Staff Services Student Enterprise

Cosmetics and personal care

There has never been a better time to work with the University of Edinburgh, particularly in the development and understanding of cosmetic and personal care formulations.

We have a rich variety of research expertise, from formulation development and testing, and identifying green alternatives to existing materials. Our world-leading academics span across experimental expertise and modelling and simulation to support the development of high-value materials and robust processes.

As well as enabling access to significant funding from the UK Government to support innovative collaborations, companies can directly commission research, accessing the University's facilities and expertise.

Edinburgh Innovations, the University's commercialisation service, partners with businesses to access the most relevant experts and facilities, identifying the most appropriate funding streams for each organisation and enabling each company to take advantage of our world-class research and knowledge base.

Find out more

Dr Denise Li

Business Development Executive, School of Physics & Astronomy

Key areas of expertise

Formulation science and new ingredients

Our multidisciplinary team of physicists, biologists, chemists and engineers work seamlessly with industry partners to deliver rapid and meaningful results for commercial benefit, from novel raw ingredients to formulation development.

Using a suite of bespoke techniques and equipment, we work on the full spectrum of fundamental and applied research projects, studying products, materials and their formulation that have complex flow properties, including gels, pastes, suspensions and composites.

In addition, the Edinburgh Complex Fluids Partnership (ECFP) supports product development in a variety of sectors including household products, cosmetics, food and drink, paints, agrochemicals, adhesives, lubricants, and pharmaceuticals. Through ECFP, you gain rapid access to a multidisciplinary group of researchers who can facilitate a range of projects from short-term consultancy to long-term collaborative research.

The areas of formulation expertise include:

  • understanding the flow and microstructure of dense suspensions
  • studying the physical stability of dispersions and emulsions
  • determining the stabilisation mechanism of interfacially active components
  • controlling the behaviour of colloidal protein aggregates
  • understanding the behaviour of biofilms and their interactions with substrates
  • formulation development with sustainable alternative components

Our raw materials expertise includes:

  • developing molecular tools for exploiting micro-algae for the production of high-value compounds
  • phycocyanin from spirulina – a natural blue colourant
  • production and characterisation of biochar
  • using novel plant-derived enzymes to enhance polysaccharide properties
  • copolymers for sustainable materials for tunable properties

Simulation and modelling

Access a wide range of modelling techniques from quantum mechanical atomistic to coarse-grain methods, simulations of multiphase, granular and turbulent flow, and process modelling. Our team of world-leading experts enable the connection of local properties of each ingredient to the bulk performance of the end product. Our in silico expertise includes:

  • multiphase and particulate flows, phase change, wetting phenomena, droplet dynamics
  • the self-assembly of surfactant and polymeric surfactants and their adsorption at interfaces
  • the interfacial properties of emulsions and dispersions
  • interfacial behaviour of clay minerals
  • discrete element modelling of dense suspensions, and colloidal spheres of different sizes to impact gelling properties
  • Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids for understanding the plasticity of foams and emulsions
  • machine Learning and Neutron experiments to understand the structure and reactivity of complex organic compounds
  • advanced techniques for modelling complex solvents

Skin and hair research

Through our EdSKIN network, we have expertise from physicochemical characterisation of skin and hair to clinical dermatology, to understand skin and hair health. By focusing on skin and hair biophysics, specific expertise and access to instruments include:

  • skin barrier integrity: transepidermal water loss
  • skin and hair surface composition: FTIR spectroscopy and spectroscopic imaging
  • topical actives delivery: Raman spectroscopy and Optical Coherence Technology
  • skin and hair surface topology and wettability: Cryo SEM and contact angle measurement

Packaging

Through the University of Edinburgh, access expertise in testing packaging materials as well as the development of new, sustainable materials.

  • Assessment of barrier and permeability via testing and modelling packaging with low humidity and oxygen transfer rates
  • Evaluation of polymer/fluid compatibility to optimise processing, predict chemical resistance, assess recyclability
  • New biopolymers as alternatives to fossil fuel-based plastic packaging
  • Removal of microplastics from the waste stream

Process and scale-up

The University of Edinburgh has the expertise to support scale-up and production by identifying the sensitivities and variabilities of the product that would be magnified on scale-up and employing digital twins to provide insights on the impact of minor variations on the product processability.

We also have access to expertise in fermentation processes and coupling metabolomics and proteomics to map the reaction pathways.

  • Digital twinning
  • Data Science for Manufacturing and Process Optimisation
  • Complex systems modelling of non-linear process

Facilities for consultancy and service access to companies

The University of Edinburgh is home to an extensive range of state-of-the-art facilities. Take advantage of these capabilities for physical testing, analysis, characterisation, structural and mechanical testing, non-destructive testing and processing of a wide range of materials and structures.

For more information, please contact Cameron Chalmers.

Ingredients and formulation characterisation

Cryogenic Focussed Ion Beam Scanning Electron Microscopy (Cryo FIB-SEM)
This is one of only a few such instruments in the UK for imaging both soft and hard materials to nanometer resolution including obtaining elemental information. The focussed ion beam (FIB) enables micron-scale milling for slice and sectioning, patterning and TEM lift-out. From the slice and sectioning data, one can form a 3D reconstruction of the sample’s microstructure as it would be in its room temperature, amorphous state.

Rheo-imaging with a fast confocal microscope
In-situ confocal microscopy and rheology of a sample, with up to 100 fps. Observe how the microstructure of a formulation changes and is impacted by shear stress.

Variable Temperature X-ray Facility

Rigaku Smartlab Diffractometer-Powder X-ray Diffraction (PXRD) with additional Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Humidity Chamber.

Atomic Force Microscopy JPK NanoWizard 4XP
This advanced inverted Optical Microscope, combined with a new-generation AFM, enables soft/biological matter and material interface characterisation.

Nexsa G2 multi-technique surface analysis system:

  • UV photoelectron spectroscopy
  • Raman spectroscopy
  • X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy
  • Reflected electrons energy loss spectroscopy
  • Ion scattering spectroscopy
Genome Foundry

Biology Facilities

The Edinburgh Genome Foundry
The world’s largest automated DNA assembly platform. We can help you design and plan your next high-throughput project, using our expertise in lab automation, DNA assembly and cloning strategies.

Edinomics
A resource for high-end quantitative and qualitative proteomics and metabolomics research to probe cellular components to gain insights into underlying mechanisms that lead to biologically observed phenotypes.

Biosafe laboratories
Our BSL-1 facilities can be used for experiments with model organisms such as Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli and our fully equipped BSL-2 facilities can work with bacteria associated with human diseases, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus.

Research Data Management
Robust data management strategies to increase productivity, streamline your research projects and make the most of your research outputs.