My Genesis Blog

Brooke’s Dermal Sciences Degree – Part 7

Brooke, our Dermal Clinician who is currently studying her Bachelor of Dermal Sciences degree at Victoria University in Melbourne, has an update for us. Read all about her adventures here.

What was the most recent subject about?

Chemistry for Dermal Science

What did you enjoy learning the most in that subject?

The product formulation and cosmetic chemistry component of the subject was the most exciting and enjoyable part as it gave me a greater understanding why ingredients are put in products and their functions in a formulation to make it stable.

What was the hardest thing about this last subject/ studying?

The hardest part was the chemistry component at the start of the subject

What did you learn that was really interesting?

I have to say even though I was dreading this subject as chemistry definitely is not my strength, I found learning the concepts of chemistry helped with understanding how to make a stable product. Stability of a product can be affected by the ingredients placed in it. In this subject, we also learnt how products can be contaminated and the testing involved to ensure we have the best product possible before it is released into the market. We had to do experiments to increase our understanding of chemistry concepts and then report on these. We will be doing a practical lab later in the year once restrictions are lifted in Melbourne to make our own skincare formulations, which I look very forward to!

How will it help you in your dermal clinician work?

As a Dermal Clinician, this subject increases our knowledge of ingredients and their functions in products we use daily. It also gives us an understanding of possible irritants and mechanism of actions of particular ingredients and if we were to formulate our own products how to do so. Overall I found this subject very interesting and valuable!