Certificate in Natural Face Mask Formulation
Master professional natural face mask formulation with our specialized short course.
Formulate a wide range of natural and organic face masks, including face mask powders, creamy clay masks and hydrogel sheet masks.
Would you love to…
Diversify your skills to formulate a wide range of professional-grade face masks, including clay-based, emulsion-based, and hydrogel face masks for yourself or to sell?
Innovate with exciting ingredients to target a range of skin concerns including clays, fruit powders, botanicals, vitamins, actives, physical and chemical exfoliators, humectants and more?
Create a spa-like experience at home or for your customers with luxurious natural and organic masks?
Introducing our Certificate in Natural Face Mask Formulation
A specialized short course where you will learn how to make your own range of professional quality natural and organic face masks, for yourself or to add to your beauty brand.
In this comprehensive course, you'll:
- Formulate preservative-free clay-based masks, advanced emulsion-based clay masks and hydrogel sheet masks to professional standards.
- Explore exciting natural and organic ingredients including clays, fruit powders, botanicals, vitamins, actives, physical and chemical exfoliators, humectants and more.
- Customize your masks for a wide range of skin types and concerns.
- Create multifunctional products used as masks, cleansers and exfoliators.
- Learn to create effective broad-spectrum preservative systems and highly stable emulsions.
- Plus, receive expert guidance and support from experienced cosmetic scientists and chemists.
Ready to begin creating advanced face masks?
Join us on the journey today!
Find out more
Clay is wonderfully detoxifying and cleansing for the skin, but it is notoriously difficult to preserve cosmetic products that contain clay, which leaves many formulators stuck.
Discover the secrets to formulating beautiful creamy clay masks that are shelf-stable and pass Preservative Efficacy Testing. Our simple but robust preservative system will enable you to make highly effective and safe emulsion-based clay masks with ease.
Formulate masks that are cleansing, detoxifying, antioxidant, soothing, hydrating, brightening, radiance-enhancing, pore tightening, antibacterial and exfoliating, and be supported by experts, including cosmetic scientists and chemists – no previous knowledge needed.
Just imagine how it would feel with more of this in your life:
Clarity
Ditch recipes that don’t work, avoid widespread mistakes, and be free from the overwhelm of misleading DIY information. Create shelf-stable face masks, get all your questions answered and more; everything you need to know is in the course.
Creativity
Experiment with exciting ingredients including clays, fruit powders, ground botanicals, vitamins, actives, physical and chemical exfoliators, humectants and more. Call the shots of what ingredients you put on your face to address different skin types and concerns.
Luxury spa-style treatments on demand
Add a touch of luxury to your weekly skincare routine with high-end face masks that bring radiance to your complexion and offer you a moment of relaxation. You could even add these premium products to your skincare brand.
Learn to formulate a complete face mask range:
Powder-based clay masks
Formulations such as:
- Clarifying Charcoal Mask.
- Soothing Face Mask with Marshmallow and Vitamin C.
- Matcha Green Tea Face Mask.
- Coconut Milk Matcha Bubble Tea Face Mask.
- Vitamin C Brightening Face Mask.
- Pink Clay Skin Smoothie Face Mask.
Emulsion-based clay masks
Formulations such as:
- Pink Clay And Pomegranate Clarifying Cleanser and Mask.
- Orange And Almond 3-In-1 Exfoliator, Cleanser and Mask.
- Purifying Charcoal Cleanser and Mask.
Hydrogel sheet masks
Formulations such as:
- Matcha Hydrogel Under-eye Pads.
- Moisture Surge Hydrogel Face Mask.
