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Advanced Certificate in High-Performance Serum Formulation

Learn the science of making high-performance serums that deliver visible results with our accredited course.

Formulate advanced serums for the eyes, lips, and face – the perfect way to boost your brand and grow sales.

Would you love to learn to formulate with active ingredients but aren’t sure how exactly to work with them how much to use, how to make sure they are stable, what pH they need and which are natural?

Are you a skincare formulator ready to take your skills to the next level and expand the range of products you can make, inspired by high-end beauty brands?

Are you a natural or organic beauty brand owner looking to elevate your skincare range and boost your profits?

Introducing the Advanced Certificate in High-Performance Serum Formulation

Our most advanced on-demand online course, helping you upgrade your formulations and add innovative serums to your skincare range.

In this comprehensive program, you'll gain the skills and knowledge to:

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Are you ready to become an advanced skincare formulator?

Join us today!

Find out more

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Working with advanced active ingredients requires specialized knowledge of their usage rates, stability, solubility, compatibility and synergy.

This course will teach you how to create advanced formulations with confidence, knowing you’re learning from the experts, including cosmetic scientists and chemists, using tried-and-tested formulations that have passed Preservation Efficacy Testing where required.

Access all the information you need in one place, with plenty of formulation examples and reference materials you’ll use for years to come.

Just imagine how good it would feel if you could:

Two people with skincare products on a table.

Build on your formulating skills to create in-demand, cutting-edge products

Learn how to incorporate much-talked-about vitamins and active ingredients into your formulations to create serums that deliver incredible results. Plus, you can apply your new knowledge to the other skincare products you make, too.

Complete your beauty routine for radiant-looking skin

Formulate effective, high-performance serums for yourself, family, friends or customers, tailored to your precise needs, and target specific skin concerns, including anti-aging, firming/toning, exfoliating, brightening and pore-reduction.

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Colorful skincare bottles on rainy window ledge.

Take your beauty business to new heights

Delight your customers by expanding your natural and organic skincare range to include luxurious, high-end eye, lip and facial serums using only the desired ingredients and no unwanted chemicals.

Learn to formulate a complete serum range with active ingredients:

Scientist pouring liquid into blue glass bottles.
  • Antioxidant Concentrate Serum with Vitamin C
  • Chamomile Soothing Serum
  • Barrier Support Serum with Ceramides
  • Repairing Lip Serum with Vitamin C and Coenzyme Q10
  • Golden Rose Pressed Serum
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  • Brightening Serum for Hyperpigmentation
  • Moisture Boost Hyaluronic Acid Serum
  • Vitamin C and E Gel Serum
Woman applying facial serum with dropper
  • Balancing Gel-cream Serum with Niacinamide 
  • Toning Eye Serum with Caffeine
  • Anti-aging Night Serum with Vitamin A
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  • Anti-redness Bi-phase Serum with Gotu Kola
  • Anti-pollution Bi-phase Serum
  • Exfoliating AHA Serum

Discover these advanced active ingredients

Skincare ingredients: panthenol, nicotinamide, vitamin A.
  • Vitamin A (including retinol and retinyl palmitate)
  • Vitamin B3 (niacinamide)
  • Pro-Vitamin B5 (panthenol)
  • Vitamin C (including ascorbic acid, sodium ascorbyl phosphate, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, ascorbyl palmitate and ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate)
  • Vitamin E
Seven beakers with various liquid colors in a row.
  • Pracaxi oil
  • Cacay oil
  • Watermelon seed oil
  • Prickly pear oil
  • Guava oil
  • Perilla oil
  • Buriti oil
  • Tamanu oil
  • Blueberry seed oil
  • Natural silicone replacements and more!
  • Matrixyl 3000
  • Matrixyl Synthe’6
  • Syn-ake
  • Argireline NP
  • Ceramide NP
Three natural extract skincare bottles displayed on marble surface.
  • Lactic acid
  • Glycolic acid
  • Malic acid
  • Citric acid
  • Salicylic acid
  • Willow bark extract
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  • Toning
  • Anti-inflammatory
  • Anti-aging
  • Antimicrobial
  • Skin brightening
  • Skin barrier strengthening
Hyaluronic acid powder on glass dish
  • 10+ hydrating humectants including hyaluronic acid
  • 10+ antioxidants including co-enzyme Q10
  • A wide range of natural emulsifiers, preservatives, gums and solubilizers

Your journey on the Advanced Certificate in High-Performance Serum Formulation

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Serum types

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Explore a series of high-performance serum types

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Skin anatomy

Formulate for different areas, skin types and concerns

Assorted lab equipment with oils in beakers.

