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.
Read the guide
Solid Cosmetics School
Practical lessons for using, storing and travelling with solid cosmetics.
Read the guide
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
Elderberry fruit extract
In early summer, elder carries flat sprays of creamy flowers; later, dark fruits hang where those flowers once were. The same tree gives us two very different botanical subjects. Elderberry...
Ingredient Atlas
Radish root ferment filtrate
A crisp radish and a carefully prepared cosmetic liquid seem worlds apart. Fermentation is the bridge. The long ingredient name records the partnership, the plant part and the final separation—turning...
Ingredient Atlas
Dunaliella salina extract
The algae behind this ingredient are easy to miss with the naked eye, yet their response to light and salt can change the pigments they make. Dunaliella salina takes us...
Ingredient Atlas
Pomegranate extract
Open a pomegranate and the fruit becomes a collection of tiny translucent parcels, separated by pale walls. Its appeal is visual, tactile and cultural long before it becomes a cosmetic...
Ingredient Atlas
Tonka seed extract
A dark seed can suggest almonds, hay, vanilla and tobacco without being any of them. That is tonka's particular pleasure: a fragrance material with several familiar echoes and a botanical...
Ingredient Atlas
Nori seaweed extract
One cell thick, yet able to make a tough, pleated sheet: this small seaweed is full of surprises. Its name may sound familiar from food, but its cosmetic story takes...
Ingredient Atlas
Coconut milk
Crack open a coconut and the liquid inside is coconut water. Coconut milk comes later, when the white flesh is prepared and pressed. That small distinction unlocks a surprisingly rich...
Ingredient Atlas
Marshmallow root extract
The word marshmallow may suggest something soft and sweet. On a cosmetic label, it takes us to a tall flowering plant—and then underground. The root contains mucilage, a plant material...
Ingredient Atlas
Chamomile extract
A chamomile flower looks simple from a distance: white around the edge, gold in the middle. Look closer and that centre is a gathering of tiny florets. The familiar tea-time...
Ingredient Atlas
Magnolia bark extract
Magnolia is easy to picture as a magnificent flower. This ingredient asks you to look at the tree’s surface instead. Bark can curl into strips, yield a concentrated powder and...
Ingredient Atlas
Calendula flower extract
Calendula is a familiar flash of orange in a window box. Look closer and there is more to enjoy: what seems to be one flower is a gathering of tiny...
Ingredient Atlas
Flaxseed extract
The plant behind a linen dress can also supply oil and a slippery, water-loving seed material. Flax is a small lesson in getting different things from different places. For this...