Your journey on the Certificate in Natural Face Mask Formulation
Powder mask theory
Learn the types, functions, benefits and manufacturing process
Natural ingredients
Discover natural clay face mask ingredients
Clay-based masks
Create a range of soothing, nourishing and brightening clay face masks
Emulsion theory
Learn about the key elements of emulsion-based clay masks
Hydrogel masks
Formulate a range of intensely hydrating hydrogel sheet masks
Carrageenans
Explore the properties, compatibility and mechanisms of carrageenans
Emulsion masks
Formulate a range of advanced emulsion-based clay masks
Preservative system
Learn to preserve emulsions containing clay
Powder mask theory
Learn the types, functions, benefits and manufacturing process
Natural ingredients
Discover natural clay face mask ingredients
Clay-based masks
Create a range of soothing, nourishing and brightening clay face masks
Emulsion theory
Learn about the key elements of emulsion-based clay masks
Preservative system
Learn to preserve emulsions containing clay
Emulsion masks
Formulate a range of advanced emulsion-based clay masks
Carrageenans
Explore the properties, compatibility and mechanisms of carrageenans
Hydrogel masks
Formulate a range of intensely hydrating hydrogel sheet masks
Meet your instructors and tutors
Learn from and be supported by cosmetic scientists and professional formulators.
Tina Svetek
Tina is a cosmetic formulator, formulation consultant and safety assessor, who leads new product development for natural skincare and wellness brands.
Dr Nicole Voster
Nicole is a cosmetic formulation consultant and senior lecturer with extensive experience teaching chemistry and cosmetic formulation at South African universities and aiding brands in new product development.
Gail Després
Gail is an award-winning entrepreneur and author of the A-Z of Natural Cosmetic Formulation. After creating her natural skincare brand, Gail moved into education, founding the School of Natural Skincare in 2010.
Gareth Després
Gareth qualified as a certified aromatherapist in 2010 and enriches the content of our online courses with his specialist knowledge of essential oils.
Is the Certificate in Natural Face Mask Formulation right for me?
This course is perfect for…
Beginners
Beginners keen to progress their skills
Start with simple powder-based masks and progress to creamy clay and hydrogel masks.
Intermediate
Formulators excited about creating professional grade natural and organic face masks
Expand your skillset and formulate innovative product types.
Entrepreneur
Beauty entrepreneurs and brand owners
Create premium, high-end products for a spa-like experience at home.
Student testimonials
I can now create successful masks that work.
- Chantay Saunders,
- USA
I started making my own masks but didn’t have the knowledge to make top-quality masks that were effective and right for my skin. This course changed all of that. The downloadable slides and helpful resources were invaluable. It was such a great class that I’ll definitely be signing up for more.
- Chantay Saunders,
- USA
I’m excited to add these winning products to my skincare range.
- Robyn Masters,
- South Africa
I struggled with not knowing what to do and the types of ingredients to use. Now, I can comfortably make different kinds of masks and exfoliators and feel more confident about choosing the right ingredients for my products. I enjoyed learning a new skill, and the masks I’ve created are great.
- Robyn Masters,
- South Africa
This course taught me to formulate instead of just using recipes.
- Awa Mbaye,
- USA
I want to sell my own skincare products but finding the correct information online was tough until I enrolled onto this course. The answers are all there. The formulation examples and explanations of each product’s function were very useful. I am now able to be more creative with the knowledge I have gained.
- Awa Mbaye,
- USA
This course has been amazing for my skincare routine!
- Jennifer Tovar,
- USA
As a long-time user of clay-based masks, I was thrilled to take this class and create my own formulations. Store-bought masks often left my skin dry, but now I know exactly what ingredients I’m using and can tailor my formulations to my skin type. I particularly enjoyed exploring the different ingredients available.
- Jennifer Tovar,
- USA
Why formulate your own face masks?
Wide variety of skin benefits. Formulate masks that are cleansing, detoxifying, antioxidant, soothing, hydrating, brightening/radiance-enhancing, pore tightening, antibacterial and exfoliating.
Develop the perfect minimalist skincare routine by formulating multifunctional products for masks, cleansers and exfoliators.
Be kinder to your skin and the environment. Our waterless, powdered face masks are sustainable and preservative-free.
Create a spa-like experience at home or for your customers with luxurious natural and organic masks.
Innovate with exciting ingredients including clays, fruit powders, ground botanicals, vitamins, actives, physical and chemical exfoliators, humectants and more.
Develop advanced formulation skills and create professional standard emulsion-based clay face masks that can pass rigorous laboratory testing.
