Cosmetic Your Ways Blog

Zachariah Kovac 2/23/26 Zachariah Kovac 2/23/26

What Is Happening? Why Did My Hair Spray Turn Milky?

I recently made a hair spray formulation, and something interesting happened: the batch turned milky immediately upon mixing — and it has stayed that way ever since. My main suspect is the preservative system (Euxyl PE 9010 — Phenoxyethanol and Ethylhexylglycerin), which I used at 1%

Zachariah Kovac 1/23/26 Zachariah Kovac 1/23/26

Preservative Ingredients Chart 2026

Starting off with a bang. Going thought all my content gave me lots of ideas for new posts and areas to focus on. This post was inspired by my preservative ingredients post. I thought I would be convenient to have a chart for it. This is not just for people who want to make their own preservative blends this is also so you can double check your preservative and know if your preservative blend from a supplier is actually broad spectrum.

Zachariah Kovac 1/5/26 Zachariah Kovac 1/5/26

I Need Your Help!

I have a ton of ideas for blog posts, but I'm not sure what you are interested in. Recently, I have become fascinated with foaming surfactants, emulsifiers, preservatives, body scrubs, and makeup formulations.
Are there formulations or things that you are struggling with?
Let me know in the comments below.

Zachariah Kovac 12/1/25 Zachariah Kovac 12/1/25

Which Thickeners Can We Use with Cationic Ingredients?

To review, ionic emulsifiers: cationic ingredients have a positive charge, while anionic ingredients have a negative charge. How I remember this is the “t” in Cationic is like the “+” charge. When cations and anions are mixed, they want to bond together, which leads to precipitation (separation from the solution) because they prefer bonding to each other rather than to water.

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 10/1/25 Zachariah Kovac 10/1/25

Don’t Worry Posts are Being Added

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.

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 to minimize the likelihood of accidents. 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 seeking professional help if you want to start your own line of business. (link)
Always test a patch of new ingredients before using them.
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.