Active ingredients

Discover vitamins, botanicals, peptides, ceramides, AHAs, BHAs and more

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Oil serums

Create advanced oil-based serums for the face and lips

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Colorful essential oil bottles with droppers

Bi-phase serums

Discover the secrets of bi-phase serums that are shaken to activate

Hands holding a small white lotion bottle.

Emulsion serums

Create light gel-creams, thin milky emulsions and rich, creamy serums

Person using dropper with essential oil bottle.

Gel serums

Formulate light-weight gel serums with water soluble ingredients

Woman holding natural skincare product jar.

Pressed serums

Make elegant textured semi-solid serums

Meet your instructors and tutors

Learn from and be supported by cosmetic scientists and professional formulators.

Is the Advanced Certificate in High-Performance Serum Formulation right for me?

This course is perfect for…

Intermediate – Advanced

Experienced formulators ready for a new challenge

Level up your advanced skincare formulation skills and gain specialist knowledge of active ingredients to add to your skillset as you create truly effective serums for you, your friends and your family.

Entrepreneur

Beauty brand owners looking for new ways to delight their customers

Add exciting, high-performance products to your existing skincare range, providing greater choice and helping customers address specific skin concerns.

Student testimonials

Why learn to formulate with advanced active ingredients?

Make serums that offer a wide range of skin benefits including reducing the appearance of hyperpigmentation, anti-aging, antioxidant, soothing, calming, protective, hydrating, firming/toning, brightening, repairing, oil-balancing, pore-reduction, anti-pollution and more.

Avoid issues of product instability or ingredient incompatibility when you learn from experienced chemists rather than relying on questionable information sourced online.

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Invest in your skills and knowledge to become a more valuable formulator who is a cut above the rest.

Sell efficacious products with higher profit margins. Serums are high-end skincare products that customers are prepared to pay a premium for.

Want to try before you buy?

Sample a selection of our course material inside our online classroom.

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How does the Advanced Certificate in High-Performance Serum Formulation work?

All our training is completed through our easy-to-use online classroom. You can enroll anytime and study from anywhere in the world at your own pace.

Woman working at laptop in cozy home office.
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.

Women discussing skincare products at computer
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.

We’ll teach you to formulate by providing the following resources for each type of product:

1. Essential theory
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Learn about the chemistry of cosmetics, ingredients, equipment, packaging and suppliers.
2. Formulation guidelines and templates
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We break each product down and explain the ingredients used, their function, benefits and usage rates.
3. Benchmarks
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Analyze products on the market to learn how they are formulated and use them as inspiration for your own products, if you wish.
4. Example formulations
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We provide professional standard formulas developed by our cosmetic scientists ready for you to follow, giving you the chance to put the theory into practice.
5. Video demonstrations
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Our high quality, step-by-step video demonstrations will help you learn the practical skills required to successfully make each type of product.
6. Product development briefs and formulation worksheets
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Follow the prompts and guidelines in our worksheet to formulate your own products and take the fast track to success.
7. Support
Read More
Have your questions answered by our team of scientists and join our student communities for peer support.
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More than just a course, our Advanced Certificate in High-Performance Serum Formulation includes the support and community you need to truly thrive in your formulating journey

You’ll receive:

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7 in-depth modules accompanied by seven detailed textbooks with step-by-step instructions and beautiful photographs.

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Full HD video classes including step-by-step product making demonstrations.

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Advanced formulation examples to practice with and preservative efficacy test reports.

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Join our supportive, vibrant community of like-minded students and graduates across the world.

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Easy-to-use online classroom, quizzes, and activities.

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Six downloadable, fillable workbooks.

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Assignments marked personally by our cosmetic scientists and a certificate on successful completion.

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An in-depth library of ingredient information featuring 200+ ingredients

Be supported by cosmetic scientists

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Get your questions answered

each week in our dedicated Tutor Q&A

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Join the professionals

for LIVE course sessions

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Expand your understanding

with our monthly Formulators Forum, a LIVE learning and discussion session on Zoom

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Have your end-of-course assignments personally marked

by our cosmetic scientists

Plus

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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

Look inside the online classroom

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.

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Learn from and be supported by professional cosmetic scientists.

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Tried and tested formulations. Our formulas have passed Preservative Efficacy Testing.

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Formulate your way – natural, organic, vegan, sustainable – and customized to your skin type, tone and concerns.

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Multi-award winning and accredited school, established in 2010.

