Potions and Lotions: Lessons in Cosmetic Chemistry

Objective

The goal of this project is to apply basic chemistry to create your own homemade cosmetics.

Introduction

Click here to watch a video of this investigation, produced by DragonflyTV and presented by pbskidsgo.org

This is a project that lets you be the cosmetic chemist. It shows you how to manufacture your own lip gloss right in your kitchen using a short list of simple ingredients. Check out the project video to see how two curious chemistry students, Jazi and Danielle, applied some creative science to make and test several different types of lip gloss. Then read on to see how you can do your own experiments and follow up with some "consumer" testing to see which of your products is most popular.

Believe it or not, the glamorous world of cosmetics and beauty products is really based on some serious science. Cosmetic companies employ teams of specialized chemists to develop and test each new line of make up, perfumes, lotions, and soaps. Their research leads to top-secret formulas that are carefully analyzed for safety, stability, and customer appeal.

Like Jazi and Danielle in the video, you can follow the recipes as they are written, but you can also play with the formulas to change the proportions of one or two ingredients or swap out others to create very different types and flavors of gloss. For example, Jazi and Danielle found that a little less beeswax than the recipe called for improved their lip gloss by making it softer, but if they left out too much wax the gloss became runny. A change in fragrance or color also seemed to make a difference in the preference of the gloss testers.

In this project, you have a chance to be creative. See what variations you can come up with for your lip gloss formulas. Then you might have a better idea of how to adjust your own formulas. For instance, most basic recipes for homemade lip gloss require some type of oil or butter to soften the lips (an emollient), some type of wax to thicken the gloss, and some ingredient that adds flavor or a pleasant smell. In your research, you'll discover additional examples of chemical ingredients like solvents, emulsifiers, surfactants, and antioxidants that are used in most commercial cosmetics.

Once you create and try out your lip gloss samples yourself, you will ask volunteers in your neighborhood to use the lip glosses and rate them. See if you can predict ahead of time which recipe will end up being the most popular. After you analyze the results you'll discover just how accurate your cosmetic instincts are. And who knows, maybe what you learn about cosmetic chemistry will eventually lead to your creation becoming the next "hot" sales item at the cosmetic counters!

Terms, Concepts and Questions to Start Background Research

To do this project, you should do research that enables you to understand the following terms and concepts:

• Solids, liquids, solutions
• Mixtures and solvents
• Oils, waxes
• Emulsifiers
• Emollients
• Surfactants
• Stabilizers
• Antioxidants
• Vitamin E

Questions

• What are the differences between solids, liquids, and solutions?
• How are solvents important in solutions? Are they also important in mixtures? What solvents are frequently used in cosmetics?
• What are emulsifiers? How do they work and why are they used in cosmetics?
• What are emollients and why are they used in cosmetics?
• What are stabilizers? Name a few stabilizers most often found in cosmetics.
• What is vitamin E? Why is it added to many items including cosmetics?

Bibliography

Here are some websites you might want to check out as you start your research:

• Website with simple definitions for solutions, solvents, and mixtures:
  Rader, A., 2007. "Solutions and Mixtures," Chem4Kids site, Andrew Rader Studios. [accessed May 5, 2007] http://www.chem4kids.com/files/matter_solution.html
• Websites with lip gloss and cosmetic recipes:
  
