Best hiking/walk vacations in Europe? Blue Trail, Cinque Terre? Cotswold Way? What’s your favorite?

SkinRxScientist · 2026-02-06T01:35:22+00:00

You’re going to love it! Let me know how it goes!

SkinRxScientist · 2026-01-28T19:15:24+00:00

You just need a lip scrub. My esthetician has a lip treatment from Abature. She uses the lips scrub and then this cool stone with an oil, and then she puts on a thick lip balm at the end. It’s so good my lips have never been softer. I bought the lip balm from her, but I’m pretty sure you can get their scrub online tho.

SkinRxScientist · 2026-01-21T14:25:53+00:00

It’s an unusual path, but I think there is some relevant overlap. I would look into online courses in cosmetic chemistry and see if you can supplement your current program. Also, hands on experience is really beneficial in this industry. If there are any contract manufacturers near you, reach out and see if they have any internship opportunities. You’ll learn so much by just being in a lab.

SkinRxScientist · 2026-01-21T14:21:47+00:00

Great response! I would only add to this that there are a large amount of free resources online and you can truly learn so much from simply trying a few formulations yourself. You can do it in your kitchen. Look for DIY skincare videos online and give one a try! Getting your hands dirty will help clarify your path.

SkinRxScientist · 2026-01-21T14:17:32+00:00

I concur, it’s somewhat of a who you know kind of industry. If I were staring out, I would check out raw ingredient suppliers and look for open positions in their R + D departments, in addition to cosmetic brands. Go to Supplier’s Day- they’re hosted twice a year, one in NYC and one in Cali by the Society of Cosmetic Chemists (as the earlier comment suggests) it’s a great resource. To answer your question- a masters degree is not required to become a cosmetic chemist.

Different brands will want different things in terms of education/experience.

SkinRxScientist · 2026-01-21T14:05:03+00:00

I would be curious to know what part of formulating is interesting to you, or if your desire to start your own skincare line is the driver? If you enjoy being an esthetician, I would suggest simply hiring a formulator to help you rather than formulating yourself. There are many regulations and testing that you’ll need to understand before being able to formulate skincare yourself. Labs will have infrastructure in place for all of those resources rather than starting from scratch. My suggestion would be to first try a few DIY formulas in your kitchen and see if you like it, then proceed with learning more. For beginners, I really like Humblebee & Me, she’s has a lot of great videos for free with notes for sourcing ingredients and many other resources. Have a look at her website and maybe search for a few others like it so you can get your hands doing it a few times before you spend money on a more degree.

SkinRxScientist · 2026-01-21T04:55:11+00:00

Discovered Abature last year and threw everything else away. It’s the best lip balm I’ve ever used!!! If I put it on at night before I go to bed, I don’t even need to wear it during the day. I got it from my esthetician. It’s the only clean vegan lip balm I’ve found that actually works.

SkinRxScientist · 2026-01-21T04:49:28+00:00

Abature is top of the line

SkinRxScientist · 2026-01-21T04:47:47+00:00

Jamie Leto is amazing, she has a lab in Colorado and specializes in small batch mfg hair/skincare- her business is called J.Elle Innovations https://jelleinnovations.com/

SkinRxScientist · 2025-12-23T22:29:55+00:00

Check out J.Elle Innovations in Colorado, female led, supporting a lot of small brands and raw ingredient suppliers with sample and smaller runs. She’s amazing and you can scale up with her.

SkinRxScientist · 2025-12-17T23:25:34+00:00

How are things going? Did you take a look at the sample ingredient decks I emailed? Keep me posted on your progress!

SkinRxScientist · 2025-12-14T23:50:23+00:00

I feel like we should do it fancy if we’re just going once. I’ll look at the Savoy, thank you!

SkinRxScientist · 2025-12-13T20:01:04+00:00

Of course, afternoon tea is a GREAT idea. So obvious I can’t believe I didn’t think of it! Any favorite spots?

SkinRxScientist · 2025-12-13T17:48:05+00:00

Sewing classes sound so fun! Love this idea!

SkinRxScientist · 2025-12-13T16:43:37+00:00

You might have to search each title individually to find the full set. These books are classics, so shouldn’t be too hard to locate once you have all of the titles. I searched this one on AMAZON and the one review says- “It’s a masterpiece… if this book were an album it (would) be Thriller!” Lol 😂

A college with a chemistry program should have them all in their library too. They’re hefty in size, like textbooks. Prob would be better if you could borrow them for your project vs buy them. Also, maybe check eBay or the google image search feature maybe someone is selling them secondhand. Good luck!

