Now £635, was £795. Offer ends Friday 30th October.
Diploma in Natural Skincare Formulation
Learn to formulate safe, effective natural skincare products with confidence through structured, professional training in our comprehensive formulation course.
Self-paced learning • Two years access • Enrol any time.
Key Takeaways
- Content: 8 modules, HD video lessons and downloadable resources
- Prerequisites: None. Ideal for complete beginners
- Delivery: Fully online and self-paced, study anytime
- Access Time: 2 years to complete all modules
- Support: Personalised tutor feedback throughout your training
- Insurance: Graduates can apply for professional product liability insurance
- CPD: Counts towards annual CPD hours for IFA members
Learn How to Formulate Skincare Products
Are you ready to develop the skills and confidence to formulate natural skincare professionally?
The Diploma in Natural Skincare Formulation (NSF) is a structured, beginner-friendly training programme designed to take you from foundational principles to fully developed formulations. You’ll learn to make and formulate products from scratch, understanding how and why each one works, so you can design your own. The course covers organic skincare formulation and organic cosmetics, giving you the expertise to create high-quality, plant-based beauty products.
Covering the four core product systems used in commercial skincare ranges, creams, balms, gels, and surfactant-based cleansers, the diploma builds a clear and practical foundation in formulation methodology, ingredient selection, safety, stability, and regulatory awareness.
Whether your goal is to formulate for personal use or to build a commercial skincare brand, you’ll gain the technical knowledge and hands-on skills to move forward with clarity, control, and confidence. You have access to all online course materials throughout your two years, so you can revisit and refresh your knowledge whenever you need.
You will learn how to:
- Formulate stable emulsions, balms, gels, and liquid cleansers
- Formulate and make a variety of organic skincare products, including creams, balms, serums, and cleansers
- Understand pH, skin acidity, and core formulation science
- Select appropriate natural ingredients for different skin types
- Work safely with plant oils, butters, clays, hydrolats, and essential oils
- Prevent common stability and preservation issues
- Navigate the legal foundations of selling skincare products
- Apply for professional product liability insurance on successful completion
This diploma establishes a strong professional foundation in natural skincare formulation, combining practical formulation skill with essential safety, compliance, and commercial awareness.
Create and Launch Your Own Natural Skincare Range
The Diploma in Natural Skincare Formulation is designed to take you from idea to creation, with the skills, structure, and confidence to formulate professionally. Formulating your own natural skincare lets you tailor each product to particular preferences and skin types, so your creations are genuinely your own.
Throughout the course, you will develop your own range of natural skincare products, applying each module directly to real formulations. You’ll gain hands-on experience creating lip balms, body balms, whipped body butters, creams, gels, and cleansers, using plant oils, butters, clays, hydrolats, and essential oils.
Through guided tutorials, structured formulation exercises, and practical demonstrations, you’ll build the confidence to design products that are safe, stable, and commercially viable. As part of your final assessment, you will develop and present your own skincare range, ready to take forward to market.
This diploma provides the technical foundation and practical clarity you need to begin building your own organic skincare brand with confidence and direction.
Who This Course Is For
This Diploma is designed for beginners who want to learn natural skincare formulation properly from the ground up, with clarity and structure. Even as a complete beginner, you can go on to start your own skincare brand or business after completing the course.
It is particularly suited to:
- Individuals wanting to create high-quality products for personal use
- Aspiring entrepreneurs developing a natural skincare brand
- Therapists planning to introduce their own professional product line
- Learners ready to move beyond short workshops into structured, in-depth training
If you’re a therapist or practitioner who wants to formulate for each individual client, starting from that person’s needs, our Integrative Therapeutic Formulation qualification is built for that work.
The Diploma combines creative product design with careful attention to safety, compliance, and technical understanding. Drawing on Purodem’s experience in professional essential oil practice, the course also covers appropriate use of essential oils, key contraindications, and safe formulation principles throughout.
