Diploma of Personal Care Formulation

Formulating cosmetic and personal care products can be as varied as the companies who offer them. The Diploma of Personal Care Formulation has been developed to provide a comprehensive approach to teaching the formulation of safe, stable and efficacious personal care products for the hair, hands, body and face. It also covers the development of products from the concept stage and through reverse engineering. Learners are taught how to prepare a variety of personal care products, adapt formulations to suit organisational requirements and develop products based on the latest industry advances.

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On completion of this course, learners will be able to:

develop safe, stable and effective formulas for a range of personal care products
provide technical documents to support the safety, stability and performance claims of a product
develop products from a product development brief and communicate necessary changes
accommodate industry innovations into formulations without impacting on stability
reverse engineer and/or adapt formulations to suit company requirements
satisfy safety and regulatory obligations in the development of cosmetic and personal care products

This course entitles learners to the letters Dip Form Chem and the title ‘Cosmetic Chemist’ or ‘Formulation Chemist’.

This course will benefit the following careers:

Research and Development Scientists
Formulating Chemists
Production/Compounding Managers and assistants
Regulatory Affairs personnel dealing with product safety, claims and ingredient compliance

This course is ideal for:

Research and Development personnel
Compounding personnel
Raw material suppliers
Product development personnel in the practical development of products
Technical staff involved in practical development and/or manufacturing

Duration

This course consists of 18 units of competency
One year part time (15-20 hours per week)
Flexible, extended study possible for up to 3 years (5-10 hours per week)
Study load consists of:
- guided training and practical work = 920 hours
- extension research and practical activities = up to 650 hours

Training and assessments:

The course comprises of 3 text books provided as part of the enrolment package
On-line lectures to support learning and activities within the texts
Box of raw materials and packaging to work through various practical activities and prepare assessment samples
3 written assessments comprising theoretical questions and workplace simulated scenarios
Submission of practical samples with relevant stability and technical information
3 hour on-line exam

Course Units Module 1:

Module 1	Evaluate the functions of ingredients in personal care products	Covers the origin and functions of the common ingredients used in personal care products for an understanding of what gets used in products and why. Learn how to: accurately identify what constitutes ‘organic’, ‘natural’ and ‘synthetic’ ingredients and processing investigate and evaluate the origins and functions of the many and varied ingredients used in personal care products apply this knowledge when promoting products in the market place.
	Evaluate the safety of a product formulation	Covers the responsibility of organisations pertaining to, and regulations governing the safety of, personal care products. Learn how to: identify irritant and allergen reactions of consumers identify and reduce the irritancy and allergen profile of a personal care product effectively evaluate potential safety issues pertaining to various personal care products.
	Apply compliance requirements to ingredient selection	Teaches how to identify compliance requirements for appropriate ingredient selection; incorporating searches involved to determine compliance requirements. Learn how to: search compliance requirements of AU, EU, US and JP select ingredients in accordance with compliance requirements report ingredient use as and when required.
	Apply Chemistry principles to ingredient selection	Covers identifying basic chemistry principles, common processes used to produce raw materials, methods used for testing of raw materials and finished products, and how to apply these principles and processes when selecting ingredients for personal care products. Learn how to: conduct various analytical test methods used in the personal care industry select ingredients based on their chemical classification, processing methods used in their development, and application in the finished product formula.
	Apply microbiology techniques for product safety	Covers the identification of microbiological concerns specific to personal care products; and the application of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) principles to ensure product safety. Learn how to: test raw materials, products, equipment and the facility for microbial presence identify methods to reduce microbiological burden with in the facility and finished products using GMP.
	Select appropriate preservatives in personal care formulation	Covers the identification and selection of appropriate preservatives in the development of personal care formulations. It also covers aspects such as self-preserving formulas, use of antioxidants and other agents to prolong shelf life, and challenge testing. Learn how to: identify and evaluate the suitability of various preservatives in their application to a personal care formulation select appropriate preservatives for a variety of personal care products and applications.

