MSc Cosmetic Science

In this module, you'll develop a critical understanding of the legal framework and regulatory bodies for advertising cosmetic products and perfumes and how these regulations differ amount countries. You'll gain awareness of the updated regulations in relation to animal studies and alternative testing methods. You'll also expand your evaluative skills on how advertising claims are supported by the appropriate claim substantiation testing of products, based on the statistical analysis of consumer and scientific data. You'll gain expertise and initiative to devise a process for the design of a cosmetic product, taking specific regulatory requirements into consideration.

This module will allow you to enhance your knowledge of the formulation principles for skincare and haircare cosmetics, and personal care products, decorative products, and fragrances. You'll gain analytical and evaluative skills of the manufacturing principles of cosmetics including lab-scale and industrial-scale manufacture, types of equipment, and techniques involved in quality control testing, amongst others. You'll display the ability to make informed decisions on new product development tasks, from raw material selection to critical evaluation of formulation scale-up and manufacturing processes, packaging, and marketing.

In this module, you'll examine the business and marketing framework in the cosmetic industry, as well as the importance of time management, multitasking, and the ability to communicate information accurately to specialist and non-specialist audiences. You'll build on the evaluative skills involved in project management, planning, and product development, and enhance your knowledge of planning and developing the relevant documentation for a new product, demonstrating accountability in executing the marketing of a cosmetic product in different countries.

This module will help you learn more about the physiology of healthy and diseased skin, modes of skin aging, the interplay between genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors, the structure of healthy and damaged hair, ethnic differences in hair structure, hair product testing techniques, and other related topics. You'll gain evaluative skills in the application of appropriate methods to analyse skin and hair properties for claim substantiation testing and critically assess and interpret the data produced with respect to cosmetic products’ usage.

In this module, you'll display critical awareness of the advances at the forefront of a specific area of the cosmetic science discipline, including an understanding of specialised areas of cosmetic science. You'll develop research skills by successfully designing, conducting, and writing up a piece of independent research. You'll also demonstrate expertise in the defence of the final research output and the ability to disseminate research findings to an expert audience.