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.
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Gift & Gifting Encyclopedia
300 articles about thoughtful gifts: people, occasions, traditions, beautiful presentation and words that feel like you.
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Body Cleansing Explained
Does your skin feel tight after the towel? Are you choosing a bar, or wondering where to put it when it’s wet? Start with the part of the shower you’d like to make easier.
Read the guideArticles: 1444
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,...
Ingredient Atlas
Lecithin
The same seed can supply an oil and a very different material that helps oil meet water. Lecithin belongs to that second story. It is a mixture rich in phospholipids,...
Ingredient Atlas
Octyldodecanol
Not every fatty alcohol arrives as a waxy flake. Octyldodecanol is a liquid, with a branched structure that opens a different texture story. It can help a compact solid carry...
Ingredient Atlas
Myristyl myristate
The repeated name is a useful clue. Myristyl myristate joins a myristyl alcohol part to a myristic-acid part, creating a wax-like ester that can bring body and a substantial emollient...
Ingredient Atlas
Acacia senegal gum
A tree can supply an ingredient without giving up a seed or a leaf. Acacia gum begins as an exudate from stems and branches, drying into glassy-looking pieces. Prepared for...
