About Colin

Colin
My name is Colin and I am a cosmetic and pharmaceutical scientist and I work as an independent consultant developing new beauty products and helping out cosmetic and pharma companies with projects, trouble shooting and regulations.  I have been doing it for over thirty years, so I have picked up a lot about what people do to try to enhance their appearance.

I am more or a chemist than anything, but have dabbled in lots of disciplines as anyone does who has spent most of their working life working in product development. I have developed licensed pharmaceuticals for dermatological applications, own brand toiletries for big multiple retailers, branded products and treatments for skin conditions. I am a beauty industry insider – I have heard marketing people talking about how they sell the products and I have been in the factories where the cosmetics you use are made. And most of all, I have looked at the data behind the claims.  I am particularly interested in the skin.  This is often described as the largest organ in the body – and it is certainly one of my favourites.

I like to formulate products that are elegant but simple.  I keep myself up to date with the latest literature in the field and it is always my aim to work with the best understanding of the science of how the formulations work and how the body works.  This has been an enthralling life study and if this website can share some of my wonder at the amazing biology of the human body then I will be very happy.

Disclosure
I accept paid adverts but not paid for editorial. I rarely accept free review samples – trust me the last thing I need in my life is more personal care products – but will consider them if the product is sufficiently interesting to justify writing about. I retain the right to say exactly what I think about them.

Some product reviews are illustrated with photos from my Amazon affiliate account. If these lead to a sale I receive a truly pathetic, indeed almost insulting, percentage of the sale price.

I’d have to be pretty desperate for this derisory source of income to have any impact on the opinions expressed about the product. Indeed you only have to read what I say in my reviews to see that they are not remotely motivated by a desire to earn a commission. Certainly not by the the miserly crumbs that Amazon dishes out. I wouldn’t bother but it is a quick and easy way to get hold of a product image that has no intellectual property issues.

Contact Me

 

If you are interested in my consulting services you can find more details of what I offer at http://colinscosmeticconsultancy.co.uk/ – if you want to just contact me about this blog with a question or a comment, my e-mail address is colin at colinsbeautypages dot co dot uk.

 

Colin

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I have always been plagued by endless spam whenever I have used a contact form in the past. But I am giving it another go to see how it goes.

6 thoughts on “About Colin”

  1. Hi Colin,

    I have a very very expensive formulation of a serum here. Would you please be so kind to evaluate it? My questions are especially concerning preservatives.. and also: does skin benefit from so many different ingredients and antioxidants…? I think I think that simple is best. The formulation might be of interest to you, as it seems at the forefront.

    Water, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, glycerin, punica granatum (pomegranate) extract, squalane, tocopheryl acetate, camellia sinensis (white tea) leaf extract, vernonia (ambiaty) apendiculata leaf extract, morinda citrifolia exrtact, pichia/reservatrol ferment extract, laminaria digitata extract, padina pavonica thallus extract, hydrolyzed algin, palmitoyl oglipeptide, phanthenol, niacinamide, ubiquinone, yeast amino acids, 7-dehydrocholesterol, simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil, helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, triticum vulgare (wheat) germ extract, helianthus annuus seed extract, equisetum arvense extract, commiphora myrrah extract, retinyl palmitate, allantoin, PEG 10 rapeseed sterel, tribehenin, ceramide 2, C12-15 alkyl benzoate, ammonium acryloyldimethyltaurate/beheneth-25, sucrose laurate, polyacrylate crosspolymer-6, polyquaternium-55, zea mays (corn) oil, ethylhexylglycerin, phenoxyethanol, tricalcium phosphate.

    Best regards,
    M.

    1. I don’t really know what to make of that ingredient list. It seems to have just about everything in it. I pity the mixer who has to weigh out so many different ingredients. I think most of them, and probably all of them, will be present at a very low level and I doubt that the result will be particularly effective. I agree that simple is often best.

  2. Hi Colin,

    I replied you very late,.. so you may not have seen my reply! Its a face serum.
    I would like to know perhaps particularly how “natural” it is…

    Hope you see this! Thanx,
    M.

  3. Hi Mr. Colin, I have read one of your beauty pages regarding CETYL STEARYL ALCOHOL . It is really informative and it made me happy reading such a descriptive page.
    Could you kindly let me know what is the correct ratio of C 16 & C 18 in CETYL STEARYL ALCOHOL

    Thanks

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