Search This Blog

Saturday 18 February 2012

How Lipstick is Made.....

So as you many know...I am eventually going to become a cosmetic scientist and spend my days toiling in a lab making all the fab products we love.....

And because of that I've decided I'd like to find out more, in advance, about how certain products are made. Every month I'm going to feature a product and look into how its made, it's ingredients etc. 



This month its LIPSTICK!





Lots of women wear lipstick, even those that aren't as obsessed with make up as we are tend to, slick a bit across their lips for night out. 

So what is lipstick generally made from??

The main ingredients are: wax, pigment, oil and alcohol

These then break down into more groups, so each lipstick can contain a number of different oils and waxes, as well preservatives and antioxidants. 

Other ingredients are often added to achieve a more glossy look, or to help moisturise and protect from sun (SPF) 
These extra ingredients can vary greatly as the consumer often want different outcomes and a wide variety of lipsticks. 


How is a lipstick made?


The lipstick making process can be split into three steps, melting, mixing and shaping.

Firstly the ingredients are melted, although separately in either ceramic or stainless steel containers...

They are then mixed together, along with pigment. The mixture then has to be pressed and ground in order for the lipstick to become smooth. (pigment can leave the lipstick grainy if this is not done). As this process can introduce air into the mixture it must be stirred for several hours to get rid of the air. 




The mixture can then be poured into moulds and cooled. 






Now this is a very very rough idea of how a lipstick is made, and there is a lot more to the mixing and moulding stages. Hopefully, once I'm mixing my own lipsticks I'll be able to show you in more detail with pictures!!!




But there you have it, a rough guide on how lipstick is made.....






Next month...... powder eyeshadow!!!






Toodle Pip!!!!
xxxxxxx



p.s My wonderful friend Becky has just started her own Beauty Blog and its wonderful check her out http://booscribblesbeautiful.blogspot.com/

xxxxx 
 

13 comments:

  1. great post... I often melt my lipsticks and mix different shades together to achive the perfect lipstick shade... and of course pour the mixture back in the container... its actually quite easy!
    x Marina

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. that sounds like such a good idea!! i will have to try it!! xx

      Delete
  2. Such an interesting post! Thanks Lauren :) xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks you and no worries!!! loved your review was excellent and the writing as always was marvellous!!

      Delete
  3. Interesting post! A friend once told me lipstick was made with fish scales!! I obviously didn't believe her as I continue to have so many! hehe!

    Jen xx
    http://kitsch-n-sync.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. haha, it might have been a reeeeeally long time ago, but they've probably found/invented something to replace them!! xxxx

      Delete
  4. Great info! Thanks! :) Looking forward to the day you do put your own works here. :))

    ReplyDelete
  5. Very informative post! Really well written!
    xx


    The Urban Umbrella
    xoxo


    http://urbanumbrella.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. aww thank you, i thought my writing was a bit shoddy on this one to be honest as I was half asleep! xxxxx

      Delete
  6. definitely :) am following you now.

    ReplyDelete
  7. i am addicted to red lipstick:)please check out my Giveaway kisses xoxo La Folie 

    ReplyDelete