Articles

Useful material on cosmetic chemistry, ingredients and growing your business

The fridge question — why cold storage doesn't automatically make your emulsion safer

The fridge question — why cold storage doesn't automatically make your emulsion safer At the Walker Formulation Academy, we regularly encounter one of the most persistent myths in DIY skincare — the belief that a refrigerator automatically makes a product safer.<

8 min21 Apr 2026

#emulsions #rheology #oils and butters

Hydrosols

Hydrosols: Use in cosmetic formulas — a complete guide for formulators

A hydrosol is one of those ingredients that only seems simple at first glance. Behind the term "floral water" lies a complex mixture of volatile aromatic compounds, organic acids, trace amounts of essential oils, and biologically active molecules capable of truly influencing the condition of the skin.

9 min20 Apr 2026

#hydrosols #emulsions #preservation

Formulas

How to make body scrub at home: the chemistry of texture, choosing an abrasive, and professional formulas

Body scrub is one of the first products that home formulators start with. It seems simple: take sugar, add oil, mix — and it's done. But that is exactly where the trap lies: most homemade scrubs either separate within a week, irritate the skin, or just wash down the drain.

8 min18 Apr 2026

#body care #rheology #emulsions

Hydrosols

Hydrosol application methods: application techniques and storage rules for daily skincare

Hydrosols have long moved beyond being a byproduct of essential oil steam distillation and have carved out their own place in the arsenal of conscious skincare. However, most materials about them are written from the formulator's perspective: how to incorporate them into a cream formula, what pH to consider, and how to preserve them. Meanwhile, the end consumer

8 min16 Apr 2026

#hydrosols #lab technique #emulsions

For beginners

Where to start for a formulator: your first formula from concept to jar

Do you know how many raw materials are officially registered in the latest edition of the INCI Dictionary? More than 17,000. And that is just the tip of the iceberg — each ingredient has several suppliers, each with its own trade name and slightly different characteristics. When a person first op

9 min16 Apr 2026

#for beginners #actives #emulsions

Business

How to become a cosmetic chemist: the journey from curiosity to professional formulation

The question of "how to become a cosmetic chemist" sounds different today. While this path used to lead exclusively to medical college or a beauty salon, more and more people are now discovering cosmetic chemistry — the science of creating creams, serums, shampoos, and conditioners from scratch. This field combines bioch

9 min6 Apr 2026

#for beginners #emulsions #lab technique

For beginners

How to make cream at home: a complete guide to DIY cosmetic formulation

DIY cosmetic formulation is not just a hobby: it is a precise science that requires an understanding of emulsion chemistry, raw material properties, and technological processes. If you want to learn how to make cream at home so that it is stable, safe, and truly effective for the skin, this article will be your starting point.

9 min6 Apr 2026

#lab technique #oils and butters #emulsions

Science

Preservation in cosmetics: why a single preservative won't save your formulation

A detailed guide to preservation systems in cosmetics: preservative groups, pH dependence, effective combinations, challenge test, and practical recommendations from Oksana Walker.

15 min2 Mar 2026

#preservation #emulsions

Science

Sunscreen products: a complete guide for formulators — why DIY SPF doesn't work

Why you shouldn't make sunscreen at home: physical filters, emulsion types, the role of the base and film-formers, the '1% ZnO = SPF 1' myth, and the architecture of professional formulations

25 min2 Mar 2026

#sunscreen #SPF #zinc oxide

Science

Glucono-delta-lactone → Sodium gluconate: how to make a buffer for an emulsion

How to neutralize glucono-delta-lactone (GDL) to sodium gluconate: ratio of 1 g GDL = 0.225 g NaOH, step-by-step procedure, practical example for 10 g, how to incorporate the buffer into an emulsion.

8 min2 Mar 2026

#pH #emulsions #lab technique

Science

Table salt vs. magnesium sulphate: how to stabilize a water-in-oil emulsion

Table salt or magnesium sulphate for a water-in-oil emulsion? How salt stabilizes a W/O emulsion: the anchoring effect and combating Ostwald ripening. A comparative table of NaCl vs. MgSO₄.

12 min27 Feb 2026

#emulsions #stability #oils and butters

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