Find the Right Cosmetic Formulation Training for Your Goals

Whether you want comprehensive professional training in skin care formulation, hair care formulation, or you want to learn how to formulate one specific type of product, Joan Morais Cosmetics School offers different learning paths to meet you where you are.

Our courses are designed for beginners, aspiring cosmetic formulators, beauty entrepreneurs, brand owners, product makers, and experienced formulators who want to expand their skills.

Not sure which course is right for you? Start here.

Which Cosmetic Formulation Course or Class Is Right for You?

Choose the Professional Natural Skin Care Formulation Course if you want to:

• Learn professional skin care formulation from the foundation up
• Understand ingredients and their functions
• Learn how to formulate in percentages
• Develop cleansers, serums, creams, lotions, masks, oils, balms, and other skin care products
• Understand emulsions, preservation, pH, testing, GMP, and scaling
• Create products for your own skin care brand
• Develop professional formulation skills
• Receive comprehensive training rather than learning one product at a time

Explore the Professional Natural Skin Care Formulation Course

Choose the Professional Natural Hair Care Formulation Course if you want to:

• Learn professional hair and scalp formulation
• Understand hair structure, texture, and porosity
• Learn surfactant and conditioning systems
• Formulate shampoos, conditioners, leave-ins, styling products, gels, serums, scalp products, and more
• Learn to formulate for waves, curls, coils, locs, and textured hair
• Understand preservation, pH, testing, GMP, and scaling
• Develop products for your own hair care brand
• Build comprehensive professional hair formulation skills

Explore the Professional Natural Hair Care Formulation Course

Choose Individual Formulation LAB Classes if you want to:

• Learn how to formulate one particular type of product
• Add a new formulation to your existing skills
• Try cosmetic formulation before committing to a comprehensive Pro Course
• Focus on a specific skin care, hair care, soap, or candle formulation
• Receive a formula, manufacturing procedure, and focused formulation lesson
• Learn at your own pace without completing a full professional program

Explore Individual Formulation LAB Classes

Compare Our Courses and Classes at a Glance

Professional Natural Skin Care Formulation Course

Comprehensive Training in Professional Skin Care Formulation

If you want to understand how professional skin care products are developed—not simply follow formulas—the Professional Natural Skin Care Formulation Course provides a structured learning path from foundational principles through product development.

You will learn about areas such as:

Skin and Product Knowledge

• Skin structure and function
• Skin types and conditions
• Hydration and moisturization
• Skin barrier support
• Sensitive-skin formulation
• Product texture and sensory feel

Ingredient Knowledge

Learn how cosmetic ingredients function within a formula, including:

• Emollients
• Humectants
• Emulsifiers
• Thickeners
• Gelling agents
• Solubilizers
• Preservatives
• Antioxidants
• Botanical ingredients
• Active ingredients
• Essential oils and aroma ingredients

Formulation Skills

Develop an understanding of:

• Percentage-based formulation
• Ingredient selection
• Emulsion systems
• Manufacturing procedures
• pH
• Preservation
• Product testing
• Stability
• Good Manufacturing Practices
• Scaling

Products You Can Learn About

Training includes a wide range of professional skin care formats, such as:

• Facial cleansers
• Cream cleansers
• Gel cleansers
• Toners
• Facial mists
• Serums
• Gel creams
• Lotions
• Creams
• Water-in-oil emulsions
• Facial oils
• Balms
• Masks
• Body moisturizers
• Body oils
• Lip products

This Course Is Best For:

• Aspiring skin care formulators
• Skin care brand founders
• Estheticians
• Spa professionals
• Product makers
• Beauty entrepreneurs
• Beginners who want comprehensive training
• Experienced makers who want stronger professional formulation skills
• Pro Skin Care Course Curriculum

View the Professional Natural Skin Care Formulation Course

Professional Natural Hair Care Formulation Course

Comprehensive Training in Professional Hair and Scalp Formulation

Hair care formulation requires much more than learning how to make shampoo and conditioner.

The Professional Natural Hair Care Formulation Course teaches you to understand hair, scalp, ingredients, cleansing systems, conditioning systems, styling products, preservation, and professional product development.

Hair and Scalp Knowledge

Learn about:

• Hair structure
• Hair types and textures
• Hair porosity
• Hair and scalp needs
• Waves
• Curls
• Coils
• Locs
• Textured hair

Ingredient and Formulation Knowledge

Study:

• Surfactants
• Cleansing systems
• Conditioning ingredients
• Cationic ingredients
• Emollients
• Humectants
• Thickeners
• Gelling ingredients
• Styling ingredients
• Preservatives
• Botanical ingredients
• Active ingredients

Performance and Product Development

Learn how formulation choices affect:

• Cleansing
• Conditioning
• Slip
• Detangling
• Moisture
• Frizz control
• Styling
• Hold
• Buildup
• Flaking
• Product feel

Products You Can Learn About

Training includes professional hair care formats such as:

• Shampoos
• Sulfate-free cleansers
• Conditioner bars
• Liquid conditioners
• Deep conditioners
• Hair masks
• Leave-in conditioners
• Detanglers
• Hydrating mists
• Refresher sprays
• Styling gels
• Firmer-hold gels
• Curl products
• Hair mousse
• Edge gels
• Edge control
• Hair serums
• Scalp products
• Hair growth support products

This Course Is Best For:

• Aspiring hair care formulators
• Hair care brand founders
• Hairstylists
• Trichologists
• Salon professionals
• Product makers
• Beauty entrepreneurs
• Formulators specializing in textured hair
• Beginners who want comprehensive training
• Pro Hair Care Course Curriculum

View the Professional Natural Hair Care Formulation Course

Individual Formulation LAB Classes

Focus on the Products You Want to Learn

You may not need a comprehensive Pro Course right now.

