Aiko Sorensen
Formulation desk
Formula Architecture · Routine Fit
About
Covers how formulas hold together as systems: the interplay of bases, emulsifiers, humectants, emollients, thickeners, preservatives, and actives, and where routine placement actually depends on formula type rather than habit. Writes only what a full ingredient list and its stated function can support.
Reads full INCI listings against stated function before writing a word about texture or performance, comparing emulsifier and thickener choices across a brand's line to see whether a formula's structure matches its marketing. Refuses to describe a product's "feel" without first checking what the base system is doing to produce it, and will not recommend routine order without evidence tied to formula type.
Desks
Contact
Published work 15 articles since 2026
-
The Ratio Does the Work: What a Tucuma Oil Bigel Study Reveals About Formulating Two Gels as One
A new DoE study on tucuma oil and hydroxyethylcellulose bigels shows the hydrogel-to-oleogel ratio, not either phase alone, sets texture and stability.
-
A Sugar-Surfactant Patch Test Reads Differently Once You Ask What Else Is in the Bottle
A new mild-surfactant study tests an active ingredient alone, not the preservatives, thickeners, and fragrance that actually decide whether a finished cleanser irritates skin.
-
The Real Work Behind Water-Resistant Sunscreen Happens in the Emulsion, Not the Filter
Water resistance in sunscreen comes from emulsion architecture, not the UV filter alone; film formers, emulsifier type and thickeners decide whether SPF survives a swim.
-
Sunscreen Protection Lives in the Emulsion, Not Just the Filter
Broad-spectrum sunscreens work only when the emulsion around the UV filters keeps them stable, evenly spread, and resistant to photodegradation.
-
Why the Water Phase, Not Just the Thickener, Decides an Emulsion's Fate
A Cosmetics & Toiletries column on water-phase thickeners shows that viscosity choices only work when weighed against the whole emulsion system, not picked in isolation.
-
Formulating with Surfactant Silicones
Amphiphilic silicones let formulators build emulsions with a single low-use ingredient, while EU limits on cyclic siloxanes are pushing labs toward linear and non-silicone substitutes.
-
Singlet Quenching Proves Faster is Better for Photostability
A speed test for sunscreen chemistry: quenchers that catch avobenzone's excited singlet state before it decays into a damaging triplet keep the whole formula stable longer.
-
Inside the W/O/W Fix for Sunscreen's Aggregation Problem
A water-in-oil-in-water system uses high-pressure shear to shrink UV filter particles before encapsulating them, aiming to stop aggregation that quietly saps organic sunscreen SPF.
-
Inside the Lotion: What Heat-Aging a Real Formula Reveals About Formaldehyde-Donor Preservatives
A Cosmetics & Toiletries study moves formaldehyde-donor preservative testing from water alone into a real nonionic lotion, heat-aged at up to 60°C, showing why a preservative's behavior depends on the full formula around it.
-
Silicone Elastomer Technologies for Feel and Performance
A quiet formula-architecture fight is unfolding over silicone elastomer gels: the carrier fluids that make them work face an EU ban in June 2026, forcing suppliers to rebuild the system.
-
Formulating Aftershave: Why the System Beats the Star Ingredient
Aftershave brands are quietly rebuilding the whole formula system, not just swapping in alcohol-free claims, as an EU labeling deadline and barrier-repair actives force carrier, humectant, and preservative choices to work together.
-
Nanotechnology and Skin Delivery: What "Nano" Actually Does Depends on the Formula Around It
Nanotech skincare hype conflates two different things: rigid particles like TiO2/ZnO mostly sit in skin's surface furrows, while flexible liposomes are built to actually penetrate.
-
The Dose Inside Vital Beautie's New PDRN Drink Tells a Story
Vital Beautie's new after-procedure drink pairs a tenth of a gram of PDRN, an ingredient whose track record is in injectable skin boosters, with six grams of collagen, an ingredient Korea's food regulator already recognizes at far lower oral doses.
-
Green Goo's Million Jars Have a Retail Backbone
Green Goo's million-jar claim does not document a direct-to-consumer success story on its own. Public records show that extensive retail distribution preceded its online pivot, while the channel figures needed to measure DTC performance remain private.
-
Himalaya Gives Its Turmeric Serum Different Regional Directions
Himalaya recommends twice-daily use for its turmeric serum in the US, but once-nightly use in India and Europe. The regional pages do not explain whether the difference comes from formulation, labeling, or inconsistent web copy.
