- Lipstick has been used since ancient Egypt and chemists have improved the formula over centuries. The main processes in lipstick production are foundations, coloring agents, and additives.
- Chemists use oils like castor oil as the base and waxes like carnauba wax to create a smooth substance that lasts. Dyes are made insoluble in water and oil using metal oxides or aluminum oxide.
- An insoluble "lake" is formed using a soluble dye combined with other insoluble compounds and suspended in oil for a strong, long-lasting color in lipstick.
2. Summary
-Lipstick has been used since the time
of the Egyptians
-Over the centuries chemists have been
improving the formula for lipstick
-Requirements chemists must meet:melting,
sweating, long-lasting
Eosin, the red pigment in lipsticks.
Gray=Carbon, Red=Oxygen, Brown=Bromine.
4. -Oil is most commonly used in lip-coloring
since it does not mix with water
-Castor oil is the main oil used in
lipstick
-Castor oil is thick and will help
the lipstick to last longer
5. -Chemists use Carnauba wax in lipstick so that it will not melt
-Carnauba wax has a melting point of 85 degrees Celsius
-Waxes can be sticky so chemists mix
the waxes with isopropyl myristate
and other esters
-This creates a smooth substance
when applied to the lips
6. -Chemists use different dyes to create the right shades of
lipstick
-Dyes can be soluble in water. This causes problems with saliva
and the oils.
-Chemists must create dyes that are insoluble in water and oil
-Most dyes are combined with metal oxides
-These dyes are colorless until they are mixed with the amino
acids in the lips
7. -Other dyes are mixed with white aluminum oxide
-After this process the dyes are mixed with other solutions that
create a precipitate
-Equation: Soluble Dye + Precipitate Insoluble Lake
-Lake: A water-soluble dye that is combined with other
compounds that are insoluble and colorless
→
8. -The insoluble lake is then mixed with the castor oil. Which are
ground and mixed together.
-After further mixing, the oil and lake mixture forms a
suspension. The suspension is then mixed with the other
ingredients needed
for lipstick.
-The lake method helps the lipstick color to last longer and is a
much stronger, bolder color
9. Works Cited
Nova. "Putting on a Good Face." Australian Academy of Science.
Nova, n.d. Web. 2010.
<http://www.science.org.au/nova/083/083key.html>.
Senese, Fred. "What is the chemical composition of lipstick?"
Chemistry of Everyday Life: n. pag. General Chemistry Online.
Web. 2010.
<http://antoine.frostburg.
edu/chem/senese/101/consumer/faq/lipst ick-composition.shtml>.
Sibley, Lynn. "Lipstick" ["Agyptishes Museum and
Papyrussamming"]. Agyptishes Museum and Papyrussamming:
8-11. Print.