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Study with us for our own enjoyment and learning or to create a beauty brand.

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Study at a pace that fits your lifestyle.

97% of our students would recommend the course to others.

Realize your dreams of becoming an advanced formulator.

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.

The Advanced Certificate in High-Performance Serum Formulation in detail

By the end of the course, you will:

1

Formulate professional serums from scratch even if you’re not a cosmetic scientist.

2

Create serums with a wide range of textures, including advanced oil-based serums, pressed serums, gel-based serums, emulsion-based serums, gel-cream serums and bi-phase serums.

3

Understand the needs of different skin types and how to customize your serum formulations to suit them.

4

Formulate serums that address multiple skin concerns, including hyperpigmentation, signs of aging, sensitive skin, oily skin, dull skin, loss of elasticity, damaged skin barrier, effects of oxidative stress, due to sun exposure, pollution and stress and more.

5

Master natural ingredient selection. Understand the functions, properties and benefits of a wide range of natural ingredients so you can easily and confidently select the right ones for your formulations.

6

Sell your products with confidence. Be empowered by your new knowledge and skills to comply with regulations and take your products to market.

Woman holding various skincare products.

What you need to know:

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Level

Advanced.

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Schedule

Self-paced course with on demand lessons. Study at a time that suits you. Optional live sessions.

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Study time

Approximately 70-100 hours. Most students complete the course within six to 12 months.

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Course access

18 months. This can be extended for a small fee.

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Prerequisites

Some prior knowledge of skincare formulation. You’ll also need access to the internet and a computer or tablet to access our online classroom.

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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:

Module 0: Introduction for Formulating (Optional)

In this module, we will cover some of the essentials of formulating. As this is a more advanced course, we expect you’ll already have this foundational knowledge. We have included this module as a useful reminder, but feel free to skip it if you like.

This module covers:

  • What is a formula?
  • Using a product development brief.
  • Equipment for your home lab.
  • Professional lab equipment.
  • Testing and adjusting pH.
  • Good manufacturing practice (GMP).

Module 1: Introduction to Formulating High-Performance Serums

We start by delving into the different serums you’ll be creating on this course, their purpose, ingredients and characteristics. Plus, you’ll learn about formulating for different skin types and concerns.

In this module, you will learn:

  • What makes a serum high-performance.
  • The wide range of benefits serums can offer and how to achieve these outcomes.
  • How to choose the right formula type to deliver the benefits you desire.
  • Skin anatomy and physiology.
  • The characteristics, causes and skincare solutions for mature, oily, dry, sensitive and normal skin.
  • The role of antioxidants in anti-aging products.
  • The causes of hyperpigmentation and helpful ingredients for reducing the appearance of hyperpigmentation.
  • The characteristics, causes and helpful skincare ingredients for skincare concerns including acne, eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis, rosacea, stretch marks, cellulite and pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB).

Module 2: Serum Ingredients

Increase your knowledge of cosmetic ingredients by learning about a wide variety of high-performance active ingredients, functional ingredients, lipids, humectants, chemical exfoliants and more. Explore their benefits and how to use them, and identify suitable ingredients for your formulations.

This module is a vast library of ingredient information featuring 200+ ingredients!

  • Understand the chemistry of lipids and learn about a wide selection of carrier oils, esters, butters and waxes.
  • Formulate with a wide range of hydrating, high-performance humectants including hyaluronic acid.
  • Learn the benefits that AHAs and BHAs can offer and how to formulate with them safely and effectively.
  • Discover 75 advanced active ingredients, including antioxidants, vitamins, peptides, botanical extracts, and ingredients for skin barrier strengthening, sun protection, toning, anti-inflammation, antimicrobial action, and skin brightening.
  • Use, choose and blend essential oils with confidence referring to both our quick reference charts and detailed profiles to help you.
  • Create safe and stable formulations by working with natural thickeners, emulsifiers, preservatives, solubilizers and pH adjusters.
  • Organize and store ingredients properly in your home lab and follow your six-step process for finding substitute ingredients.

Module 3: Formulating Innovative Anhydrous Serums

This module takes your knowledge of anhydrous serums to a whole new level! Create a range of textures from smooth, elegant, non-greasy liquid oil serums to decadent pressed serums.