  • Halderman, S., 1999. "Lip Balm/Gloss Recipes," Soap Center. [accessed May 5, 2007] http://www.halderman.net/cgi-bin/showrecipe.pl?lip.
  • Osborn, S., 2007. "Family Crafts:Lip Gloss Recipe," About, Inc., a part of The New York Times Company [accessed May 5, 2007] http://familycrafts.about.com/cs/recipecollections/a/bllipgloss.htm.
• A cosmetic "Info Center" containing useful cosmetic definitions, examples of typical ingredients in cosmetics, and their functions:
  USFDA, 1994. "Chemical Ingredients Found in Cosmetics," US FDA Consumer website [accessed May 5, 2007] http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/cos-chem.html.
• Cosmetic ingredients reference guide and dictionary:
  Staff, 2003. "Cosmetic Ingredients," Dean Coleman Herbal Luxuries site [accessed May 5, 2007] http://www.deancoleman.com/cosmetics.htm.
• American Chemical Society article describing basic types of ingredients in cosmetics:
  Loney, D., 2007. "Beautiful Science: The Ingredients of Cosmetic Chemistry," American Chemical Society website. [accessed May 5, 2007] http://www.chemistry.org/portal/a/c/s/1/feature_ent.html?id=17d5f7b2644a11d6e8056ed9fe800100
• Website with several recipes for hand creams and lotions:
  Halderman, S., 1999. "Face/Body Lotion Recipes," Soap Center site [accessed May 5, 2007] http://www.halderman.net/cgi-bin/showrecipe.pl?lotion.
• TPT, 2007. "Makeup by Jazi and Danielle," DragonflyTV, Twin Cities Public Television [accessed May 5, 2007] http://pbskids.org/dragonflytv/show/makeup.html.

Materials and Equipment

To do this experiment, you will need the following materials and equipment:

• Ingredients for three lip glosses: (see recipes below)
  • Beeswax
  • Cocoa butter
  • Shea butter
  • Petroleum jelly
  • Aloe vera gel
  • Vitamin E liquid
  • Peppermint oil
  • Sweet almond oil
  • Coconut oil
• Pyrex® glass measuring cups (microwavable) or small cooking pan
• Small plastic containers with lids for your gloss samples
• Microwave or hot plate/stove with a double boiler pan
• Popsicle sticks or wooden stirrers
• Cotton swabs (Q-tips®) or flat edge toothpicks
• Tissues
• Food scale that measures ounces
• Measuring spoons
• Notepad and pens/pencils
• Hand mirror
• Safety goggles
• Pot holders/hand protectors
• Apron or lab coat
• Minimum 10 volunteers to serve as "testers"
  1. Notes on using volunteers: To see how many volunteer subjects you need, check out the Science Buddies resource Sample Size: How Many Survey Participants Do I Need?.
  2. For ISEF-affiliated science fairs, studies involving human subjects require prior approval. For more information, see Projects Involving Human Subjects.
     Safety note: In your informed consent form, ask each participant if they have any allergies or sensitivities to makeup or lip sticks. If they do, it is better to NOT have them volunteer for your experiment.

Experimental Procedure

Safety note: Be sure you have your safety goggles and apron or lab coat on before you start your experiments. If you are using a stove or hot plate, work carefully and use pot holder or hand protectors to prevent burns. Keep your work space clean as you mix and heat your ingredients to prevent any spills or fire.

1. Assemble the ingredients for the three lip gloss recipes:

   	A. Almond Honey Lip Balm	B. Vanilla Lip Gloss	C. Cocoa Mint Lip Balm
   Heat and melt while stirring:	8 oz. sweet almond oil 2.5 oz. beeswax	3 Tbsp. coconut oil 2 Tbsp. petroleum jelly 2 Tbsp. aloe vera gel	1.5 oz. shea butter 1.0 oz. beeswax 1.5 oz. cocoa butter
   Remove from heat; stir in:	1 tsp. honey	½ tsp. vanilla	1 drop vitamin E liquid 3–5 drops peppermint oil

