Cosmetic Science MSc

Progress from our established BSc (Hons) Cosmetic Science course or a related discipline such as chemical engineering or chemistry. Specialise in the higher-level knowledge and skills required by the cosmetics sector and become employable in it.

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Overview

This course will equip you with the skills needed to work in the cosmetics, personal care and fragrance industries in the UK and around the world, including formulation, quality control, safety and claims substantiation testing, regulatory framework, and business skills.

You will be taught by a wide range of academic staff and selected external experts, allowing you to gain skills and knowledge in a thematically coherent manner via lectures, teamwork, group presentations, new product development exercises, dermatology, and working in skin and hair technology labs.

Why us?

Make extensive use of the advanced technology and laboratory infrastructure in The John Dawson Sciences Complex
The University has over 100 years of expertise in teaching science
Guest lectures from key stakeholders in the cosmetics industry

A unique curriculum which captures all aspects of Cosmetic Science
Sunderland has worked with GlaxoSmithKline for over 20 years, and Pfizer has funded research projects at Sunderland for more than ten years

Course structure

We use a wide variety of teaching and learning methods which include lectures, group tasks, problem-based learning (PBL) and lab experiments.

Assessment methods include written PBL group presentations, written examinations (both open and closed book), lab reports and a lab-based creative project. You will take four 30-credit modules in Stages 1 and 2, and a 60-credit Research Project in Stage 3.

Modules

EU and Worldwide Regulation for the Manufacture and Marketing of Cosmetic, Personal Care and Fragrance Products (30 credits)

Develop a critical understanding of the legal framework and regulatory bodies for advertising cosmetic products and perfumes and how these regulations differ amount countries. Gain awareness of the updated regulations in relation to animal studies and alternative testing methods. 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. Gain expertise and initiative to devise a process for the design of a cosmetic product, taking specific regulatory requirements into consideration.

Formulation, Manufacture and Material Science Skills for Cosmetic, Personal Care and Fragrance Products (30 credits)

Enhance your knowledge of the formulation principles for skincare and haircare cosmetics, and personal care products, decorative products, and fragrances. 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. 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.

Advanced Business and Marketing skills in the Cosmetics Industry (30 credits)

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. Build on the evaluative skills involved in project management, planning, and product development. Enhance your knowledge of planning and developing the relevant documentation for a new product and demonstrate accountability in executing the marketing of a cosmetic product in different countries.

Advances in Dermatology and Hair Care (30 credits)

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. 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.

Research Project (60 credits)

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. Develop research skills by successfully designing, conducting, and writing up a piece of independent research. Demonstrate expertise in the defence of the final research output and the ability to disseminate research findings to an expert audience.

Some modules have prerequisites. Read more about what this means in our Help and Advice article.

Facilities

Sunderland's exceptional facilities include state-of-the-art equipment for pharmaceutics, synthetic, analytical and medicinal chemistry and pharmacology. This includes a human anatomy resource, a new state of the art clinical skills suite and bioscience laboratories and a patient simulation suite/theatre.

The laboratory infrastructure in The John Dawson Sciences Complex supports all of the practical components of the curriculum, including:

Formulation labs with all necessary equipment for the formulation of solid (such as eye shadow), semisolid (such as creams, gels, lipsticks and more) and liquid products (such as face toner and foundation)
Material characterisation equipment eg a rheometer, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), tensile strength for hair, microscopy (scanning electron microscopy and polarised), fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)
Claim substantiation equipment for measuring skin properties, such as transepidermal water loss (TWL), skin elasticity, hydration, surface texture, sebum content and sun protection factor (SPF)

Entry requirements

Our typical offer is:

Qualification	Minimum grade
a Canadian bachelor's degree	GPA 2.40
a USA bachelor's degree	GPA 2.5

If you already hold a postgraduate qualification, please see our Applying for additional postgraduate degrees Help and Advice article.

If you don't meet our standard entry requirements, you can take one of the foundation pathways at our partners ONCAMPUS Sunderland. Find out more information and whether your course is eligible on our ONCAMPUS page.

If your qualification is not listed above, please contact the Student Administration team at studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk for further advice.

We invite applications from holders of or those who hope to be awarded at least a second class honours degree in a relevant subject such as cosmetic science, science, technology, engineering, and maths. We also accept equivalent qualifications from other countries.

If English is not your first language, please see our English language requirements.

Is your qualification not displaying here? For international qualifications, search our full list of international entry requirements for this course.

Fees and finance

The fee for this course is:

£9,500 if you are from the UK/Europe
£17,000 if you are an international student

Take a look at the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.

This information was correct at the time of publication.

Career ready

As a Cosmetic Science graduate, you'll have a wide range of employment options in the cosmetic and related pharmaceutical industries. Sunderland is well-regarded by employers in the pharmaceutical sector and have worked with GSK for over 20 years.

Career options

The cosmetics and personal care industry is looking for appropriately trained cosmetic scientists; this is evidenced in wide-ranging vacancies worldwide. The current BSc Cosmetic Science course utilises a number of specialist speakers drawn from a cross-section of the industry and these contacts have highlighted a need for appropriately qualified graduates at both graduate and postgraduate levels in their specialist areas.

This course has been designed in consultation with our partners to ensure a relevant and contemporary curriculum, enabling you to develop the academic knowledge and practical skills required by companies involved in the regulation, manufacture, safety, marketing and distribution of cosmetic products.

Related courses

Contact

Contact the Student Helpline for further information about studying at the University of Sunderland:

0191 515 3000

student.helpline@sunderland.ac.uk

View Programme Specifications for the Faculty of Health Sciences and Wellbeing.

Page last updated: 17 July 2025

We aim to provide clear, accurate and timely information to prospective and current students. We continuously review and enhance course content in consultation with our students and the information provided on our website is the latest available. If you have received an offer from us to start a course, we will communicate any important changes to you in writing. We will always seek to ensure that our prospective students are fully aware of the basis on which they are accepting an offer.