Decorative cosmetics
Lipsticks are made to appeal to the current
fashion trend and come in a wide range of
colors. Lipstick is made of dyes and
pigments in a fragranced oil-wax base.
Retail prices for lipsticks are relatively low,
with quality products priced at less than
$4.00. More expensive products are
available, with prices ranging up to nearly
$50.00 for exclusive products. Lip balms,
by contrast, generally retail for less than
$1.00.
The tubes that hold lipstick range from
inexpensive plastic dispensers for lip balms to
ornate metal for lipsticks. Sizes are not uniform,
but generally lipstick is sold in a tube 3 inches
(7.6 centimeters) in length and about .50 inch
(1.3 centimeters) in diameter. (Lip balms are
generally slightly smaller in both length and
diameter.) The tube has two parts, a cover and
a base. The base is made up of two
components, the twisting or sliding of which will
push the lipstick up for application. Since the
manufacture of the tube involves completely
different technologies, we will focus here on the
manufacture of lipstick only.
The primary ingredients found in lipstick are
wax, oil, alcohol, and pigment. The wax used
usually involves some combination of three
types—beeswax, candelilla wax, or the more
expensive camauba. Wax enables the mixture to
be formed into the easily recognized shape of
the cosmetic. Oils such as mineral, caster,
lanolin, or vegetable are added to the wax.
Fragrance and pigment are also added, as are
preservatives and antioxidants, which prevent
lipstick from becoming rancid. And while every
lipstick contains these components, a wide
variety of other ingredients can also be included
to make the substance smoother or glossy or to
moisten the lips.
Just as there is no standard to the lipstick
size and container shape, there are no
standard types of, or proportions for,
ingredients used. Beyond the base
ingredients (wax, oil, and antioxidants)
supplemental material amounts vary
greatly. The ingredients themselves
range from complex organic compounds
to entirely natural ingredients, the
proportions of which determine the
characteristics of the lipstick. Selecting
lipsticks is, as with all cosmetics, an
individual choice, so manufacturers have
responded by making a wide variety of
lipsticks available to the consumer.
To make lipstick, the various raw
ingredients are first melted separately,
and then the oils and solvents are ground
together with the desired color pigments.
In general, wax and oil make up about 60
percent of the lipstick (by weight), with
alcohol and pigment accounting for another
25 percent (by weight). Fragrance is always
added to lipstick, but accounts for one
percent or less of the mixture. In addition to
using lipstick to color the lips, there are also
lip liners and pencils. The manufacturing
methods described here will just focus on
lipstick and lip balms.
The Manufacturing
Process

The manufacturing process is easiest to
understand if it is viewed as three separate
steps: melting and mixing the lipstick; pouring
the mixture into the tube; and packaging the
product for sale. Since the lipstick mass can be
mixed and stored for later use, mixing does not
have to happen at the same time as pouring.
Once the lipstick is in the tube, packaging for
retail sale is highly variable, depending on how
the product is to be marketed.
Melting and mixing

1 First, the raw ingredients for the lipstick
are melted and mixed—separately
because of the different types of
ingredients used. One mixture contains
the solvents, a second contains the oils,
and a third contains the fats and waxy
materials. These are heated in separate
stainless steel or ceramic containers.
 2 The solvent solution and liquid oils are then
mixed with the color pigments. The mixture
passes through a roller mill, grinding the
pigment to avoid a "grainy" feel to the lipstick.
This process introduces air into the oil and
pigment mixture, so mechanical working of the
mixture is required. The mixture is stirred for
several hours; at this point some producers use
vacuum equipment to withdraw the air. After the
pigment mass is prepared, it is mixed with the
hot wax. The mixture is agitated to free it of any
air bubbles. Next, the mixture is poured into
tubing molds, cooled, and separated from the
molds. After final touch-up and visual inspection,
the lipstick is ready for packaging.
3 After the pigment mass is ground and mixed,
it is added to the hot wax mass until a uniform
color and consistency is obtained. The fluid
lipstick can then be strained and molded, or it
may be poured into pans and stored for future
molding.
 4 If the fluid lipstick is to be used immediately,
the melt is maintained at temperature, with
agitation, so that trapped air escapes. If the
lipstick mass is stored, before it is used it must
be reheated, checked for color consistency, and
adjusted to specifications, then maintained at
the melt temperature (with agitation) until it can
be poured.


