The Society of Cosmetic Chemists will host two CEP courses this month to benefit its members and cosmetic chemists at-large.

The first, “Cosmetic Formulations with Lab Day,” is a two-day course scheduled for Oct. 22-23 at the University of Toledo, Toledo, OH.

Instructed by Art Georgalas and Mark Chandler, this course will be of value to those unfamiliar with cosmetic product formulation, and also of use to those who have been in the industry for a while and would like to add breadth and depth to their formulation knowledge.

The course will begin with a scan of cosmetic raw materials, then off to studying one of the more challenging but eminently relevant topics: emulsions. Such subjects as how emulsions break, what to do to fix them, effective formulation strategies (including overcoming those challenging situations), and manufacturing of emulsions. This will be followed by a discussion of specific topics such as sunscreens, color cosmetics and toiletries.

There will be instruction on the formulation of all sorts of cleansing products as well as hair care formulation basics. Interesting discussions on preservation and enhancing efficacy of formulations will also take place. A new feature of this course will be the opportunity of the participants to put this newfound knowledge into practice in the lab on the second day.

The second CEP event is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 30, when SCC presents “Guidelines to Skin Absorption Studies.” This all-day learning event, which will be held at the Newark Liberty International Airport Marriott in Newark, NJ, will be headed by Nava Dayan Ph.D.

The in vitro skin absorption testing is part of recommended regulatory guidelines in the US and the EU and of global interest to assess safety of exposure to chemicals when applied topically. The Personal Care Product Council, the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development and the Scientific Committee of Consumer Products have all issued guidelines to assess absorption of compounds from topically applied formulations. The objective of these guidelines is to obtain quantitative and/or qualitative information on the amounts of chemicals that may penetrate the skin during “real-time” use.

Looking further ahead, SCC has planned a NextGen event on “Organic Chemistry for Cosmetic Chemists.” Slated for Nov. 14 in Newark, NJ, this course offers a review of the concepts of organic chemistry applied to raw materials the formulator uses every day. Understanding the chemistry makes understanding the application in formulation easier, according to SCC.

More info: www.scconline.org