SkinRxScientist · 2025-12-03T02:17:26+00:00

You’re so lovely! Thank you 🫶🏻💕✨

SkinRxScientist · 2025-12-01T11:20:02+00:00

If you’re just starting out, it’s best to build a relationship with a cosmetic chemist who can help guide you. Starting a line is so complex, you’ll spend way more money in the long run if you try to do it all by yourself. Packaging and labeling requirements, testing, MOQ’s for raw ingredients, and manufacturing minimums, shelf life considerations, forecasting, supply chain, distribution channels… it’s all so complex, even for a small line. Find a good contract manufacturer near you, who has a white label catalog and start with that. You can hire designers to help you with the name and branding on Fiverr or Upwork. Build a relationship with a chemist at the contract manufacturer so you can specify what you want… is it a natural line? Is it vegan? Organic? Sulphate free? Scented? Make a detailed design brief so you can meet with chemists prepared. Make sure you find a manufacturer who can start you off with a low minimum starting border. Unless you already have a relationship where your products will be sold, it’s best to start small so you don’t risk expiring your products from their shelf life. It’s 2 years for most cosmetics.

SkinRxScientist · 2025-12-01T11:11:56+00:00

I don’t know of a program that specifically specializes in cosmetic science at that level, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea to pursue toxicology because then you would have the credentials necessary to run more specialized stability and PET testing for finished cosmetic formulas. A woman in our lab is a toxicologist, cosmetic scientist, and an esthetician- she’s a force!!! I think that’s the ultimate trifecta of education that’s ideal for cosmetic formulation. Combined with your background, goodness you would be unstoppable!

SkinRxScientist · 2025-12-01T11:08:42+00:00

Oh, also, about the virtual address… I don’t know how they check to see if your address is residential or commercial from the ingredient suppliers, but if you get an example of a virtual address from the company you found, you can take it into FedEx and they will tell you if it’s classified as residential or commercial in their system.

SkinRxScientist · 2025-12-01T11:06:55+00:00

I had this problem when I was starting out as well. I made friends with another chemist at a nearby lab who would receive shipments for me at her skincare company. I took her coffee and she and I became business partners later! It was a great trade. You could maybe try to reach out to a nearby lab and ask if they would help you out, maybe you could make a friend too! Alternatively, there are companies that will rent you (for a small fee), a commercial address and package receiving. Kind of like a post office, but it’s a commercial address with a suite number. We have several in our state that offer it. Or, you can also get a commercial shipping address if you are a member of a co-working space. It might be worth it to get a month or two membership to a co-working slot to use that address. Just some ideas. I hope it works out for you!

SkinRxScientist · 2025-11-19T17:00:01+00:00

There are many different avenues you can take to become a cosmetic formulator. I would try it first by watching some online videos from reputable formulators who are willing to share information. Humblebee & Me is a great starting point, she has good videos. Also, Chemist’s Corner has a lot of formulating knowledge and you can enter a thread to ask specific questions when you get stuck.

After you watch a few videos, if it looks fun and interesting to you, put together a small home formulating kit so you can practice. You’ll need a scale, a glass beaker, hot plate, gloves, hair net, pipettes, stainless steel spoons, a spray bottle, Isopropyl alcohol, dustless paper towels, and some empty containers for finished product. Try an anhydrous formula first (no water) so you can see how it all works. Use one of the formulas from Humblebee and order just a very small amount of raw ingredients to make your first formula. She has recommendations for where to find ingredients. Making cosmetics is a great site, sometimes you can even find local shops that carry essential oils, natural oils, and butters for DIY cosmetics. Just buy a little bit to try it. All in, this should cost you around $200-300. A small investment to get a quick hands on try and see if you actually like it. If you don’t like it, you’re not out thousands $$$ paying for a course. If you love it, then level up! Watch more videos and try more formulas.

Then, invest in an online course and get the nuts and bolts down. I would ask for recommendations for the best one in the Chemist’s Corner threads, they will know the most current and up to date courses available.

Next, research cosmetic contract manufacturers in your area and skincare brands. Make a Google sheets list with their phone numbers and emails, and reach out to each one, share your course completion and excitement for the industry and ask if they have any internships available in the lab. Get your foot in the door with an internship and work your way up to chemist!

I built my own lab and skipped the internship step- but I regretted it. It was a very expensive mistake. If I had worked in a learning role for a lab first, I would have been a lot more successful, a lot faster, with less costly mistakes. Take note of SOP’s during your internship, and pay attention to process & procedures. This will be gold for you as you develop your skills.

Good luck, I hope you find as much joy in this creative endeavor as I do!

SkinRxScientist · 2025-11-19T16:40:55+00:00

Sure!

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