As expected, lipsticks are always prepared in
batches because of the different color pigments
that can be used. The size of the batch, and the
number of tubes of lipstick produced at one
time, will depend on the popularity of the
particular shade being produced. This will
determine the manufacturing technique
(automated or manual) that is used. Lipstick
may be produced in highly automated
processes, at rates of up to 2,400 tubes an hour,
or in essentially manual operations, at rates
around 150 tubes per hour. The steps in the
process basically differ only in the volume
produced.
Molding

5 Once the lipstick mass is mixed and free of air,
it is ready to be poured into the tube. A variety
of machine setups are used, depending on the
equipment that the manufacturer has, but high
volume batches are generally run through a
melter that agitates the lipstick mass and
maintains it as a liquid. For smaller, manually
run batches, the mass is maintained at the
desired mix temperature, with agitation, in a
melter controlled by an operator.
 6 The melted mass is dispensed into a
mold, which consists of the bottom portion
of the metal or plastic tube and a shaping
portion that fits snugly with the tube.
Lipstick is poured "up-side down" so that
the bottom of the tube is at the top of the
mold. Any excess is scraped from the
mold.
7 The lipstick is cooled (automated molds are
kept cold; manually produced molds are
transferred to a refrigeration unit) and separated
from the mold, and the bottom of the tube is
sealed. The lipstick then passes through a
flaming cabinet (or is flamed by hand) to seal
pinholes and improve the finish. The lipstick is
visually inspected for air holes, mold separation
lines, or blemishes, and is reworked if
necessary.
 8 For obvious reasons, rework of the lipstick
must be limited, demonstrating the importance
of the early steps in removing air from the
lipstick mass. Lipstick is reworked by hand with
a spatula. This can be done in-line, or the tube
can be removed from the manufacturing process
and reworked.

Labeling and packaging

9 After the lipstick is retracted and the tube is capped,
the lipstick is ready for labeling and packaging. Labels
identify the batch and are applied as part of the
automated operation. While there is a great deal of
emphasis on quality and appearance of the finished
lipstick product, less emphasis is placed on the
appearance of lip balms. Lip balms are always produced
in an automated process (except for experimental or test
batches). The heated liquid is poured into the tube in the
retracted position; the tube is then capped by machine—
a far less laborious process.
 10 The final step in the manufacturing process is
the packaging of the lipstick tube. There are a
variety of packaging options available, ranging
from bulk packs to individual packs, and
including packaging as a component in a
makeup kit or special promotional offering. Lip
balms are packaged in bulk, generally with
minimum protection to prevent shipping
damage. Packaging for lipsticks varies,
depending on what will happen at the point of
sale in the retail outlet. Packaging may or may
not be highly automated, and the package used
depends on the end use of the product rather
than on the manufacturing process.
By products

There is little or no waste in the
manufacture of lipstick. Product is reused
whenever possible, and since the
ingredients are expensive they are seldom
thrown out, unless no other alternative
presents itself. In the normal
manufacturing process there are no
byproducts, and waste portions of lipstick
will be thrown out with the disposal of
cleaning materials.
Quality Control

Quality control procedures are strict, since the product
must meet Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
standards. Lipstick is the only cosmetic ingested, and
because of this strict controls on ingredients, as well as
the manufacturing processes, are imposed. Lipstick is
mixed and processed in a controlled environment so it
will be free of contamination. Incoming material is tested
to ensure that it meets required specifications. Samples
of every batch produced are saved and stored at room
temperature for the life of the product (and often
beyond that) to maintain a control on the batch.

As noted above, appearance of lipstick as
a final product is very important. For this
reason everyone involved in the
manufacture becomes an inspector, and
non-standard product is either reworked
or scrapped. Final inspection of every tube
is performed by the consumer, and if not
satisfactory, will be rejected at the retail
level. Since the retailer and manufacturer
are often times not the same, quality
problems at the consumer level have a
major impact on the manufacturer.

Color control of lipstick is critical, and one only has to
see the range of colors available from a manufacturer to
be aware of this. The dispersion of the pigment is
checked stringently when a new batch is manufactured,
and the color must be carefully controlled when the
lipstick mass is reheated. The color of the lipstick mass
will bleed over time, and each time a batch is reheated,
the color may be altered. Colorimetric equipment is used
to provide some numerical way to control the shades of
lipstick. This equipment gives a numerical reading of the
shade, when mixed, so it can identically match previous
batches. Matching of reheated batches is done visually,
so careful time and environment controls are placed on
lipstick mass when it is not immediately used.

