Articles and guides
Practical advice, ingredients and stories about solid cosmetics.
In-depth guides
Choose a topic and find practical answers.
Ingredient Atlas
Ingredient origins, textures and practical answers about cosmetic labels.
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Solid Cosmetics School
Practical lessons for using, storing and travelling with solid cosmetics.
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Which One? Comparison Studio
Clear comparisons for the cosmetics you use, the routines you enjoy and the gifts you give.
Read the guideArticles: 776
Ingredient Atlas
Polyhydroxystearic acid
The colour in a stick is only as useful as the way its particles are distributed. Polyhydroxystearic acid belongs to that hidden piece of design. Its long name describes a...
Ingredient Atlas
Shea Butter Ethyl Esters · shea with a lighter step
Shea does not always arrive as a scoop of butter. Shea Butter Ethyl Esters are a transformed form that can be much more fluid, giving a maker a lighter sensory...
Ingredient Atlas
Polyglyceryl-4 oleate
An oily cleanser and the water that rinses it away need a way to meet. Polyglyceryl-4 oleate is one of the materials that can help design that encounter. It brings...
Ingredient Atlas
Phytosteryl/octyldodecyl lauroyl glutamate
A long name with an elegant idea inside: borrow from the way lipids organize themselves, then use that understanding to improve a cosmetic.
Ingredient Atlas
Polyglyceryl-4 laurate
Creaminess does not always begin with a butter. An emulsifier such as polyglyceryl-4 laurate helps bring oily and watery ingredients into one texture, and can be supplied as a syrup-like...
Ingredient Atlas
Petrolatum · the jelly made from liquid and solid
Petroleum jelly has a familiar feel, but its structure holds a lovely material surprise. It contains both liquid and solid hydrocarbon portions arranged into a stable, spreadable lipogel. Petrolatum is...
Ingredient Atlas
Polyglyceryl-2 triisostearate
A lipstick needs more than a beautiful pigment. The colour has to be distributed through a mixture that glides, stays coherent and feels right on the lips. Polyglyceryl-2 triisostearate belongs...
Ingredient Atlas
Paraffin · the wax framework of a compact
The edge of a perfume solid is a small piece of material engineering. It has to hold a useful shape, yet the surface must still yield enough for a swipe....
Ingredient Atlas
Polyglycerin-3
Glycerin has a larger relative that changes the feel of a formula without becoming an oil. Polyglycerin-3 links familiar building blocks into a different material, bringing moisture retention and sensory...
Ingredient Atlas
Hydrogenated Ethylhexyl Olivate · olive beyond the oil bottle
An olive-derived emollient can have a name that sounds nothing like a kitchen ingredient. Hydrogenated Ethylhexyl Olivate is one example: an ester material used for softness and a chosen sensory...
Ingredient Atlas
PEG-120 methyl glucose dioleate
A cleanser's texture can be surprisingly independent of how much it cleans. This long-named ingredient helps explain the difference. Built around a glucose connection and oily components, it is used...
Ingredient Atlas
Hydrogenated Olive Oil Decyl Esters · an olive-derived soft wax
Olive oil can lead to a wax-like material as well as a flowing oil. Hydrogenated Olive Oil Decyl Esters are one example, with a current commercial grade designed for soft,...
