Cosmetic Your Ways Blog

Zachariah Kovac 11/10/25 Zachariah Kovac 11/10/25

Powder and Stability

This idea for a post came from a conversation I had on Instagram. I wanted to discuss the stability of raw material powders — a topic that is often overlooked in formulation discussions.

Zachariah Kovac 11/3/25 Zachariah Kovac 11/3/25

Cloud Point and Krafft Point

In this post, I’m going to talk about two concepts that every cosmetic formulator should know: the Krafft Point and the Cloud Point. I first came across these terms while taking a course through the Society of Cosmetic Scientists (SCS) on surfactants, emulsifiers, and rheology modifiers. They might sound like small details from a physical chemistry lecture, but in practice, they’re essential to understanding why your cleanser might go cloudy in winter or why your micellar water starts to separate on the shelf.

Zachariah Kovac 9/29/25 Zachariah Kovac 9/29/25

Planning the Formulation: 20% Urea Foot Cream

In this post, I am going to talk about my formulation decisions for this advance formulation. The idea of the formulation came from a poll I did on Instagram and the people who voted wanted a 20% urea foot cream.

Zachariah Kovac 9/22/25 Zachariah Kovac 9/22/25

Formulating with Urea; Formulation Guide

I did an Instagram poll and asked what you wanted to see, and formulating with Urea was the winner. I have a post on why you cannot just add Urea to a formulation, and I also have a post on buffers. So now is the time. Disclaimer: This is an advanced ingredient and should be treated as such.

Zachariah Kovac 9/15/25 Zachariah Kovac 9/15/25

When to not use a chelating agent

It is generally a good idea to use chelating agent in your cosmetic formulations. They have a ton of different functions to help with stability. However, they do not work for every formula. This was a question I got on Instagram and wanted to make a formal post. In this post, I want to outline when to not add a chelator to your formulations.

Zachariah Kovac 8/25/25 Zachariah Kovac 8/25/25

How to Clean Your pH Meter

Taking the pH of emulsions and such can really build up on the meter, affecting the accuracy and shortening the lifespan of your probe if not cleaned properly. A clean electrode = reliable readings. In this post, I will explain how to clean a pH meter.

Zachariah Kovac 8/18/25 Zachariah Kovac 8/18/25

Creating Buffers for Cosmetic Formulations

I got an inquiry on how to create buffers over on Instagram. I would classify this as an advanced chemistry topic. Buffers are something I learned about in my general chemistry 1B; the second semester of general chemistry. What I thought would be simple post turned out to be way more complex. I actually needed to learn more chemistry to know what actually happens.

Zachariah Kovac 8/11/25 Zachariah Kovac 8/11/25

Chemical Reactions of Vegetable Oils (Triglycerides)

Zachariah Kovac 7/28/25 Zachariah Kovac 7/28/25

Navigating Heavy Metals in Raw Materials

Zachariah Kovac 6/23/25 Zachariah Kovac 6/23/25

Preview

Aloe Vera Naturally Compliant Body Lotion (Free Formula)

For summer skincare the first ingredients that I think of is aloe vera. I wanted to make a whole lotion based off of aloe vera. My favorite emulsifier for body lotions is Ritamulse SCG (Glyceryl Stearate (and) Cetearyl Alcohol (and) Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate). It creamy lovely emulsions with great body and are quite moisturizing.

Disclaimer

You are at your own risk when making anything from this blog. I am not liable for any mishaps that may occur. I do my best to include everything in the procedure so that accidents are less likely to occur. My recommendation is always to read the post entirely first and then make the product.
Please keep in mind that these recipes/formulations are NOT meant to be sold or reproduced in large quantities. None of my recipes has been appropriately stability tested. I recommend that you seek professional help if you want to start your own line. (link)
Always do a test patch of new ingredients that you have.
Comments and opinions written by authors on Cosmetic Your Ways are their own and do not represent the views of any past, present, or future employers.

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