Our Individual Formulation LAB Classes allow you to choose a specific product and focus your learning on that formulation.

Each class includes:

• A professional cosmetic formula
• A manufacturing procedure
• A focused lesson about that particular formulation

Individual classes are especially useful when you:

• Want to learn one product
• Need to fill a gap in your existing product line
• Want to expand into another product category
• Already have formulation experience
• Want an introduction to our teaching style
• Prefer focused learning

Depending on current class offerings, you can find training in products such as:

Skin Care

• Radiant Aging Peptide Serum
• Night Repair Cream Mask
• Water-in-Oil Moisturizer
• Beauty Balm
• Plant Jelly Oil Balm
• Skin Penetration Enhancer
• Facial Cleansing Pod
• Skin Barrier Restore & Protect Oil
• Lotion Bar
• Aromatic Body Oil
• Natural Mineral Deodorant 
• Tinted Lip Oil

Hair Care

• Shampoo Bar
• Conditioner Bar
• Hair Mask Pod
• Hair Mousse
• High Gloss Detangler
• Hair Serum  - Anti-Frizz
• Hair Growth Serum

Other Product Categories

• Candle Making
• Plant-Based Cold Process Soap Making

Explore All Formulation LAB Classes

Pro Courses vs. Individual LAB Classes

One of the most important differences is depth of education.

Choose a Pro Course When You Want to Learn the System

A Pro Course teaches the broader foundation behind formulation.

Instead of learning only how to make one cream or one shampoo, you develop knowledge you can apply to many different products.

You learn subjects such as:

Ingredients → Formulation Math → Product Development → Procedures → Preservation → pH → Testing → GMP → Scaling

This is the better learning path when your goal is to become a more independent and knowledgeable cosmetic formulator.

Choose a LAB Class When You Want to Learn a Specific Product

A LAB Class goes deep into one focused formulation.

You receive the formula, procedure, and lesson for that particular product without completing the broader curriculum of a Pro Course.

LAB Classes are excellent on their own or as continuing education alongside your existing formulation training.

Are You Starting a Cosmetic Brand?

If your goal is to build a professional skin care or hair care business, we generally recommend beginning with the Pro Course that corresponds to the type of products you plan to develop.

Why?

Because starting a brand requires more than having formulas.

You need to understand:

• Why ingredients are used
• How percentages work
• How formulas are modified
• How preservation works
• Why pH matters
• How to identify formulation problems
• How products should be tested
• How to document batches
• How to scale production
• How to communicate with suppliers and manufacturers

You may ultimately manufacture your products yourself or work with a contract manufacturer.

Either way, understanding formulation helps you become a more informed product developer and business owner.

Are You Completely New to Cosmetic Formulation?

You are welcome here.

You do not need previous formulation experience to begin one of our Pro Courses.

The training is designed to build your knowledge step by step.

You will begin with the foundations and progressively develop your understanding of ingredients, formulas, procedures, product development, preservation, testing, and professional formulation.

You do not need to know everything before you begin.

That is what you are here to learn.

Do You Need Both the Skin Care and Hair Care Pro Courses?

Not necessarily.

Start with the area that most closely matches the products you want to formulate.

Start with Skin Care if you are primarily interested in:

Creams, lotions, serums, facial cleansers, masks, facial oils, body products, and other skin care formulations.

Start with Hair Care if you are primarily interested in:

Shampoos, conditioners, leave-ins, masks, detanglers, styling products, textured-hair products, scalp products, and other hair formulations.

If your long-term goal is to formulate professionally across both categories, you may eventually choose to study both.

There is no need to learn everything at once.

Why Learn With The Formulators LAB / Joan Morais Cosmetics School?

Professional Cosmetic Formulation Education Since 2003

Joan Morais Cosmetics School has been teaching cosmetic formulation online since 2003.

Our training combines:

• Natural and plant-based formulation
• Vegan formulations
• Science-based product development
• Hands-on learning
• Professional manufacturing procedures
• Ingredient education
• Preservation
• Testing
• GMP
• Scaling
• Practical product development

Our students include beginners, aspiring cosmetic formulators, experienced makers, entrepreneurs, brand owners, salon and spa professionals, and students from around the world.

The goal is not simply to give you formulas.

The goal is to teach you how to understand formulation.

Which course should I take first?

Choose according to the products you most want to formulate.

Skin care products → Start with the Skin Care Pro Course.

Hair and scalp products → Start with the Hair Care Pro Course.

One specific product → Start with an Individual Formulation LAB Class.