No prior formulation or scientific background is required. The course is delivered in clear, manageable stages, progressively building your knowledge and practical skills across the four core product systems. Students are supported with clear tutorials, practical demonstrations, and personalised feedback at every stage.
Course Tutor & Programme Lead
“I’m Deana Kassim, an aromatherapist, skincare formulator, and educator with over 20 years in the therapy sector. I founded Purodem to teach formulation in a connected, ground-up way, and I developed our Diploma in Natural Skincare Formulation to give beginners a clear, practical foundation in safe, responsible formulation.”
Deana Kassim, Founder & Lead Educator, Purodem
Course Structure: 8 Guided Modules
The Diploma in Natural Skincare Formulation is delivered across eight structured modules, carefully designed to build your skills step by step. The course takes a comprehensive, all-in-one approach, covering every aspect of organic skincare formulation in a single diploma, and includes guidance on sourcing ingredients and equipment, so you have everything you need to get started.
You’ll begin with the foundations of skin science and ingredient knowledge, before progressing into practical formulation across the four core product systems: creams, gels, balms, and surfactant-based products.
Each module combines clear theory with hands-on formulation tasks, so you apply what you learn immediately. As you progress, you’ll develop your own cohesive skincare range, building confidence, technical understanding, and real formulation capability along the way.
By the final module, you will have created, documented, and refined your own range, supported by sound safety and regulatory knowledge.
Module 1: Skin Science & Key Ingredients
Build the essential knowledge needed to formulate safely and confidently: how the skin functions, why skin health matters, and how ingredients interact within a formulation. Understanding skin types and conditions is the starting point for creating effective skincare products.
View Module Topics
- Structure and function of the skin
- A brief history of skincare from traditional to modern practice
- What defines a “natural” cosmetic ingredient
- Natural and synthetic ingredients: facts and misconceptions
- Introduction to plant oils, butters, and water-based ingredients
- Emulsifiers and gums used in natural formulations
- Preservation basics in water-containing products
- How formulating differs from following a set formula
- Comprehensive directory of ingredients, including detailed profiles of active ingredients
Module 2: Essential Oils in Natural Skincare
Learn how to incorporate essential oils safely and appropriately within natural skincare formulations, understanding their role in both product identity and skin compatibility.
View Module Topics
- Introduction to commonly used essential oils in skincare
- How essential oils are produced and categorised
- Basic skin-related properties and selection principles
- Safe dilution guidelines and dermal considerations
- Essential oils to approach with caution or avoid in skincare
- Working with carrier oils and complementary plant ingredients
- Creating balanced aromatic blends for finished products
Module 3: Workspace Setup & Good Manufacturing Practice
Establish a safe, organised, and compliant working environment by understanding the core principles of Good Manufacturing Practice in small-scale skincare production.
View Module Topics
- What Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) means in natural skincare
- Setting up an efficient and hygienic formulation workspace
- Working safely within shared or home environments
- Essential equipment and correct storage procedures
- Record-keeping and formulation documentation
- Using a formulation diary to track development
- Understanding the purpose of a Product Information File (PIF)
- Writing a basic GMP statement for your portfolio
Module 4: Cosmetic Cream Emulsions
Learn how to formulate stable cream emulsions, one of the core foundations of any natural skincare range. You will also learn to formulate natural lotions, expanding your ability to create products for different skin types and needs.
In this module, you will understand how oil and water phases combine, how emulsifiers function, and how to create creams suited to different skin types and product goals.
View Module Topics
- Introduction to emulsions and how they work
- The structure and function of oil-in-water creams
- Understanding emulsifiers and stabilising ingredients
- Adapting a base formulation for different skin types
- Selecting appropriate plant oils and complementary ingredients
- Step-by-step guidance in creating a simple cream formulation
- Troubleshooting common instability issues
- Designing and producing a finished cream for your portfolio
Module 5: Gel-Based Formulations
Explore how to formulate lightweight gel-based skincare products suitable for a variety of skin types and product purposes.
