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Maggie Ghanem June 18, 2012 at 8:24 am http://www.FormulatorSampleShop.com Formulator Sample Shop is a sister company of Active Concepts, Active Micro Technologies & Arbor Organics. Formulator Sample Shop Active Concepts, Active Micro Technologies & Arbor Organics products in 80 mL, 250 mL and 1100 mL pack sizes and devloped for the DIY and smaller businesses that cannot meet Active Concepts minimum order or pack size. Formulator Sample Shop also provides Formulas & Formulation Advice!
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Kamrul Hasan Rashed June 16, 2012 at 10:51 pm Also try http://www.dowcorning.com/content/personal/default.aspx?wt.svl=OurExpertise_EN REPLY
Annie June 16, 2012 at 6:49 pm This is a great idea
Thanks Perry!
makeyourcosmetics.com lotioncrafter.com REPLY
Gary Neudahl June 16, 2012 at 5:06 pm To access HallStar Company‟s formulary, go tohttp://www.hallstar.com/template.php?content=tech_library.php and select based on the personal care product area of interest, or search by a keyword (such as an ingredient of interest). INCI names, trade names and supplier names are almost always provided. The current area of particular strength is sunscreens and
skin care products with active ingredients requiring photostabilization, but many other formulations are also provided. REPLY
Ged June 16, 2012 at 5:13 am This is an excellent resource – thank you so much for putting it together! For anyone who reads French, or is willing to trust to Google Translate http://www.aroma-zone.com/aroma/Documentation.asp (sorry, not sure if I‟ve made this a link) have some very imaginative “green” formulas. Incidentally, a pet “peeve” of mine : I do wish formulations always used the INCI names as well as trade names so you don‟t have to do a second search to find out what the heck “d ermfeelsoft” or whatever actually is! REPLY
Perry June 16, 2012 at 8:36 am Thanks for the add. I agree with you that it would be nice if there was both the trade name and INCI name but especially the INCI name.
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shahbaz June 16, 2012 at 12:53 am Hi Perry, I have my own developed formulas I can share it with some changes in percentages. These formulas are very basic as I have very limited knowledge in this field. If you want then please let me through email. Regards! REPLY
Manoranjan June 18, 2012 at 8:50 pm Hi Shahbaz,
Do you have any formulas on Sunscreen SPF 30? Could you please help me especially on the ingredient which block UVA. Thank you. Manoranjan.
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Perry June 18, 2012 at 10:23 pm I‟d suggest you post this question to the Forum. Or look through some of the formulations in this list. I haven‟t made an SPF 30 in a long time so can‟t be of much help beyond that.
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Gary Neudahl June 20, 2012 at 12:26 am See http://www.hallstar.com/template.php?query=SPF&content=search_site_inc.php&search=1and take a look at those between SPF 30 and 35. If in vivo tested, expect a label SPF about 10% lower t han stated. If in vitro tested only, then expect label SPF to be plus or minus 20 % of value listed. REPLY
aram June 15, 2012 at 10:56 pm great…!!
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andrianto June 15, 2012 at 7:04 pm wow..thx a lot Perry. this is really GREAT job!
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Irma N Versteegh June 15, 2012 at 10:41 am Hello Perry, What a great resource you put together to all of us. Thank you so much for sharing.Formulating had become a wonderful hobby for me, I am just about ready in the next six months to lunch my own products.I u sually study the ingredients and their properties of the products I admire,then I think about how I can improve on that.Thanks again. REPLY
Rose Durham June 15, 2012 at 10:22 am DuPont Tate & Lyle offers man y prototype formulations. View them here: http://www.duponttateandlyle.com/products_zemea_applications.php REPLY
Michele Masterson June 15, 2012 at 4:37 am Hi Perry, great information for us budding formulators! I was also going to suggest lotioncrafters but I see Jip beat me to it! Thanks for all the help and advice you offer, it is so appreciated! Anyway I digress…. oat.co.uk have a couple of nice formulations utilizing their superfine oat powder, beta glucan, oat oil etc. very nice „green‟ products. Hope someone finds this useful.