Course Units Module 2:

Module 2	Select appropriate gums and thickeners for personal care formulas	Covers the evaluation and selection of appropriate gums and thickeners for use in a variety of personal care formulations. Learn how to: determine suitable aspects of flow investigate, evaluate and select gums and thickeners to suit the specific needs of various product formulations.
	Select appropriate lipids for personal care formulas	Covers the evaluation and selection of appropriate lipids for use in a variety of personal care formulations. Learn how to: recognise the consistency altering, emollient and skin feel properties of various lipids investigate, evaluate and select lipids to suit the specific needs of various product formulations.
	Select appropriate fragrances and essential oils for personal care formulas	Covers the evaluation and selection of appropriate fragrances or essential oils for use in a variety of personal care formulations. Learn how to: understand the chemistry of fragrance and language of aroma blend essential oils for aesthetically pleasing and more stable aroma profiles incorporate fragrance into product formulations investigate and determine the safety aspects and usage rates for various product types select fragrances or essential oils to suit various product formulations.
	Apply colloid science to formulate personal care products	Covers the application of colloid science to formulate a variety of safe, effective and stable personal care products. Learn how to: improve the stability of colloidal systems, including emulsions and dispersions predict colloidal and emulsion properties process using suitable manufacturing (compounding) methods select appropriate materials to create your emulsion/colloidal system formulate a variety of personal care products involving the mixing of two or more normally immiscible substances.
	Apply surface science to formulate personal care products	Covers the chemistry of surface science and how it applies to formulating safe, effective, stable personal care products. Learn how to: predict surfactant properties formulate with surfactants to attain specific performance attributes determine starting materials and biodegradability of surface active agents select suitable surfactants to formulate a variety of surfactant based personal care products.
	Apply aerosol technology to personal care products	Covers the ingredients, components, presentation, testing and technology involved in developing aerosol products for the personal care industry. Learn how to: determine suitable ingredients and packaging components used in aerosol products conduct manufacturing and quality testing of aerosol products develop aerosol formulations for a range of personal care products.

Course Units Module 3:

Module 3	Develop stable product formulations	Covers the methods used to test the stability of products for determination of appropriate shelf life. Learn how to: examine formulas to determine factors contributing to instability and methods to correct these factors develop appropriate stability protocols to ensure performance characteristics of products are maintained over their shelf life formulate to accommodate the stability needs of various products test the stability of a variety of personal care products.
	Develop a product from a product development brief	Covers the development of products from a product development brief to meet specific organisational needs and preferences for a variety of personal care products. Learn how to: investigate and determine legal and ethical responsibilities associated with product development calculate product manufacturing costs and steps involved in finalizing the development process to yield a suitable finished product sample develop the paperwork required to finalise a variety of products use the brief as a point of discussion with the organisation members who originated it.
	Apply skin physiology to formulate basic skin care	This unit covers the physiology of the skin and brings together prior learning to enable learners to create finished product formulations. Learn how to: formulate a range of basic skin care formulations such as cleansers, exfoliants and moisturisers for the face and body; products to address the special needs of baby, aged and male skin; nail and hand care; as well as oral care and personal hygiene products such as deodorants and anti-perspirants.
	Apply hair physiology to formulate basic hair care	Covers the application of hair care formulations to be compatible with the hair’s physiology and brings together prior learning to enable learners to create finished product formulations. Learn how to: formulate a range of basic hair care products to care for, and style, the hair; such as shampoos and conditioners for a variety of hair types; mousses, hairspray, pomades and gels.
	Apply specialty ingredients to formulate specialty skin and hair care products	Covers the investigation and evaluation of ingredients for specialty skin and hair care formulations and brings together prior learning to enable learners to create finished product formulations. Learn how to: consider the physiological effects specialty ingredients have on the hair and skin investigate and determine required legislative, safety and formulation requirements involved when using specialty ingredients formulate a variety of specialty skin and hair care products such as skin tanning, skin whitening, sun care, advanced anti-ageing, skin firming, hair colourants, permanent waving solutions and depilatory agents
	Develop a product through reverse engineering	Covers the development of products from the ingredients panel and sample of finished product. Learn how to: determine when it is suitable to reverse engineer products, as well as the legal and ethical implications of reverse engineering keep abreast of the latest industry advances effectively develop products through reverse engineering.