Obsessed with what's in your skincare? Meet Cosmetic Chemist Steven Allen Coe
If you're even a little obsessed with skincare, you're probably attracted to the science behind your favorite products (we know they are). To give us all ingredients, all formulas and chemistry; we are obsessed with learning which scientific cocktails help make our skin glow. To this end, we follow a staggering number of scientific skincare Instagram accounts, but one of our absolute favorites is Stephen Allen Ko of KindofStephen.
On his instagram and blogCo., who lives in Toronto, shares everything from scientific skin care experiments to your favorite ingredients. actually look like under a microscope. We recently spoke with Ko about his background, work, and of course, skin care. Get ready to have your skincare curiosity sated.
Tell us a little about your experience in cosmetic chemistry and how you got started in the field.
I started in journalism, then switched to neuroscience and finally chemistry at the university. Skin care and cosmetics have always been my hobby, but it wasn't until much later that I realized that this could also be my career. I started my first job early in my second year at university.
Walk us through the process of creating a cosmetic product.
A new beauty product starts with an idea, which can be a prototype formula or a marketing assignment. Prototype formulas are then developed, produced, tested, and a set of quality control standards developed. Formulas are also designed with scaling in mind. For example, a person can easily make a cocktail at home using a blender, but this amount of power and energy is not easily scaled up to industrial sizes. From the formula follows large-scale production, packaging, bottling and more.
My focus is on development and scaling. The most enjoyable part of the process is seeing and feeling the formula go from paper to bottle.
As a cosmetic chemist, what is the first thing you would say to people when they are shopping for skin care products?
To try them! The ingredient list gives you so much information about the formula. For example, stearic acid can be used as a wax thickener, but it can also be used as an encapsulator that can stabilize and deliver cosmetic ingredients to the skin. It was simply listed as "stearic acid" on the ingredient list. No one can tell if it's not caused by marketing or if they have no idea about the product's formula.
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Color clouds and crystals. Sublimation is one of the methods that chemists use to purify chemicals. For example, cosmetic ingredients such as pure caffeine can be extracted from coffee using sublimation. To see and learn how it's done, check out my Stories or the "Sublimation" section of my profile!
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What does a typical day look like for you?
Most days start with reading scientific journals on a wide range of topics. It is then usually sent to the lab to build additional prototypes, refine prototypes, and retest prototypes that didn't work well.
How has working in the cosmetics industry affected your life?
Working in the cosmetics industry has allowed me to do what I love and love as a job. As I got older, I never had to doubt my job or career.
What is your favorite skin care ingredient right now?
I think glycerin is an ingredient that many people should pay special attention to. While not very sexy or marketable, it is a very good, highly effective water-binding ingredient for the skin. Also, ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and retinoids are always part of my skincare routine. I recently tested ingredients with newer data to support their use, such as melatonin.
Tell us why you created Kind of Stephen, a blog and Instagram account.
I have seen a lot of confusion on skincare discussion groups and writing has been a way for me to solidify, expand on and communicate what I have learned. There are many hard-working students, scientists and researchers in this field, and I hope to highlight and share my work.
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A mixing glass filled with water, magnesium hydroxide and a pH indicator. A pH indicator is a chemical that changes color based on the pH of a solution. It turns green-blue in alkaline solutions and red-yellow in acidic solutions. Slowly drip strong acid, hydrochloric acid. When the pH of the solution drops, the color of the indicator changes from blue-green to red. OH)2 + 2HCl → MgCl2 + 2H2O
A post published by Steven Allen Ko (@kindofstephen) on
What advice would you give to your younger self regarding your career in cosmetic chemistry?
I really wouldn't change a thing. I could do everything faster, work harder, study more, but I'm quite happy with the way things are.
What is your own skin care regimen?
My own routine is pretty simple. In the morning I use sunscreen and ascorbic acid (vitamin C), and in the evening I use a moisturizer and retinoid. In addition, I will use and test all the prototypes that I am currently working on.
What advice would you give to a budding cosmetic chemist?
I often get asked questions like how do I become a cosmetic chemist? And the answer is simple: look at job requests. Companies describe the roles and list the required requirements. It is also a good way to understand the volume of jobs available in this field. For example, a chemical engineer working in the cosmetics industry often doesn't develop a formula, but instead focuses on expanding production, but many people often confuse the two professions.
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