Have you ever wondered how lipstick is made? Well Discovery Channel’s show, “How It’s Made”, has cleared your doubts! I have outlined the process below. Have fun learning!
Lipstick Ingredients:
- Wax sticks
- Pigments
- Moisturizers
Procedure:
- A worker pre-weighs all the ingredients following a customized formula as mandated by each company.
- The ingredients are poured into a huge kettle that melts and mixes everything together.
- A plant based solution known as plantolatum, that acts as a skin softener and allows one to apply the lipstick easily, is then poured into the kettle.
- Many different types of waxes are also added to create the base mixture.
- Simultaneously, a batch of pigment is made using different iron oxide colorants.
- It is poured onto rollers that smoothens the pigment while rolling it into sheet form. This is repeated approximately 3 times.
- The temperature of the base mixture will be lowered when the pigment has to be added in.
- The pigment is combined with the base mixture to make it thick and creamy.
- When it comes to the right consistency to be shaped into lipstick, the mixture is poured into a filling machine.
- Next, a mold is placed under the filling machine.
- The molds are placed on a conveyor which takes them through a 5 foot long cooling tunnel. This process solidifies the lipstick.
- A rack is placed on the molds.
- The swiveling lipstick cases are placed upside down on the rack.
- The combination of mold, racks, and cases are placed on another machine which pumps air in order to push the lipstick out of the mold and into the case.
- After carefully removing the rack, the lipsticks pass through heat guns that slightly melts them enough to give them their shine.
- To check for consistency, a sample from each batch of lipstick is tested by taking a small extract and placing them on a glass piece. By heating the extract, the melting point is checked whether it is within an acceptable range.
Voila! Lipstick is finished 🙂
To watch this on video, please follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUioSOvLTPU
*****
By Maya 🙂