Foundations of Cosmetic Formulation & Ingredient Safety Course

A professional, safety led training for beginners who want to formulate cosmetics properly with knowledge, not guesswork.

 

Many beginners want to walk before they can run - I did the same when I started out and made a lot of costly mistakes. I just wanted to create products before fully understanding the foundations. It’s tempting to follow recipes on YouTube or Pinterest, but often these are not written by trained cosmetic formulators.

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To be frank: you don’t know what you don’t know, and that gap in knowledge can put both you and anyone using your products at risk. Even natural ingredients, often assumed to be automatically safe, can cause irritation, allergies, or worse if misused.

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This course ensures you build the right foundations first, so every product you create is safe, compliant, and professional. You’ll learn to confidently interpret ingredients, understand regulatory requirements, and apply safety standards correctly, before moving on to more complex formulations.

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By taking this course, you will lay the foundations to become a skilled, professional cosmetic formulator, not just a recipe follower. You’ll have the confidence to know that what you are formulating is safe, effective, and regulatory compliant, giving you a solid base to progress into more advanced cosmetic formulation with clarity and assurance.​​

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This is not a recipe based course

Many beginners are taught how to make products before they understand:

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• What ingredients actually do

• How safety and compliance are assessed

• Where a formulator’s responsibility begins

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That approach leads to confusion, mistakes, and loss of confidence. Foundations of Cosmetic Formulation & Ingredient Safety focuses on building the knowledge framework professional formulators rely on, so everything you create afterwards is built on solid ground.

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Who this course is for ✅

This programme is designed for you if you:

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• Are new to cosmetic formulation and want to start correctly

• Feel unsure how to interpret ingredient lists, INCI names, CAS numbers, or regulatory information

• Want to understand ingredient safety and compliance before moving into advanced formulation

• Care about doing things responsibly, not just following recipes

• Plan to formulate for personal use, small scale production, or future business development

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Who this course is not for ❌ 

This course is not suitable if you:

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• Want quick recipes without understanding how or why they work

• Are looking for entertainment rather than structured learning

• Want to formulate water based products immediately

• Are not willing to engage with detailed written material

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This is a foundational programme and foundations matter.

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Why we don’t start with water based products

In this programme, beginners are intentionally guided to focus on ingredient knowledge, cosmetic regulation and safety, paired with our free beginners cosmetic formulation course, you will have a very strong foundational knowledge which will properly prepare to study more complex aspects of cosmetic formulation such as emulsions and surfactant systems.

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Water based systems introduce additional layers of complexity, including increased microbiological risk and preservation challenges, which require a deeper foundation to manage responsibly.

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Rather than rushing complexity, this course ensures you:

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• Understand ingredients before combining them

• Recognise safety considerations before increasing risk

• Develop professional judgement before working with advanced systems

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Emulsions, surfactants, aqueous formulations, and pH control are taught in dedicated follow on courses, once the correct foundations are firmly in place. This structured approach protects both you and the people who will eventually use your products.

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What you’ll learn​​

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Module 1: Introduction to Cosmetic Products & Ingredients

You will learn how to:

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• Correctly identify what is and is not a cosmetic product

• Understand the historical development of cosmetics and modern formulation

• Recognise different ingredient groups and their functions within formulas

• Interpret CAS numbers and INCI names with confidence

• Use the CosIng database correctly

• Distinguish between natural (N), naturally derived (NDM), natural with synthetic component (NDS), NI, and synthetic (S) ingredients

• Understand organic standards, including COSMOS and ECOCERT

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Module 2: Compliance & Safe Handling of Cosmetic Ingredients

You will gain clarity on:

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• How to read and use Safety Data Sheets (SDS)

• Safe storage and handling of cosmetic ingredients

• Writing basic safety documentation for formulation work

• Identifying reliable scientific and regulatory information

• Understanding allergens versus irritants

• Determining ingredient restrictions and regional limitations

• Using IFRA guidelines to establish safe fragrance and essential oil limits

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This module addresses one of the most common gaps in beginner formulation education.

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Module 3: Preservation Principles, Microbiological Risk & Good Manufacturing Practice (Foundations)

This module introduces the conceptual foundations of safety and quality control without prematurely moving into water based systems.

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You will learn:​

• What Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) is and why it matters at any scale

• How contamination occurs in cosmetic products

• The difference in microbiological risk between anhydrous and water containing formulations

• Why preservation is not simply “adding a preservative”

• The responsibilities formulators hold when creating products for use on skin

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Topics such as emulsions, aqueous systems, surfactants, and pH control are covered in dedicated advanced courses once foundational knowledge is firmly established.

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How this course is delivered

This is professional, text led training designed for serious learners.

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You will receive:

• Structured, in depth PDF lessons with real world examples

• Online quizzes to reinforce learning

• Reference material you can return to repeatedly

• Clear explanations grounded in science and regulation

• Private forum with guidance from a cosmetic chemist

• Support focused on clarity, safety, and long term competence​

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What you’ll be able to do after this course 🎓

By the end of the programme, you will be able to:

• Assess cosmetic ingredients with confidence

• Interpret safety and compliance information correctly

• Use SDSs, CosIng, and IFRA resources responsibly

• Make informed formulation decisions rather than guessing

• Progress into advanced formulation training with clarity and confidence

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Course Investment

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£297 🇬🇧 | €350 🇪🇺 | $380 🇺🇸 | A$540 🇦🇺 | C$510 🇨🇦

Full access to all lessons, downloadable PDFs, and private forum access guided by a cosmetic chemist. Everything you need to build safe, confident cosmetic formulation skills.​

 

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Course Dashboard

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Here’s exactly what the course looks like for learners. From structured lessons to downloadable resources, and quizzes, everything is laid out to make learning safe, clear, and easy to follow. 

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