MODULE 1: THE SCIENCE OF SURFACTANTS

Surfactants are a wonderful category of cosmetic ingredient to discover. They add cleansing and foaming properties to a formula and are therefore used to create a wide range of products including face washes, body washes, shower gel, hand wash, bubble bath, shower foam and foaming cleansers.

Take our Formulating with Natural Surfactants course to learn the science of surfactants, discover a selection of gentle, natural surfactant choices (so you can avoid harsh surfactants such as SLS) and formulate a wide range of cleansing and foaming skincare products that are natural, mild and effective.

If you wish, after taking all five modules, you can upgrade your enrollment to our Diploma in Formulating with Natural Surfactants. This enables you to submit assignments to be marked by our Cosmetic Scientists and receive an accredited Diploma Certificate, accredited by the CPD (Continuing Professional Development) Certification Service.

Here are some of the reasons to learn to formulate with natural surfactants:

• Formulate a wide range of products – Learning about surfactants enables you to make a wide range of products including face, body and hand washes, foaming cleansers and shower foam, bubble bath and more!
• Simple to make – Most surfactant-based products are easy to make; no complex manufacturing method is required.
• Surfactants are versatile – With a small selection of surfactants you can formulate a wide range of products.
• Cost effective – Many surfactants are relatively inexpensive to buy therefore by making your own surfactant-based products you can save a lot compared to buying natural and organic products.
• Formulate gentle products – Many commercial surfactant-based products are harsh and drying on the skin. Learn how to make yours gentle and non-drying.
• Suitable for natural/organic certification – Formulate to natural and organic standards.
• Expand your skincare range – Take all five modules of Formulating with Natural Surfactants and you’ll have the knowledge to add a variety of cleansing products to your skincare range.

In Module 1 you’ll learn all of the essential theory needed to make a wide range of surfactant-based products. There are certain factors that you must consider when formulating with surfactants and Module 1 takes you through each of these in an easy to understand way.

After completing this module you can take the other modules in this course to learn how to formulate a wide range of products including face and body washes, foaming cleansers and shower foam, bubble bath and hand wash.

Please note: Our Formulating with Natural Surfactants course doesn’t cover haircare products or solid surfactant-based products. To learn how to formulate haircare products (including solid shampoo) we recommend our Diploma in Natural Haircare Formulation.

Module 1: The Science of Surfactants teaches you the essential theory for formulating surfactant-based skincare products.

We’ll introduce you to a wide range of natural surfactants, many of which are approved for use in certified organic skincare products. We provide detailed information on each one including if they carry any certifications, their characteristics and where you can buy them.

Formulating surfactant-based products is different to formulating other types of cosmetics. Not all surfactants are compatible with one another so we’ll explain how to know which surfactants you can combine and which ones you can’t. You’ll also learn how to combine complementary surfactants and how to substitute surfactants in a formula.

Some surfactants are much more active than others, and can therefore be too harsh and drying on the skin if used at the wrong amount. We’ll teach you how to calculate how much active surfactant matter is in your formula so you can choose how gentle or strong you want the cleansing action to be.

Module 1 includes four in-depth lessons:

1.4 Surfactant active matter

In this lesson, we cover:
1. What is the active matter of surfactants?
2. How to calculate active matter in a formulation.
3. How to apply the knowledge of surfactant active matter in formulating.

We also provide a very useful activate matter calculator.

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Formulating with Natural Surfactants Module 1: The science of surfactants is a 100-credit class. Your membership includes 50 credits each month, giving you the choice to top up 50 credits ($57) for immediate access, or simply wait until next month and unlock it then.