In this module, you will learn how gelling agents function, how to build stable water-based systems, and how to adapt gel formulations for hydration, soothing, or targeted product concepts.
View Module Topics
- Introduction to gel-based skincare products
- How gelling agents work in natural formulations
- Understanding texture, viscosity, and product feel
- Creating simple water-based gel formulations
- Adapting gels for different skin types and uses
- Incorporating essential oils safely into gel systems
- Avoiding common formulation and preservation errors
- Designing and producing a gel product for your portfolio
Module 6: Anhydrous Formulations – Balms & Butters
Discover how to create water-free skincare products such as balms, salves, body butters, whipped body butters, and lip balms using plant oils, butters, and waxes. As part of your anhydrous formulation training, you will learn to make luxurious whipped body butters and safe, effective natural lip balms.
In this module, you will learn how to structure anhydrous formulations, balance texture and stability, and design products suited to different skin needs and seasonal variations.
View Module Topics
- Introduction to anhydrous skincare and when to use it
- Understanding the role of plant oils, butters, and waxes
- Creating balanced oil-based formulations
- Controlling texture, hardness, and melting point
- Incorporating essential oils safely into oil-based systems
- Designing multipurpose balms and treatment products
- Avoiding common formulation and storage issues
- Producing a finished anhydrous product for your portfolio
Module 7: Surfactant-Based Formulations
Learn how to formulate gentle cleansing products using cosmetic surfactants suitable for natural skincare ranges.
In this module, you will understand how cleansing systems work, how to select appropriate surfactants for skin compatibility, and how to create balanced liquid formulations for everyday use. You will also learn to formulate bi-phase cleansers, foaming products, and cleansing balms, expanding your skills to create a variety of natural cleansing products.
View Module Topics
- Introduction to surfactants and how cleansing systems function
- Understanding mildness and skin compatibility
- Selecting appropriate surfactants for natural skincare
- Creating simple liquid cleanser formulations
- Adjusting viscosity and product texture
- Incorporating essential oils safely into wash-off products
- Avoiding common formulation and preservation mistakes
- Designing and producing a cleanser for your portfolio
Module 8: Range Development & Regulatory Foundations
Bring your learning together by developing a cohesive skincare range while gaining a clear understanding of the core legal responsibilities involved in selling cosmetic products.
In this final module, you will refine your product concepts, consider packaging and presentation, and develop a practical understanding of the essential compliance steps required for small-scale production and responsible product sales. You will also explore cosmetic regulations, including labelling requirements, safety assessments, and key aspects of global cosmetic laws, ensuring you are equipped to meet these obligations with confidence.
View Module Topics
- Identifying your target customer and defining your brand direction
- Planning a balanced and cohesive product range
- Packaging considerations and basic labelling requirements
- Understanding responsible marketing claims
- Introduction to cosmetic safety assessments and toxicology
- Basic stability considerations and product testing principles
- Understanding the purpose of product liability insurance
- Overview of UK and EU cosmetic regulation fundamentals
Build Your Portfolio as You Progress
Throughout the Diploma, you will create and document your own work as well as study formulation.
As you move through the eight modules, you will:
- Complete practical formulation tasks across all four core product systems
- Develop a cohesive skincare range aligned to your goals
- Document your formulations and production processes
- Build core GMP and compliance awareness
- Submit practical assessments for tutor feedback
- Compile a structured portfolio demonstrating your learning
By the end of the course, you will have a documented body of work that reflects your ability to formulate safely and responsibly. It provides a strong starting point for launching your own skincare range or continuing your professional development in natural skincare formulation.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the Diploma in Natural Skincare Formulation, you will be able to:
- Formulate stable creams, balms, gels, and surfactant-based cleansers from first principles
- Select appropriate plant-based ingredients for different skin types and product purposes
- Apply safe dilution, preservation, and basic stability principles within natural formulations
- Work within core Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) principles for small-scale production
- Understand the fundamental legal and regulatory considerations for selling cosmetic products
- Design and document your own cohesive natural skincare range
- Compile a structured portfolio demonstrating your formulation capability
- Progress confidently into further professional training in cosmetic formulation
- Work as an organic skincare formulator, creating natural and organic skincare products with confidence
You will also learn the principles of green chemistry for sustainable and safe formulation practice.