What you will learn: 

  • Formulate advanced anhydrous serums: Create high-performance oil-based and pressed serums, understanding their benefits and ingredients.
  • Antioxidant Concentrate Serum: Formulate a Vitamin C-rich serum to combat aging and oxidative stress from sun exposure and pollution.
  • Chamomile Soothing Serum: Develop a serum with anti-inflammatory botanicals to reduce skin redness and irritation.
  • Barrier Support Serum: Craft a ceramide-infused serum to repair and protect the skin barrier, ideal for dry and sensitive skin.
  • Repairing Lip Serum: Create a luxurious lip serum with Vitamin C, Coenzyme Q10, protective antioxidants and repairing phytosterols to restore and protect the lips.
  • Golden Rose Pressed Serum: Formulate a semi-solid serum to restore the skin barrier using COSMOS-certified natural ingredients.
  • How to formulate your own serums using our guidelines, templates and worksheets.
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View all modules

Module 4: Formulating Gel-based Serums

Gel-based serums create hydrating, light textured, easily absorbed products perfect for under eye and facial use. Discover when gel-based serums are the best choice, how to create different gel textures and skin feels, and which ingredients can be included in your gel-based formulations to target different concerns.

What you will learn:

  • Master the creation of various gel serums, exploring their benefits, suitable ingredients, packaging, and shelf-life extension techniques.
  • Brightening Serum for Hyperpigmentation: Formulate a serum with ingredients specifically designed to reduce and prevent pigmentation.
  • Moisture Boost Serum: Develop a serum enriched with hyaluronic acid and humectants to deeply hydrate and plump the skin, reducing fine lines and wrinkles.
  • Vitamin C and E Gel Serum: Learn to create a serum that protects against oxidative stress with stabilized ascorbic acid for effective anti-aging benefits.
  • Troubleshooting techniques.
  • How to formulate your own serums using our guidelines, templates and worksheets.

Module 5: Formulating Emulsion-based and Gel-cream Serums

Have fun using different emulsifiers and other ingredients to create a range of textures from light gel-creams, to thin milky emulsions or rich, succulent emulsions. Create a wide range of professional emulsion-based serums, including eye serums, night serums, balancing serums for oily skin, and serums formulated to keep the skin looking firm and youthful.

What you will learn:

  • Understand the unique properties of emulsion and gel-cream serums, their benefits, ingredients, packaging, and shelf-life extension techniques.
  • Dive into the science and practical steps of making stable emulsions using natural emulsifiers.
  • Balancing Gel-Cream Serum: Formulate a niacinamide-infused serum to balance sebum, reduce oiliness and acne, and strengthen the skin barrier.
  • Toning Eye Serum: Develop a caffeine-based eye serum to moisturize, tone, and tighten the delicate skin around the eyes.
  • Anti-Aging Night Serum: Learn to create a Vitamin A serum that prevents collagen breakdown, stimulates new collagen, and keeps skin firm and youthful.
  • Troubleshooting techniques.
  • How to formulate your own serums using our guidelines, templates and worksheets.

Module 6: Formulating Bi-phase Serums

Bi-phase serums are fun to formulate, create and use! They are separated into two distinct phases – water- and oil-based – and must be shaken before each use. If formulated to contain botanical ingredients that add lovely color, bi-phase serums look very attractive on a shelf. 

What you will learn:

  • Discover the key ingredient that will keep your phases separate, which ingredients to avoid using in bi-phase serums and how to color your phases using natural ingredients.
  • Anti-Redness Serum: Formulate a bi-phase serum with gotu kola to soothe inflammation and reduce redness, featuring a striking oil phase color.
  • Anti-Pollution Serum: Develop a serum with protective film-forming ingredients and antioxidants to combat pollution and oxidative stress.
  • Exfoliating AHA Serum: Create a fruity-scented bi-phase serum with AHAs to exfoliate, boost cell turnover, and hydrate the skin.
  • Troubleshooting techniques.
  • How to formulate your own serums using our guidelines, templates and worksheets.
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Ready to become an advanced formulator?

It's easy to get started

Here’s what you get:

Total value:

$2500+

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All included

Enroll now for just:

US $597
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It’s easy to get started

Choose your preferred payment option below and get immediate access to our online classroom.

Pay in full

Instant access to the
whole course for

US $597

Access the entire course immediately.

or

Installments

Two monthly
installments of

US $347

Spread your investment over two months. Receive half of the course materials in the first month and half in the second month.

We accept all major debit and credit cards and Paypal

By joining the course you accept our terms and conditions found here.

Bundle Offer

Join our Skincare Specialist Program

Save $200 and get four FREE classes

Perfect if you are new to formulating and want to start by creating a wide range of professional standard natural and organic skincare products for the face and body.