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Inez June 15, 2012 at 2:01 am Hi Perry,
Thanks for the links. I have another one: http://www.jeen.com/formulary.htm REPLY
Dragon June 15, 2012 at 1:46 am As requested Perry; http://skinessentialactives.blogspot.tw/2011/12/seakinnianag-serum.html REPLY
AlamSjofnizon June 15, 2012 at 1:42 am Dears Perry Thanks for the links. Its a real help for my activity at the moment. I just finished composing the formula for Facial Wash and Balancing Toner ( aspecially for acne ). Regard‟s
AlamSjofnizon
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MOHANKUMAR June 15, 2012 at 12:39 am Also try 1. http://www.personalformulator.com 2. Key in words in You Tube and see useful videos 3. Cosmeticinfo.org will provide the usage/safety information or raw materials used in Formulation. REPLY
Perry June 15, 2012 at 5:29 am Excellent suggestions!
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S Creese June 14, 2012 at 11:56 pm The Personal Care Magazine link is not opening on my end
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Perry June 15, 2012 at 5:33 am I just checked and the link works for me. I would suggest seeing if you can go to their home page & finding the formulary from there. REPLY
S Creese June 15, 2012 at 7:13 am I don‟t know if its because I‟m located in Trinidad but the link won‟t work on Explorer, Firefox or Chrome. But thanks for the links Perry
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Miki June 14, 2012 at 11:06 pm Hello! I love this!
Here are two that I use all the time: Ingredientstodiefor.com Texasnaturalsupply.com Enjoy! REPLY
Babu Kumar June 14, 2012 at 10:33 pm Thanks for the links. Its a real help for the budding chemists in the Cosmetics Industry.
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Junio June 14, 2012 at 8:36 pm Thanks for the link. Anyway I‟m looking for a saponification base for facial cream (Pearl cream) like Hazeline snow cream that uses lots of stearic acid & NaOH. but cant find at that link. Could you help me please?
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Perry June 15, 2012 at 5:10 am Hello Junio – I would suggest you put that request in the forum. I‟m sure someone in there will be able to help you.
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Junio June 15, 2012 at 7:58 am Thanks for yr suggest
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Mohamad Istari June 14, 2012 at 8:32 pm Istari Easy for searching material informations Thanks REPLY
leiweiping June 14, 2012 at 8:16 pm lipo chem http://www.lipochemicals.com/formulations.php seppic http://www.seppic.com/products-@/1025/view-1059-category.html kobo http://www.koboproductsinc.com/formulas.html rtvanderbilt http://www.rtvanderbilt.com/spec_pc.htm it is a lot REPLY
Malcolm Nearn June 14, 2012 at 8:03 pm Re Google patents a good way to find any patent in any country that conforms to the international patent treaty is as follows: enter the US Patent Office websitehttp://patft.uspto.gov/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html. You can conduct a Boolean search eg on any pair of search items, eg two different chemicals, or a particular chemical and a particular use. To find out if that patent has been filed in another country go to the European website (espacenet.com/) and go to the number search option and enter the us patent number. Click on the patent title then Inpadoc family. (I am not a patent attorney but I have used this process extensively to find new opportunities). REPLY
Alexa June 14, 2012 at 6:41 pm How about Merck: http://www.merck-performancematerials.com/en/cosmetics/formulation_examples/formulation_examples.html and Realize beauty: http://realizebeauty.wordpress.com/category/backstage-pass-beauty/recipes-backstage-pass-beauty/ REPLY
nafee June 14, 2012 at 5:44 pm This is great. Good job
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Alex June 14, 2012 at 5:14 pm This is a great idea! Thanks for the links, and I‟m really looking forward to seeing this feature grow!
A couple more great home crafter/DIY sites are: soapqueen.com and/or brambleberry.com and swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com REPLY
S Creese June 14, 2012 at 4:38 pm Thanks for the links. I knew about a couple of them but I don‟t have any to add to this.
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Jowyn June 14, 2012 at 1:03 am I would like to contribute another link as below: http://www.specialchem4cosmetics.com REPLY
Perry June 14, 2012 at 4:35 pm Thanks for the addition!
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Jip June 13, 2012 at 9:59 pm 1. Making Cosmetics has a formulary :http://www.makingcosmetics.com/recipes-6.html 2. Using the Wayback Machine, this one can be found for cosmetics: Lotioncrafter.com will sometimes have sample formulas on the same page as some of their ingredients.
Hope this helps.
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Perry June 14, 2012 at 4:35 pm Thanks it does!
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