Want to try before you buy?
Sample a selection of our course material inside our online classroom.
How does the Certificate in Natural Face Mask Formulation work?
Our proven system for teaching formulation skills, developed over more than a decade of training provision, means when you study with us, you’ll gain the knowledge, skills, and support to succeed at formulating.
Knowledge
You don’t need a scientific background; our courses cover everything you need to know.
Skills
We start with more straightforward products and progress to the more complex or challenging ones so you can build your skills and confidence.
Support
You can rest assured that you are learning from qualified and experienced professionals and are not misled by inaccurate, poor-quality and unsafe information often found online.
More than just a course, our Certificate in Natural Face Mask Formulation includes the support and community you need to truly thrive in your formulating journey
You’ll receive:
Beautiful textbooks to download with step-by-step instructions and gorgeous photographs.
Practical demonstration videos that show you exactly how to make face masks.
11 tried-and-tested formulations ready for you to make.
Join our supportive, vibrant community of like-minded students and graduates across the world.
Easy-to-use online classroom, quizzes, and activities.
Five Preservative Efficacy Test results for the emulsion-based masks.
End of course certificate.
Templates and advice for creating your own unique formulations.
Be supported by cosmetic scientists
Get your questions answered
each week in our dedicated Tutor Q&A
Expand your understanding
with our monthly Formulators Forum, a LIVE learning and discussion session on Zoom
Have your end-of-course assignments personally marked
by our cosmetic scientists
Plus
Receive an invitation to join our private student and graduate online community.
Connect with like-minded formulators around the world inside our friendly student community. It’s the perfect place to discuss, support and inspire each other.
Student testimonials
Now, I’m thinking about starting a business.
- Amy Wills,
- UK
I had trouble finding products to suit my skin, so I decided to go natural and make my own. Before studying this course, finding safe recipes and knowing what ingredients to use for different skin types was really hard. The course provided detailed advice on formulating safe products and what to use for each skin type which took the fear out of it all. I loved making the products!
- Amy Wills,
- UK
I wanted to make anhydrous face masks, and this course was perfect for that.
- Joanne Klassen,
- UK
I couldn’t find sufficient and professional information on ingredient functions for face masks elsewhere. This course is great for that, with easy-to-understand content, great downloads, and reference guides. It helped me develop my Saffron Glow Cleansing Clay mask using dried saffron petals. The structure and ingredient info were fantastic!
- Joanne Klassen,
- UK
The learning experience has been both enlightening and efficient!
- Teresa Meier,
- Thailand
The course offered excellent guidance on formulating effective preservative-free face masks and face masks using natural preservatives. The professional content and sample formulations are both modern and practical, catering perfectly to small businesses focused on authentic organic products.
- Teresa Meier,
- Thailand
Enjoy learning anywhere, anytime
All our training is completed through our easy-to-use online classroom.
Study from anywhere in the world at your own pace.
Why study with the
School of Natural Skincare?
Be part of our accredited, globally acclaimed, award-winning online formulation school that’s seen over 25,000 students from 150 countries enjoy mastering the art, science, and creativity of making natural and organic skincare.
Learn from and be supported by professional cosmetic scientists.
Tried and tested formulations. Our formulas have passed Preservative Efficacy Testing.
Formulate your way – natural, organic, vegan, sustainable – and customized to your skin type, tone and concerns.
Multi-award winning and accredited school, established in 2010.
Study with us for your own enjoyment and learning or to create a beauty brand.
Study at a pace that fits your lifestyle.
96% of our students would recommend a course to others.
Enhance your formulation skills, develop new and innovative products and create standout face masks that are a cut above the rest!
Featured in
Where are our graduates now?
For many of our students, their ultimate goal when studying with us is to start their own beauty brand.
Here are some of our graduates who have gone on to become beauty entrepreneurs across the world. If this is what you aspire to, we can’t wait to see your story here one day soon.