There are two special tests for lipstick: the Heat
Test and the Rupture Test. In the Heat Test, the
lipstick is placed in the extended position in a
holder and left in a constant temperature oven
of over 130 degrees Fahrenheit (54 degrees
Celsius) for 24 hours. There should be no
drooping or distortion of the lipstick. In the
Rupture Test, the lipstick is placed in two
holders, in the extended position. Weight is
added to the holder on the lipstick portion at 30second intervals until the lipstick ruptures. The
pressure required to rupture the lipstick is then
checked against the manufacturer's standards.
Since there are no industry standards for these
tests, each manufacturer sets its own
parameters.
Mascara

Mascara is a cosmetic applied to the eyelashes to make
the lashes thicker, longer, and darker. It is one of the
most ancient cosmetics known, having been used in
Egypt possibly as early as 4000 B.C. Egyptians used a
substance called kohl to darken their lashes, eyebrows,
and eyelids. Egyptian kohl was probably made of galena
or lead sulfite, malachite, and charcoal or soot. The
Babylonians and ancient Greeks also used black eye
cosmetics, as did the later Romans. Cosmetics of all
sorts fell out of use in Europe after the fall of Rome,
though eye cosmetics continued to be important in the
Arab world. The use of cosmetics was revived in Europe
during the Renaissance.

Early mascara from the modern era usually took the
form of a pressed cake. It was applied to the lashes with
a wetted brush. The ingredients typically were 50% soap
and 50% black pigment. The pigment was sifted and
combined with soap chips, run through a mill several
times, and then pressed into cakes. A variation on this
was cream mascara, a lotion-like substance that was
packaged in a tube. To apply it, the user would squeeze
a small amount of mascara out of the tube onto a small
brush. This was a messy process that was much
improved with the invention in the 1960s of the mascara
applicator. This patented device was a grooved
application rod that picked up a consistent amount of
mascara when pulled from the bottle. The grooved rod
was soon replaced with a brush. This new ease of
application may have contributed to the increased
popularity of mascara in the late 1960s.
Raw Materials

There are many different formulas for mascara. All
contain pigments. In the United States, federal
regulations prohibit the use of any pigments derived
from coal or tar in eye cosmetics, so mascaras use
natural colors and inorganic pigments. Carbon black is
the black pigment in most mascara recipes, and iron
oxides provide brown colors. Other colors such as
ultramarine blue are used in some formulas. One
common type of mascara consists of an emulsion of oils,
waxes, and water. In formulas for this type of mascara,
beeswax is often used, as is carnauba wax and paraffin.
Oils may be mineral oil, lanolin, linseed oil, castor oil, oil
of turpentine, eucalyptus oil, and even sesame oil. Some
formulas contain alcohol. Stearic acid is a common
ingredient of lotion-based formulas, as are stiffeners
such as ceresin and gums such as gum tragacanth and
methyl cellulose. Some mascaras include fine rayon
fibers, which make the product more viscous.
The Manufacturing Process

There are two main types of mascara
currently manufactured. One type is called
anhydrous, meaning it contains no water.
The second type is made with a lotion
base, and it is manufactured by the
emulsion method.
Anhydrous method

1 In this method, ingredients are mixed in tanks
or kettles, which make a small batch of 10-30
gal (38-114 1). The ingredients are first carefully
measured and weighed. Then a worker empties
them into the mixing tank. Heat is applied to
melt the waxes, and the mixture is agitated,
usually by means of a propeller blade. The
agitation continues until the mixture reaches a
semi-solid state.
Anhydrous method

Mascara can be made in two different ways. In
the anhydrous method, all the ingredients are
mixed, heated, and agitated. With the emulsion
method, water and thickeners are combined,
while the waxes and emulsifiers are mixed and
heated separately. Pigments are added before
both mixtures are combined in a high-speed
agitator called a homogenizer. The result of
either method is a semi-solid substance that is
ready to be packaged.
Emulsion method


2 In this method, water and thickeners are combined to
make a lotion or cream base. Waxes and emulsifiers are
heated and melted separately, and pigments are added.
Then the waxes and lotion base are combined in a very
high speed mixer or homogenizer. Unlike the tank or
kettle above, the homogenizer is enclosed and mixes the
ingredients at very high speed without incorporating any
air or causing evaporation. The oils and waxes are
broken down into very small beads by the rapid action of
the homogenizer and held in suspension in the water.
The homogenizer may hold as little as 5 gal (19 1), or as
much as 100 gal (380 1). The high-speed mixing action
continues until the mixture reaches room temperature.
The following steps are common to both types of
mascara.
Filling

3 After the mascara solution has cooled or
reached the proper state, workers transfer it to
a tote bin. Next, they roll the tote bin to the
filling area and empty the solution into a hopper
on a filling machine. The filling machine pumps a
measured amount (typically about 0.175 oz [5
g]) of the solution into glass or plastic mascara
bottles. The bottles are usually capped by hand.
Samples are removed for inspection, and the
rest are readied for distribution.
Quality Control

Checks for quality and purity are taken at
various stages in the manufacture of mascara.
The chemicals are checked in the tank before
the mixing begins to make sure the correct
ingredients and proper amounts are in place.
After the batch is mixed, it is rechecked. After
the batch is bottled, representative samples
from the beginning, middle, and end of the
batch are taken out. These are examined for
chemical composition. At this point they are also
tested for microbiological impurities.