You can then advance your skills by developing your knowledge of high-performance active ingredients, including vitamins, antioxidants, AHAs and BHAs, peptides, ceramides and more, to create premium skincare products.

You’ll get access to our Diploma in Natural Skincare Formulation and Advanced Certificate in High-Performance Serum Formulation to continue your exciting adventure as you extend your skills to become a master skincare formulator and realize your dreams of launching your own beauty brand.

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Get four bonus classes FREE

1

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Formulating with AHAs and BHAs

2

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Formulating Face and Body Washes with Natural Surfactants

3

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Formulating Body Serums

4

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Here’s what you get:

Total value:

$5400+

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All included

Enroll now for just:

US $1657
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Pay in full

Instant access to the
whole program for

US $1657

Save $200 compared to enrolling on both courses separately. Plus, get four bonus classes for free.

or

Installments

Five monthly
installments of

US $397

Spread your investment over five months,. Each month, the next installment of your course materials will be released. Plus, get four bonus classes for free.

We accept all major debit and credit cards and Paypal

By joining the course you accept our terms and conditions

Hear what students are saying

Top FAQs

This is our most advanced course so it is not suitable for complete beginners. 

If you have some experience of making skincare products already, for example you have made facial oils, balms, creams and lotions, and you are ready to study and formulate more seriously, then the course will be suitable for you.

If you are an experienced formulator but have yet to formulate with a wide range of actives, or you want more knowledge of how to do so, then the course is also perfect for you.

If you are a complete beginner then we recommend that you take either our Certificate in Making Natural Skincare Products or our Diploma in Natural Skincare Formulation first. 

Our Skincare Specialist Program contains our Diploma in Natural Skincare Formulation and our Advanced Certificate in High-Performance Serum Formulation at a reduced fee. This is perfect if you’d like to take this course but you don’t have any prior experience.

In our courses in general we always focus primarily on natural ingredients and use close to 100% naturally derived or COSMOS-approved ingredients. In the Advanced Certificate in High-Performance Serum Formulation, the vast majority (around 90%) of ingredients we use are naturally derived and permitted by major natural and organic standards such as COSMOS. We include a wide range of natural emulsifiers, solubilizers, gums, thickeners, carrier oils, esters, fragrances, botanical extracts, humectants, antioxidants and other active ingredients.

In the Advanced Certificate in High-Performance Serum Formulation, a small number (around 10%) of the ingredients we include are synthetic. We have only chosen synthetic ingredients with close ties to nature, for example, they exist in nature but are made synthetically or are ‘nature-identical’. Two examples are niacinamide (Vitamin B3), which is often used in natural cosmetics as it does exist in nature but the ingredient is made synthetically, and peptides, which are not permitted in natural/organic certifications because they are made synthetically, even though they only contain naturally occurring building blocks (amino acids).

We have included these ingredients as we wanted to include a wide range of the most popular and effective active ingredients. Our chosen ingredients have a specific benefit/activity that is very important in high-performance serums but can’t be found in any natural form/source. Any ingredients that are synthetic are clearly marked as such in our course materials, giving you full knowledge and complete control over what you use in your formulations. 

We like to put the power and the choice in your hands! So, you can absolutely take the course and create formulations that are 100% natural or organic or suitable for COSMOS certification if you wish.

Yes! The Advanced Certificate in High-Performance Serum Formulation is accredited by the CPD (Continuing Professional Development) Certification Service. You can read more about our accreditations here.

Yes! The course is hosted inside an easy-to-use online classroom. It is designed to be taken at home from anywhere in the world. The products we make meet global quality and safety standards. We’ll provide information on ingredient suppliers in many different countries and will guide you to the relevant cosmetic regulations in many countries around the world, too. We have students in over 150 countries so you’ll be joining a thriving global community.

We are an international school with students worldwide. US dollars are the most widely recognized and accepted currency. You can check the exchange rate for your local currency using exchange rate sites such as xe.com. Either your bank or PayPal will exchange the enrollment fee for your local currency when you join.

At the end of the course, there are several assignments for you to complete and submit to us to be marked personally by our cosmetic chemists. They will provide personalized feedback and guidance if any corrections are needed. Your end-of-course completion certificate will be issued upon successful completion, and you will be the proud holder of our Advanced Certificate in High-Performance Serum Formulation!

You have access to the course within the online classroom for 18 months, so have plenty of time to study. You can download the course textbooks for lifetime access. You can renew your course enrollment for a small fee, which will also give you additional time to complete your assignments, further access to the Tutor Q&A and any updates to the course made during this time.