Kate Palmer: From Kitchen Experiments to Eco-Friendly Formulations and Launching Her Own Brand
Embracing Nature: Kylie Phillips’ Journey into Natural Skincare Education
How To Turn Your Passion for Skincare Into a Career
Qualified Nurse and Graduate, Esther, switches to organic skincare and experiences healthier, brighter and better skin
Creating natural, soothing skincare products with ethically sourced ingredients: White Cloud Skincare
Socially responsible skincare: Putting social responsibility at its heart helped this beauty brand to flourish
The Certificate in Natural Face Mask Formulation in detail
By the end of the course, you will be able to:
Formulate face masks for different purposes – cleansing, detoxifying, antioxidant, hydrating, soothing, brightening/radiance-enhancing, pore tightening, antibacterial and exfoliating.
Create dry powder-based masks and creamy emulsion-based masks with clay, and a wide range of other natural and organic ingredients.
Make natural hydrogel sheet masks for the face or under eye area.
Create robust natural and organic preservative systems to effectively preserve clay-containing formulations.
Be confident and empowered with your new knowledge and skills, having laid the foundations to further your studies if you wish.
What you need to know:
Level
All levels.
Schedule
Self-paced course with on demand lessons. Study at a time that suits you.
Study time
Approximately 20-50 hours, including hands-on formulating time. Most students complete the course within one to three months.
Course access
18 months. This can be extended for a small fee.
Prerequisites
None. You’ll need the internet and a computer or tablet to access our online classroom.
When can I start?
Enrollment is open all year round, and you can begin the course as soon as you’re ready.
What you’ll study:
Formulating 101
Master the fundamentals of cosmetic formulation to set you up for success.
Read more
This module includes:
- How to write a professional formula and the essential information to include.
- Calculating batch sizes.
- Health, safety and best practice.
- Equipment for your home lab.
- Ingredient types and classification.
- Types of cosmetic formula.
- Supplier list.
- Researching and substituting ingredients.
Module 1: Formulating Clay-based Face Masks
Formulate an exciting range of clay-based face masks using different powdered ingredients, including clays, starches, milk powders, exfoliators, antioxidants and active ingredients. These dry, powdered masks are then mixed with water prior to use.
Read more
What you will learn:
- Formulate various clay-based, starch-based, milk-based, and 2-in-1 exfoliating masks using our guidelines, templates and worksheets.
- Clarifying Charcoal Mask: Create a mask to detoxify and cleanse oily, congested skin.
- Soothing Marshmallow Mask: Develop a mask with Vitamin C and soothing ingredients for dry, tired skin.
- Afternoon Tea Mask: Formulate a mask with matcha and cocoa for anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits.
- Milky Matcha Bubble Tea Mask: Make a soothing mask for irritated skin with coconut milk, colloidal oatmeal and matcha.
- Vitamin C Brightening Mask: Craft a 2-in-1 mask and exfoliator containing natural fruit enzymes, orange peel powder and ascorbic acid for bright, radiant skin.
- Skin Smoothie Mask: Create a fruity mask with exfoliating and detoxifying properties featuring natural sources of Vitamin C, two natural physical exfoliants and pink kaolin clay.
- Learn to solve common formulation issues.
Module 2: Formulating Emulsion-based Clay Masks
Formulate creamy, smooth masks that offer the purifying and remineralizing benefits of clay, and integrate various cosmetic ingredients like humectants, AHAs, vitamins, and botanical extracts.
Read more
What you will learn:
- Understand the essential ingredients and receive a formulation template to easily create your own emulsion-based clay masks.
- Create multifunctional masks that double as cleansers and exfoliators.
- Clay presents a microbiological risk in water-containing formulas. Learn to stabilize and preserve emulsion-based clay masks with a robust broad-spectrum preservative system, supported by results from preservative efficacy testing (PET).
- Clarifying Mask: Formulate a pink clay and pomegranate mask that brightens, exfoliates, and balances sebum, featuring white willow bark extract as a natural source of salicin.
- 3-In-1 Exfoliator: Develop an orange and almond mask that cleanses, reveals a smoother, brighter skin surface, and nourishes the skin with a luxurious texture.
- Charcoal Cleanser and Mask: Create a purifying mask for acne-prone skin featuring charcoal and kaolin clay that absorbs oils, controls shine, and hydrates.
