23rd issue

Cosmetic Formulation Competition
Lipstick Team
Overall, this competition was a fun and eye-opening experience as it was the first time
we created our own cosmetic product. However, our lack of experience in using
cosmetics made us particularly clueless as to the proper formulation we should be
using to create our product, as our goal was to create a product most desired by the
market, yet we ourselves had no idea what these supposed qualities were. Hence, in
the initial lipstick formation, we experienced a myriad of problems with the lipstick
properties - it was too dry, then too oily, then too soft, so we had to do numerous trials
in order to create a product that satisfied our group’s standards. This honed our
problem-solving skills, which really made us appreciate and realise the hard work and
effort that comes into making a cosmetic product - what we experienced was just the
tip of the iceberg.
Though this was a chemistry
competition, we also gained valuable insight regarding
market research and its relevance to product design,
especially how we should be more aware of our target
audience to create a product that most caters to them, in
addition to developing technical skills of video shooting and
editing which is the key in promoting the product. We would
also like to thank our teachers for the guidance and support
they gave us throughout the process of this competition.
Skin Cleanser Team
Our group also struggled to formulate cleanser formulas due to our lack of knowledge in cosmetic chemistry. It
took a lot of patience to run through the long and tedious trial-and-error process. At some point, we even
thought it was impossible to fabricate a formula that aligns with our marketing claim. It was a challenging
process which required high tolerance, as we will never know the properties of our trial product until we test it
at the end of the making process. However, we decided to trust the process instead of letting all our previous
effort be in vain. As a result of our perseverance, we were very honoured to be rewarded with the merit award
for our overall performance in all 3 aspects of the competition (We did not expect this outcome, too!).
Of course, the competition experience was filled not only with challenges and hardships. We
also enjoyed some aspects of it, especially the video-making process. We had fun planning
and editing the scenes to emphasise the strengths of our product in a creative manner. The
process of allowing other students to try out our product, even if only on the hands, is also
memorable, as we see the product work its magic on their skin. Furthermore, this competition
provided a great opportunity for us to develop various skills, from collaborative communication,
to lab and research skills and even creativity in marketing design. Despite all our shortcomings
in this experiment and our imperfect formula, we were satisfied with our results as we put our
best efforts into this. We are glad we took the opportunity to participate in the competition and
grateful for the help of our supportive teachers, who sacrificed a lot of time to oversee the
entire process.
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