🧼🧼PR2202: Cosmetics & Perfumes 💅🧼
Lecturers: Experts (Guests) + Giorgia Pastorin (Cosmetics) + Celine Liew (Perfumes)
Workload: Can SU but SUPER HEAVY CONTENT FOR A 2K module. Also a module taken by pharmaceutical science minors.
Assessments:
1. CA1: Take home assignment / quiz
2. CA2: Group Project & voice-over presentation
3. CA3: Self-assessment assignment/quiz
4. CA2 (individual component): Students to give peer feedback on assigned group projects / presentations
5. Final exam (70 MCQs + Short structured questions) = 60%
Expected Grade: B
Overall Grade: B+ (probs the 70MCQs in finals pulled me up and thats due to the last minute method - scroll all the way down to see the method)
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Why was it intense? HEAVY CONTENT due to closed book / 2 lectures per week (on zoom) inclusive of some being pre-recorded.
Module Content:
1. Introduction, historical background & uses (pre-recorded)
2. Introduction on cosmetics and their classification (pre-recorded)
3. Smelling, odour description & classification (pre-recorded)
4. Raw materials Part 1& 2 (perfumes) (pre-recorded)
5. Cosmetic products: consumer / regulatory information
6. Perfumes - fragrance safety aspects
7. Tutorial: Labels for review
8. Perfumes - Perfume creation Part 1 & 2
9. Perfumes - Technical aspects
10. Cosmetics - skin anatomy and physiology
11. Cosmetics - Skin hydration
12. Acne
13. Nail cosmetics
14. Sunscreens
(I might forget some topics but its legit alot)
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Questions I jot down for CA2:
# 1 Fixatives in perfumes - Ambergris, Bergamot oil, Coumarin, Jasmine absolute
# 2 WHich products dont need to undergo the challnege thingy
# 3 Which microneedles - hollow, coated, solid, dissolvable (prior to application)
# 4 Who invented what (Rose water thing)
# 5 Lemon, eucaltyptus, mint (i say Stimulating)
# 6 Parabens (gram +ve and fungi)
# 7 Concentrated ingreditents (medicinal shampoo)
# 8 Butter oil, cocao oil, 2essential oil--> What product (massaging moisturing bar) / emolliant gel
# 9 Which substance is the best humactantt? I put Lactic Acid
# 10 Which is must be deemed the safest among the colour additives (i put the one with food!)
There were 5-6 more questions which I couldn't recall. There wasn't backward navigation, so these are things i jot down after the exam.
Notes:
Thinner SC, Higher TEWL, Lower NMF, Higher acture skin irritation responses, lower age onset of hyperpigmentation
Higher ceramide content, lower signs of ageing & better elasticitiy recovery under UV, Wrinkle formation only after 30
Wrinkles both form first at the Crow's feet region
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FINAL EXAM FEEDBACK FROM PROFS (Credited to them): Pls use it for ur own studying reference & not sell it or share it without the owner's permission.
On EXAM
Some comments and learning points from the PR2202 exam are given below.
Overall, students did better for Section A (MCQs). In comparison, some might have found Section B (structured questions) more challenging.
Section A (MCQs):
In general, from their MCQ responses, they seemed more familiar with the historical background and later perfume topics. Some students may not have read the questions and options carefully or could not recall certain specifics/requirements, e.g. relating to ASEAN Cosmetic Directive (ACD), ACD Claim Guideline and fragrance ingredient labelling of cosmetic products in the European Union. These topics are pertinent to assurance of quality and safety of cosmetic products. Some were not able to recollect certain information/details from topics on olfactory system and perfumery materials. These are also relevant for better understanding and greater insights into perfumes and perfumery. For the topic on skin anatomy, students did not have a clear idea about the difference between tight junctions and desmosomes, where the first one maintain the water gradient (and thus minimize the loss of water and polar nutrients from the skin), while the latter are involved in skin exfoliation. Also, as also demonstrated in the structured questions, students had some confusion in the identification of the main role of some ingredients indicated in the packaging/list of ingredients.
Section B (Structured questions):
While some were able to apply what they have learnt about cosmetic ingredients (and their functions), and ACD cosmetic labelling requirements, there was also a number of students who had difficulty.
Some clarifications regarding ingredients in cosmetic products and cosmetic labelling requirements in Singapore:
Substances that are prohibited by the ACD must not form part of the composition of cosmetic products
Listing of company’s/distributor’s telephone number, email address and website are not cosmetic labelling requirements. Bar code is not a cosmetic labelling requirement.
Cosmetic claims could be phrased without the word "help(s)".