Module 3: Formulating Hydrogel Sheet Masks
Understand the unique hydrating properties and jelly-like consistency of hydrogel masks, which provide long-lasting hydration, a cooling sensation, and deliver a variety of active ingredients to the skin.
Read more
What you will learn:
- Learn about the key ingredients, such as natural thickeners and carrageenan, and their roles in hydrogel masks.
- Explore carrageenan in-depth, including its types, gelling mechanism, compatibility, and sourcing.
- Get a formulation template for hydrogel masks, tips on ingredient selection, and advice on using molds.
- Matcha Under-eye Pads: Formulate COSMOS-compliant under-eye pads to reduce puffiness and revive dull skin.
- Moisture Surge Face Mask: Create a COSMOS-compliant mask to intensely hydrate and plump all skin types.
- Formulate your own soothing and revitalizing sheet masks with a variety of active ingredients.
Start formulating natural and organic face masks today!
Sign up to the
Certificate in Natural Face Mask Formulation
Here’s what you get:
- Online course: Value $500
- Tutor support: Value $500
- Community membership: Value $500
Total value:
$1500+
All included
Enroll now for just:
It’s easy to get started
Instant access to the
whole course for
US $347
Access the entire course immediately.
18 months’ course access inside our Natural Cosmetic Formulation Club.
We accept all major debit and credit cards and Paypal
By joining the course you accept our terms and conditions found here.
Hear what students are saying
Overall, everything about this course was good.
- Katalin Kovacs,
- GB
I wanted to learn about masks in detail and how to make them, as I didn’t know many types of masks. I struggled with ratios before enrolling, but this course has helped me write formulas correctly and learn about different types of masks I wasn’t familiar with.
- Katalin Kovacs,
- GB
The course taught me how to formulate correctly.
- Zazarina Zainal Abidin,
- Malaysia
I wanted to produce effective and quality natural skincare products but struggled with knowing the ingredients, their percentages, and the correct ways to produce certain products. The notes and information provided were brilliant. Keep it up, guys—awesome!
- Zazarina Zainal Abidin,
- Malaysia
This course helped me create homemade products with a longer shelf-life.
- Christina Hadinata,
- Indonesia
I love natural products, and since my skin is sensitive, I wanted some preservative-free options as well. It was hard to find truly natural products in my country. The ingredient lists, their functions, and the formulation examples were incredibly useful.
- Christina Hadinata,
- Indonesia
It significantly increased my confidence in formulating my own anhydrous face masks.
- Vaishali Banerji,
- India
I wanted to start a boutique anhydrous skincare product business and needed to get the right percentage of ingredients. This course taught me which ingredients mix well together and the limits of certain ingredients.
- Vaishali Banerji,
- India
Top FAQs
This course is suitable for formulators of all levels. Some experience of making or formulating skincare products, especially emulsions, is beneficial but not essential. The course builds your skills, knowledge and confidence by starting with simpler formulation types and progressing to more complex ones.
For students who are already skilled skincare formulators, this is your opportunity to learn to formulate specialist types of cosmetics, including a more advanced type – emulsion-based clay face masks.
Yes! The course is a fully online training program hosted on our online membership platform. It is designed to be taken at home from anywhere in the world and the products we make meet global quality and safety standards. We provide information on ingredient suppliers in many different countries. We have students in over 150 countries so you will be joining a thriving community of global students when you join!
You will have access to the course inside our Natural Cosmetic Formulation Club for 18 months from the date you enroll. You will be able to download the course textbooks to save on your own computer. If you’d like to continue your access after 18 months, options for extending are available.
A variety of formats are used, including comprehensive and beautifully designed course textbooks (provided as PDFs) and video demonstrations.
When you have finished the course there will be the option of completing and submitting assignments. These are straightforward to complete and based on the material covered in the course. On successful completion, your course certificate will be issued.
As part of the course you receive a comprehensive global supplier list, featuring hundreds of cosmetic suppliers from all around the world. We give plenty of guidance but there isn’t a set supply list, which means you can choose which ingredients you wish to buy.
