We live in an age where appearance is important, and many people use cosmetics to achieve this. Cosmetics are produced through a complex chemical process from sample creation to mass production. This process requires research and development by chemical engineers to improve efficiency and safety, which results in high-quality cosmetics.
Appearance isn’t everything, but we live in a time when it is. Whether it’s meeting and dating the opposite sex for the first time, or interviewing for a job, appearance plays a large part in our overall impression of a person. Not only that, but even on online platforms like social media, people try to make a good impression on others by showing pictures of their appearance. That’s why it’s hard to find anyone, young or old, who doesn’t use cosmetics to improve their appearance. From skin care to makeup to hair styling, people use a variety of methods to improve their appearance. But how are cosmetics made?
As a first step, you need to create a basic sample of the cosmetic product. Creating a sample involves experimenting with different chemicals and natural ingredients in a laboratory to find the most efficient and effective way to make a small amount of the product. The quality and safety of the ingredients used is very important. Since the product will be in direct contact with human skin, any ingredients that may cause allergies or skin irritation must be reviewed and eliminated beforehand. The percentage of natural ingredients is becoming increasingly important, especially since modern consumers tend to favor products that are more natural.
The second step is to start full-scale production based on the samples you’ve created. You create a cosmetic product to sell to a large number of people, create a container to hold it, put the product in the container, repackage it, and produce the cosmetic product we see on the market. Packaging also plays an important role here. Packaging design is one of the most important factors that influence consumers when choosing a product. Sleek designs, the use of eco-friendly materials, and the convenience of use all make a positive impression on consumers.
But here’s the big problem. Nowadays, you don’t see many people who don’t use cosmetics, and you need to make a lot of them to keep up with the demand. But how do you make that many products? By hand, like when you make samples? That would require a lot of labor. If you only look at it from the point of view of the person who produces and sells the cosmetics, you should make a profit, but instead, you will lose money. Also, since it is a human job, there is a high probability that the cosmetics you make will be different from each other, or you will produce defective products. In this situation, what is most needed is the study of ‘chemical process’ in chemical engineering.
What is chemical engineering? Chemical engineering, which can be said to be a higher class of chemical engineering, originates from the study of chemistry, which is a part of natural science. It is a practical discipline that is not satisfied with simply exploring the laws of nature, but seeks to utilize and apply them for the benefit of our lives. Chemical processes, which are part of chemical engineering, are the study of developing and studying the overall process of a kind of process for more efficient mass production of things such as the aforementioned cosmetics using chemicals. This research isn’t just about improving the process, but also considering eco-friendly methods to reduce the impact on the environment.
In the case of cosmetics production, we have a sample of the cosmetics we want to produce, and now we need to mass produce the same cosmetics as the sample. To make a large amount of cosmetics, you need a lot of chemicals and natural ingredients, as well as large containers to mix them in one place. You’ll also need a machine, such as a mixing rod. Now, if you put the ingredients in a large container and stir them together, you won’t get a smooth product. Instead, it creates another problem. Chemicals are much more sensitive than we realize, which is why problems that can be overlooked or don’t show up when you first make a small sample can become unbearable when you start mass-producing your cosmetics. For example, you may encounter problems such as a lack of heat or an explosion during the manufacturing process.
You also need to carefully consider the use of preservatives, as they can deteriorate or lose their effectiveness over time. Consumers want to avoid harmful preservatives, but without them, products can have a very short shelf life or become susceptible to microbial contamination. Therefore, stability testing is essential, along with choosing the right preservative.
And then there’s the all-important question of money. To give you an example, let’s say that in mass production, an unfinished cosmetic product generates a lot of heat. You’ll need a refrigerant to cool down the unfinished cosmetics as they heat up. The cost of purchasing the refrigerant will increase the cost of manufacturing the cosmetics. This will naturally increase the price of the product on the market. If the price of a cosmetic product is too high, no one will want to buy it.
Chemical engineers who make cosmetics recognize these problems in advance and research and develop processes that are specific to their products to reduce the additional costs of solving them. Chemical engineers develop the materials, sequences, and methods for formulating chemicals and, when necessary, catalysts to make production safer and faster. The catalysts they add play an important role in improving the quality of the product, making the process more efficient.
Chemical engineers work to make the production of cosmetics more efficient while reducing additional costs, aside from those that are essential to its production. Furthermore, before a product is released, it goes through a rigorous testing and certification process to ensure consumer safety. This is a crucial step to ensure that products are reliable and safe for consumers.
We’ve used cosmetics production as a simple example, but almost everything we see around us, except for natural substances, is a byproduct of these researched and engineered processes. Chemical engineering, which is closely related to our lives and enriches our lives, is the basic ‘chemical process’.
We have a strong desire for beauty, so things that enhance beauty, such as cosmetics, will continue to be in the spotlight. Chemical engineering is expected to become more advanced to produce better products. It’s not scientific at all, but it’s more satisfying to use cosmetics knowing what went into making them. While we all want to feel beautiful by using cosmetics, it’s important to consider the safety and quality of the products we choose. This way, you can be a smart consumer who not only looks good, but also takes care of your health.