The course is a self-study, self-paced course, so you can study at a time that suits you and complete the course as quickly or slowly as you wish. The lessons are available for you at any time.

To enhance your learning, we provide tutor-led live learning sessions throughout the year, which are optional to attend. You’ll receive plenty of advance notice about when these are happening, and if you can’t attend live, you can enjoy the recording at a convenient time.

It’s important that you feel supported during your studies with us, and several avenues of assistance are available to you.

Technical/administrative help

Our customer service team is on hand if you require help with technical or administrative matters.

Tutor support and feedback on assignments

To provide you with the best support, we have experienced, professional cosmetic scientists on hand to answer your questions each week in the Tutor Q&A. We also run live tutor-led learning sessions throughout the year where you can deep dive into specific topics from the course.

At the end of your course, you will submit assignments to us that will be marked by one of our professional formulators. You will receive helpful feedback on your assignments, including any corrections that need to be made, so you can feel confident in the quality of your formulations. 

Peer support

When you enroll on a course with us, you receive an invitation to join our Student and Graduate Community (hosted on Facebook), where you can meet and spend time with your student peers. We have students and graduates in the group from all over the world! You can ask questions, discuss formulations and feel part of a community as you progress through your studies.

Promotion of your beauty brand

If you already have a beauty brand or you establish a new brand after your studies, we can help you by promoting your brand to our vast, international audience! You’ll be invited to take part in an interview and have a feature written about you and your brand, which we will share with hundreds of thousands of our followers, by email and across social media. This is the perfect opportunity to start marketing your business and gain your own following.

It typically takes students 70-100 hours to complete the Advanced Certificate in High-Performance Serum Formulation. The amount of time it will take you will depend on how much practical formulating you choose to do, so you may wish to spend more or less time than this. Most students complete the course within six to 12 months. As it is a self-paced course, you can complete it at a speed that suits your schedule.

A variety of formats are used including comprehensive and beautifully designed course textbooks (provided as PDFs), workbooks and worksheets, video lessons, video demonstrations, quizzes and activities.

To get started you can use some basic kitchen equipment that you use solely for the purpose of cosmetic making. Here is a list of the equipment that you should consider using:

  • Protective clothing.
  • A water bath or hot plate for a source of heat.
  • Heat-proof glass lab beakers.
  • Two thermometers.
  • A stick blender (immersion blender).
  • Digital scales.
  • Pipettes/spoons/spatulas.
  • pH strips (or meter).
  • Sufficient packaging.

We have a blog article and video that you may find useful on the equipment you need to get started: The equipment that you need for making natural skincare products at home.

We go into much more detail about the equipment you need in the Advanced Certificate in High-Performance Serum Formulation.

If you want a more professional lab setup, you can purchase professional pieces of equipment, which we can advise you about when you join the course. This is not necessary, however, as in many cases kitchen equipment is more than adequate.

As part of the course you receive a comprehensive global supplier list featuring hundreds of cosmetic suppliers all around the world.

We also have a smaller supplier list on our website you might want to look at in the meantime: Recommended cosmetic raw material suppliers.

We have featured a wide range of ingredients in the course including many that are common and easy to obtain. As this is an advanced course, some ingredients are more specialized and depending on where you are based you may need to order them from overseas suppliers that ship internationally.

We give plenty of guidance but there isn’t a set supply list, which means you can choose which ingredients you wish to buy.

What will I learn in the serum-making course?

You’ll learn to formulate serums for the face, lips and eyes with advanced active ingredients. You’ll create serums in a range of textures including oil-based, pressed, gel-based, emulsion-based and bi-phase serums. 

Is the serum-making course suitable for beginners?

This is an advanced course, so prior knowledge of formulation is required. 

Do I get a certification after completing the serum-making course?

Yes, upon successful completion of the end-of-course assignments, you will receive a serum formulation certification.

What is lip serum formulation?

Lip serum formulation is a process of creating lip serums using natural and organic ingredients, which you will learn in our course.

What is formulation certification?

Formulation certification is a recognition you receive after successfully completing a course in product formulation, like our serum-making course.

What is retinol serum formulation?

Retinol serum formulation is a process of creating serums with retinol, a potent skincare ingredient. Retinol is a type of Vitamin A and you’ll learn about many different types of Vitamin A on our serum course.

What is a serum course?

A serum course is a program where you learn to formulate different serums, like face and lip serums targeted to offer a variety of skin benefits.

Want to try before you buy?

Sample a selection of our course material inside our online classroom.

Online skincare course on multiple devices