I’m going to be honest. Publishing our lab notes is not something we usually do.
Cosmetic Chemists, Formulators, Process Engineers, Lab Technicians… your lab notebook is kind of your private journal that you use to record all of your work and observations. We rarely show it to anyone, but have to be ready in the case of an audit or need to draw upon information in the early stages of development.
Information about our project (that we might otherwise forget) is scribbled into a corner or precisely placed on a line with a favorite pen. I’ve seen lab notebooks kept horribly and I’ve seen lab notebooks kept extremely well – so well that everything is color-coded and the handwriting looks like Arial Unicode. In any case, when you work in this industry, you need to develop the habit of writing down everything you do and observe. It is so important!
When you make 200-gram sample batches at the bench, they can look much different when scaled up to 1,000 pounds. Many things can go wrong, so it is important to know your ingredients’ behavior tendencies and carefully write down important observations during the initial batches.
It’s all about the details; you can never have too many.
If it thickens slightly after adding citric acid, note that. If you sprinkled the gum slowly into the vortex instead of pouring a steady stream, note that, too. I could go on and on, but I’m sure you get the point. If you find yourself working in a lab, do yourself a favor and record as much as you can. It helps cultivate a smoother translation of the formulation/work you completed.
So, not to disappoint you, but Lab Notes will not be a digital copy of my own lab notebook. I know, I know… it would be so exciting to see, but I’ve decided that, instead, I will be discussing topics related to the personal care industry. I will also be sharing some interesting discoveries when I formulate and put batches together in my lab. Even though I am busy with projects, I set aside time to experiment, play and innovate. Weird, unexpected things can happen, and I am glad I can share them with you.