A Journey Into Cosmetic Chemistry With Tracey, Co-Founder Of Doctrine
Hi, I'm Tracey
Hi, I’m Tracey, one of the founders of Doctrine, our head of R&D and a qualified Cosmetic Chemist. It was my love of plants and nature that set me on this career path. I studied Organic Horticulture and then completed a degree in Herbal Science. From there I started my own skincare company Bia Beauty, which I ran for 7 years before I sold it.
I continued my education with a Diploma in Personal Care Formulation, an industry-recognised qualification by the International Federation of Societies of Cosmetic Chemists and a Postgrad Certificate in Skin and Hair Follicle Health from the UCD School of Medicine. Our industry is constantly innovating and so I feel it's important to keep learning and upskilling
I Formulate Our Products
Based on a brief from the Doctrine team. Each one of us has strong opinions on how the product should look, feel, smell, and perform. With the brief in place, I start researching ingredients, concepts, and packaging. I write up some formulations and start producing samples. Typically, I go through 10 or 20 rounds of samples before I’m happy to share with the team. As a team we can go through multiple more rounds of sample tweaking texture, scent, performance etc until we are collectively happy.
As well as addressing the team’s brief the product needs to be safe to use and to have a good shelf life. We need to comply with regulations and have various tests done on our product to ensure safety and shelf life. At this stage I hand our formulation over to our contract manufacturer and we work together to produce samples that can be scaled up and ready for production. It is a slow process and generally, a new product takes about 18 months from concept to production.
Sustainability Is Crucial To Me
I’m currently taking a Higher Diploma in Sustainability & Climate Action for Enterprise so that I understand better the role that business can play in transitioning to a sustainable society. I have always loved formulating with plant-based materials but I’m also aware that in some cases these are not the most sustainable options. When choosing ingredients and packaging I make decisions based on minimal waste, minimal resources used, reusability, recyclability and how the end user will use and dispose of the product.
Cosmetic chemistry is a science, but I believe there is an art to it too and the best brands get this balance right. Skincare should be effective, beautiful to use and sustainable, you don’t need to compromise on any of those factors.