Course Fees & Enrolment
Enrolment is open all year, with no intake to wait for. Enrol today and you’ll have your induction materials and student profile the same day, with your one-to-one tutorial with your tutor arranged from there.
Both options below are reduced until Friday 30th October.
£635 One Payment
Normally £795. Save £160.
4 x £195 On Payment Plan
Total cost via payment plan £780. Normally 5 x £179 = £895. Save £115.
The offer ends on Friday 30th October. Enrolment stays open after that, at the usual fees.
You can choose how to pay at checkout. Both options include all eight modules, course materials, tutor support, portfolio assessment, and certification, with two years’ access to complete the Diploma.
Beyond the course fee, most students spend a couple of hundred pounds on ingredients and equipment across the whole course, rather than all at once. Many start with ordinary kitchen equipment and buy specialist tools once they know what they want to focus on.
Have a question before you enrol? Get in touch and we’ll answer it.
Self-paced learning • Two years access • Enrol any time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need prior experience in skincare formulation?
No. The Diploma is designed for beginners and assumes no previous formulation or scientific background. The course builds your skills step by step, starting with foundational knowledge before progressing into practical product creation.
How do I enrol on the course?
Choose how you’d like to pay in the fees section and enrol online. Enrolment is open all year. You’ll have your induction materials and student profile the same day, and access to the Purodem Academy learning platform, where you’ll find your course materials and the student community. An individual tutorial is arranged at the start of your studies to help you begin.
How long do I have to complete the course?
You have two years of access from the date you enrol, so you can study at your own pace. Most students complete the course in around a year. Your course materials stay available throughout those two years, so you can revisit the content whenever you need.
What kind of products will I learn to formulate?
The Diploma focuses on the four core product systems used in natural skincare ranges:
- Cream emulsions
- Gel-based formulations
- Anhydrous balms and butters
- Surfactant-based cleansers
You will also learn to formulate oil-based serums, including serums designed for specific skin concerns.
Can I start my own skincare brand after completing the Diploma?
This Diploma provides a structured foundation in natural skincare formulation, including portfolio development and regulatory awareness. Many students use it as the starting point for their own small-scale skincare range, and the course prepares you to launch your own beauty brand or organic skincare brand.
As with any cosmetic business, additional steps such as safety assessments and regulatory compliance are required before selling products commercially.
Can I get professional insurance after completing the Diploma?
Yes. On successful completion, graduates are eligible to apply for professional product liability insurance. We recommend confirming requirements directly with your chosen insurer.
I'm a member of the IFA. Does the Diploma count towards my CPD?
Yes. The International Federation of Aromatherapists recognises the Diploma in Natural Skincare Formulation as CPD for its members, so it counts towards your annual CPD hours.
What support will I receive during the course?
You will receive structured learning materials, guided tutorials, and personalised tutor feedback on your assessments and portfolio work. An individual induction tutorial is also arranged at the beginning of your studies.
Is this course suitable if I want advanced cosmetic chemistry training?
This Diploma is a professional foundation in natural skincare formulation. It focuses on core formulation principles, safe ingredient use, and structured product development, and it gives you the grounding to go on to more advanced cosmetic chemistry training if you choose.
I'm a therapist. Should I take this course or Integrative Therapeutic Formulation?
It depends on what you want to make. If you’d like to create a range of products to sell or use across your clients, this Diploma is the right fit. If you want to formulate for each client individually, starting from their particular needs and recording your reasoning in a Client Formulation Plan, Integrative Therapeutic Formulation is designed for that. If you’re unsure, get in touch and we’ll help you decide.
Is the course delivered entirely online?
Yes. The Diploma is delivered fully online through the Purodem learning platform, so you can study from anywhere with internet access.
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