Ava Perkins giddily takes a seat as her friend picks up her strands and spritzes them with a few mists of hair spray.

“Welcome to Nongdo’s salon,” lightheartedly joked a gleeful onlooker.
 

The girls aren’t inside a hair salon, although it smells of fresh lemongrass and rosemary oil. They’re inside a classroom at the Javits Center in New York City where the future chemists have congregated for the past six years to learn formulation through an event hosted by the New York Society of Cosmetic Chemists (NYSCC).  The event runs during NYSCC’s Suppliers' Day, the local Chapter’s two-day trade show educational event that draws thousands of attendees from across the beauty business. 

This year’s workshop was moderated by Cindy Johnson, founder of The Cosmetic Concept, which helps budding entrepreneurs see their product through from idea to launch with marketing, branding and R&D assistance. 
 

The workshop saw its largest number of students, who hailed from 22 college and universities.

 

“What an amazing opportunity for you to be able to be with us today,” said NYSCC Chair Stacey House of Coty to the students. “We are so grateful to our sponsor, Azelis, and to others, to really making this possible for you to be at these benches. Also, considerable gratitude to our committee who really works tirelessly to make sure that we are able that you are invested in your future. Because you are NYSCC’s ‘tomorrow’ and we want to make sure that you’re networking and getting the right exposure because that is building your passion. That’s why you’re here…. You are partaking in NYSCC history.”  

 

Perkins, who also attended last year’s session, is a senior at the University of Toledo where she is a cosmetic science and formulation design student exploring concepts in cosmetic science and raw materials. 

This year’s challenge was to create 300 grams of an upcycled leave-in hair and scalp spray. The cold processed emulsion formula combines oil and water without external. The benefits of this creation included reducing the carbon footprint and saving batch cycle times, cost and energy. Students donned lab coats donated by NYSCC sponsor Azelis and used ingredients from Seppic, Tri-K and Grant Industries, among other leading chemical companies, as well as mixtures courtesy of Ika Works. The formula the students made, which included tangerine peel, quinoa protein, pea peptide and betaine, keeps hair and scalp aging in check at the cellular level and improves follicle health. The actives’ anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties improve follicle health for stronger, moisturized hair.  

 

Throughout the two-hour session, Johnson championed team spirit among the groups, which included three students. Her advice: don’t be afraid to mess up. 

 

One student was Cherish Forde, owner of Ché Essentials Skincare. Already a certified cosmetic chemist, the Barbados native is pursuing her master’s degree in cosmetic science with The University of Cincinnati.  

 

After the students made their hair sprays, many raptured its fresh, clean, springtime scent and lightweight, moisturizing feel, they christened their creations. Names included Citrus Sunrise, Citrus Oasis, Morning ‘Do, and Lemonade Scalp (named after their favorite movie, the family/musical “Lemonade Mouth.”). Another group dubbed their “baby” Anastasia before settling on Upsmooth.

 

 “It makes my curls feel less frizzy,” said Janine Darwish, a sophomore at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Her classmate, Kyle Richards, concurred. After spraying a generous amount in his long, feathered hair, he said he felt like a new man. 

 

“I look better, I feel better,” he said. 

University students who are in their junior and senior years and interested in gaining hands-on experiences working in a lab, can email John Carola for more information at jc@katonahchemical.com.