2. Melt together the basic ingredients of each recipe. You can use either a double boiler pan on a stove or a glass pyrex measuring bowl with a lip in a microwave. Use low to medium heat on the stove or a short time in the microwave, checking the mixture every 15 to 30 seconds. Stir well.
3. Carefully remove from heat using a pot holder and add the appropriate flavorings or vitamin E.
4. Stir well and carefully pour into clean containers.
5. Let the samples cool and seal with a tight lid.
6. Label the containers "A", "B", or "C".
7. Helpful Hint: You may spill a bit of gloss mixture outside the containers even if you are careful in pouring. If this happens, wait for the mixture to cool and harden and then you can wipe the containers with a clean cloth.
8. Decide how you will ask your testers to evaluate your lip glosses. For example, in the video Jazi and Danielle used three categories in their test: look, feel (texture), and taste. They asked each tester to state their favorite gloss (A, B, or C) for each category. You can do the same or try a numbering system (i.e., 1–5, with 5 as the best lip gloss) to evaluate each sample lip gloss in each category. This method will give you a more quantitative way to tally the responses.
9. Note: Keep your samples free of contamination. Use cotton swabs or toothpicks to apply samples. Be sure each tester uses a clean cotton swab or toothpick for each lip gloss.
10. Evaluate each lip gloss yourself before running the tests with testers. Use the same categories that your testers will use. Make a prediction about which gloss you think will be most popular to your testers and why.
11. Assemble your testers or arrange to bring your samples to each tester. Explain your experiment and ask them to try your samples and give you some quick feedback according to your evaluation categories.
12. Record each tester's responses for all three lip glosses in your notebook.
13. After they have tried all three lip glosses, ask each tester to state which gloss is their all-around favorite.

Analyze Your Data

1. Compile the responses from all your testers. Make a bar graph showing how many testers chose sample A, B, or C for each category (look, feel, and taste).
2. If you asked the testers to rank the samples 1–5 for look, feel, and taste, total the numbers for each sample for each category.
3. Were there any differences between the three glosses for preference in look, feel, or taste?
4. Which lip gloss ranked as the all-around favorite? If so, did this match your prediction? Were you surprised at the results?
5. For help with data analysis and setting up tables, see Data Analysis & Graphs.

Variations

• Create your own recipe for a lip gloss. Try varying the proportions of the listed ingredients in any of the three recipes above, blending the ingredients of the recipes, or adding new flavorings or fragrances. Use your knowledge of the function of cosmetic ingredients to try to make your new recipe complete. You could include your "private line" lip gloss in your testers' evaluation to see how your lip gloss compares to the standard lip glosses.
• Analyze the "shelf life" or stability of your lip glosses. After your testing is completed, leave your samples out at room temperature. Be sure the lid is securely fastened on each sample. Make careful observations of your glosses each day and watch for signs of spoiling, changes in color, texture, smell, etc. Record your observations and note how long each sample remains stable.
  • Research the preservatives and stabilizers used in commercial lip glosses or cosmetics. Are there similar ingredients in your glosses?
  • Are there any differences between "natural" and standard brand lip glosses?
  • Research the typical shelf life of cosmetics. Ask your friends and family how long they usually keep their make up, soaps, or lotions to see how many of them know or follow the recommended guidelines of the manufacturers.
• Identify the function(s) of each of your ingredients in your lip gloss recipes. How do the ingredients in your lip glosses compare to the ingredients found in store-bought glosses? There likely will be more ingredients in the commercial lip gloss. Make a list of those ingredients and find out the function of each.
• Create your own hand lotions. Try making hand lotions from recipes on the web and repeat the same testing procedure as you did for lip glosses. Compare the ingredients of lip glosses and lotions in the homemade recipes to those listed on the containers of commercial lip glosses and lotions. How many ingredients are used in both? How many ingredients are specific to either lip glosses or soaps? Can you explain what these ingredients are used for?
• Make your own soaps. Find out how to make basic soaps, and then repeat this experiment using various soap formulas. Compare the ingredients of lip glosses and soaps in the homemade recipes to those listed on the packaging of commercial lip glosses and soaps. How many ingredients are used in both? How many ingredients are specific to either lip glosses or soaps? Can you explain why?

• For more project ideas in this area of science, see Chemistry Project Ideas

Credits

Darlene E. Jenkins, Ph.D.

Sources

The idea for this project came from this DragonflyTV podcast:

• TPT, 2007. "Makeup by Jazi and Danielle," DragonflyTV, Twin Cities Public Television http://pbskids.org/dragonflytv/show/makeup.html.

Pyrex is a trademark of Corning Incorporated used by permission.
Q-tips is a trademark of Unilever United States, Inc.

Last edit date: 2007-06-06 13:00:00