From the answers, some misconceptions were spotted. To clarify:
An "alcohol-free" product does not contain ethanol (ethyl alcohol) but may contain other alcohols, e.g. fatty alcohols.
There is a difference between “humectants” and “emollients”. Substances that function as humectants are hydrophilic. Emollients are hydrophobic.
Students struggled with the identification of the main functions & characteristics of the key ingredients reported on the label of the cosmetic product. As such, they were often confused when they had to identify the main function of the product itself, as they failed to associate it with a protective and a skin-repair role after damage from the UV radiation (e.g. sunburn). Also, they faced some difficulties in recommending strategies to ensure the stability of the product: Just because you perform stability and microbial tests, it does not mean that your product is stable per se. Opaque bottle or one-way valve as dispenser were more suitable recommendations.
On CA2: Group Project and Voice-over Presentation
In general, a number of the groups did a fairly good job for their group project work. Majority of the groups demonstrated that they were able to apply the cosmetic labelling requirements of the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive (ACD), giving the relevant information that should be present on the product packaging. Some proposals were rather innovative, and labels and advertisements thoughtfully designed. Some of the voice-over presentations were very well-executed. A few even with presenters with “announcer quality”, deep or soothing voices. Nevertheless, there were a few PowerPoint voice-over presentations where there were some technical glitches (e.g. very soft/volume low, background noise, etc.). There were some cases where coherence was somewhat lacking between the different parts of the project and/or with the voice-over presentation. Some missed out mentioning about major ingredients or certain ingredients from their product’s “list of ingredients” in their written discussion or mentioned an ingredient in the written discussion but left out listing the ingredient in their product’s “list of ingredients” or mentioned that they excluded a certain ingredient in their product but listed the ingredient in their product’s “list of ingredients” or mentioned a certain ingredient (e.g. sodium lauryl sulphate) during their presentation but listed another ingredient (e.g. sodium laureth sulphate) in their product’s “list of ingredients”, etc. Information in the written discussion, details in the product labels and advertisement, and the voice-over presentation should tally. These observations gave the impression that perhaps the work was divided and tasked to different group members to do and more careful proof-reading/checking and close collaboration could have enhanced the overall coherence and flow.
Below are some learning points that we would like to share/clarify:
Regarding product labels:
The product label should be legible in the A4 size format. Perhaps careful placement/orientation and sizing of the labels could enhance legibility.
Botanicals and extracts of botanicals in the product’s “list of ingredients” should be identified by their genus and species.
“Drug facts” labels are not applicable to cosmetic products in the context of this group project as cosmetics are not “drugs”.
Regarding terminologies, ingredients and their functions:
The function of preservatives in cosmetic products is not for use as an antibacterial agent when applied on skin nor for sterilizing the product by killing all the microorganisms. Preservatives in cosmetic products function to prevent microbial spoilage of the products. Cosmetic products are not sterile products. An antibacterial agent in an antibacterial handwash does not function to “sterilize and kill germs”. The term “sterilization” refers to “removal or destruction of all life of any kind from an object or material”.
The main/primary function of surfactants in handwashes is for handwashing purposes. Their main function is not for the purpose of “removing lipid layer of viruses”.
In some projects, potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide seemed to be placed somewhat high up in the “list of ingredients”, e.g. 2nd or 3rd ingredient in the list.
Sodium lauryl sulphate and sodium laureth sulphate are two different surfactants.
The peer feedback surveys by students for the various group projects have been collated and will be uploaded to LumiNUS Files for the respective groups.
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OPINIONS: I feel like the notes are interesting and whether you are interested in cosmetics and perfumes (I am an example of not interested but took it anyways), but I was able to share knowledge with friends and give advice on how to view cosmetic labels and also understand how the scent of perfumes were created). Though, I personally feel that it is not worth taking it for exams. It was too tedious I felt that it wasn't worth of my time.
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HOW TO STUDY????
a. Watch the webcasts, jot down notes. The teachers really do test to the minute details so remember the history, the ingredients, which notes and classes they belong to and their individual functions.
b. You can use and collaborate with friends through ANKI OR Brainscape (These are flashcards which can help you to do last minute memorising and yet still retain information to do well). Really, trust me they helped alot. They allowed me to cram content in a week before finals (dont do this, I legit had no choice but imagine the grade you can get if u use it and conduct space repetition), you will defo do well and make your learning for this module way more manageable and less daunting!!)
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ALL THE BESTTTT & LEGIT GOOD LUCK IF YOU EVER HAVE TO TAKE THIS MODULE!!!
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