Click to edit project
Click to edit project description
Page 1 of 2 In this project, you will investigate the ingredients of lipsticks. You will work out why lipsticks are certain colours, and work out how to change the consistency of lipstick, controlling it’s ‘spreadability’. Getting Started You will master the art of colouring lipsticks. Your aim is to be able to predict how to make a lipstick a desired colour, without any ‘hit-and-miss’ aspect. • Carry out some research into how lipsticks are coloured and find out what pigments are. Find out about colour spectrums. • Make your own lipstick using one colour pigment. Use a spectrophotometer to measure the absorption spectrum of your lipstick. • Melt your lipstick and add another pigment. Keep doing this, adding different pigments each time. You could also make some new lipstick with different coloured pigments. Each time measure the absorption spectrum. • Explain why the lipsticks are the colour they are. • Take some shop-bought lipsticks of varying colours. Measure their absorption spectrum, and set about making lipsticks of the same colour Now you’ve mastered the art of mixing pigments, you should look at some other properties of lipstick. • Work out which ingredients affect the consistency of your lipstick. Make lipsticks of varying consistency and design a test to work out how easy it is to spread. Can you measure the viscosity of your lipsticks? What is the optimum viscosity and what ingredients are required? Click to edit project description • Design a test to measure the lipstick’s transparency - the ultimate lipstick will give a smooth, even ‘solid’ coat using the minimum amount of lipstick. • Design some tests to see how easy it is to remove your homemade lipstick. You don’t want it to come off too easily but it should be removable without too much fuss. How does your lipstick compare to shopbought products? • Investigate the effect of temperature on your homemade lipstick. Can you measure how much the viscosity changes with the temperature? Does it make a difference where the lipstick is stored? How does your lipstick compare to shop-bought products? Things to think about Investigate the differences between lipstick and lip gloss. Why is lip gloss applied with a brush? What ingredients are different, and how do they make a difference to the final product? Useful Resources You will need to work closely with a local university or similar institution so you can use a spectrophotometer. You may also want to try contacting an analytical chemist working for a cosmetics company. Search online for a reliable lipstick recipe.