In our example formulations we aim to choose ingredients that are easy to find, and many easy-to-obtain ingredients feature in the course. Some of the more advanced formulations include specialist ingredients that are not as widely available. Depending on where you are based, you may need to order them from overseas suppliers that ship internationally. We also offer ideas for substitute ingredients. If you have difficulty obtaining ingredients for a specific product, you could choose to make a different product or to make adjustments to the formulation to omit the ingredient you cannot obtain. There are lots of options to choose from within the course.
Now! You can get started with the course right away.
The course is a self-study, self-paced course so you can study at a time that suits you. All the lessons are pre-recorded, so you don’t need to worry about joining us at a set time.
Yes, you can! By becoming a member of our Natural Cosmetic Formulation Club you can use your credit allocation to purchase Formulating Emulsion-Based Clay Face Masks and/or Formulating Hydrogel Sheet Masks from the courses dashboard.
Hydrogel sheet masks are a type of facial mask made from a hydrogel material that also contains various skin-benefiting ingredients. The hydrogel material is typically made from a combination of water and special aqueous thickeners. This combination gives the mask a jelly-like consistency that adheres closely to the skin. Hydrogel sheet masks tend to work for a longer period of time than regular sheet mask, as they don’t start to dry as quickly as regular sheet masks. They also offer a refreshing and cooling sensation, which is especially beneficial for soothing and revitalising formulations.
Hydrogel sheet masks somewhat resemble regular sheet masks but the key difference is that a regular sheet mask is actually made of a fine tissue material that is soaked in liquid. When the soaked tissue is placed on the skin, the ingredients absorb into the skin, which hydrates the skin and offers other benefits, depending on serum ingredients.
Hydrogel sheet masks on the other hand don’t contain a tissue material, as the mask itself contains thickeners that give it its rubber or jelly-like consistency, ensuring it can hold its shape. As the thin layer of gelatin-like material is placed onto the face it functions similarly to a regular sheet mask – it hydrates the skin and offers other benefits. Hydrogel sheet masks tend to work for a longer period of time, as they don’t start to dry as quickly as regular sheet masks. They also offer a refreshing and cooling sensation, which is especially beneficial for soothing and revitalising formulations.
As part of the course, you receive a comprehensive global supplier list featuring hundreds of cosmetic suppliers, many of which deliver internationally.
We also have a smaller supplier list on our website you might want to look at in the meantime: Recommended cosmetic raw material suppliers
The majority of ingredients used are available in most countries around the world. In some cases, if you wish to use specialist ingredients (such as emulsifiers and preservatives), you may need to order from overseas suppliers.
What is face mask formulation?
Face mask formulation is the process of choosing ingredients and putting them together into a formula to create a face mask. This can include a variety of natural and organic ingredients.
What is clay face mask formulation?
Clay face mask formulation involves creating a face mask using clay as the main ingredient. Clay masks are known for drawing out impurities from the skin.
What is powder face mask formulation?
Powder face mask formulation involves creating a face mask in powder form. The user then mixes the powder with a liquid to apply it to the face.
What are natural face masks?
Natural face masks are made with natural and organic ingredients, such as clay, starch, milk powder, botanical extracts and more.
What is involved in clay mask formulation?
Clay mask formulation involves selecting the right type of clay for the skin type and combining it with other natural ingredients to enhance its benefits.
What is sheet mask formulation?
Sheet mask formulation involves creating a serum or essence that is then soaked into a sheet mask. The mask is then applied to the face for a certain period of time.
Can I learn face mask formulation online?
Yes, we offer an online course on face mask formulation at the School of Natural Skincare called our Certificate in Natural Face Mask Formulation.
What types of face masks can I learn to formulate?
Our course covers a variety of face masks, including powder formats and creamy emulsion-based clay masks.
Do I need any prior knowledge to start the face mask formulation course?
No, our courses are designed for both beginners and those with some knowledge looking to enhance their skills.
Explore our articles
Want to try before you buy?
Sample a selection of our course material inside our online classroom.
