Botanical Skincare Course: From Alchemy to Formulation
Want to learn how to make your own skincare products?
Tired of spending hundreds of dollars on products that don't address your skincare needs?
Curious about plants, botanicals, and a little modern alchemy?
Our most in-depth skincare making course to date ✨
🌸 From plant to product: We’ll explore everything from plant alchemy and botanical extraction to organic skincare formulation.
🌼 Hands-on learning: Across 5 parts, you’ll learn how to extract benefits from fresh botanicals into different bases, then use those ingredients to craft your own skincare products.
🌺 Certificate included: Students receive a certificate after completing all 5 classes.
Class 1: Oil & Infusions - April 11, 2026 12 pm - 3 pm
The variety of plant oils that the natural skincare formulator can work with is vast. In this first class we will focus entirely on liquid oils, solid oils and butters as bases for botanical extraction. We’ll take a deep dive into the lipid profiles of different oils and demystify their properties, their ideal use in skincare and potential as herbal bases. We will also discuss the best herbs to work with for different skin conditions and skin types. In the second half of our class you will experiment and put together your own infusion and go away with many more ideas to experiment with.
Class 2: Water Based Extractions - June 6, 2026 12 pm - 3 pm
After mastering oil extractions, we will move on to water based extractions. During this class we will focus on a large range of botanical material and methods to produce water based plant extracts. We’ll share a simple hydrodistillation and you will have a chance to explore plant extraction into water soluble bases like distilled water, glycerine, alcohol and plant derived propanediol. This time of year there will be an abundance of beautiful, fresh plant material to work with.
Class 3: Making Oil & Wax Based Products - September 26, 2026 12 pm - 3 pm
Now that you’ve learned the art of making healing macerates and butters in Class 1, we will explore how these ingredients can be blended and used in finished products. This class will focus solely on lipid products using essential oils, fixed oils, butters & waxes. We will focus on how to safely and effectively include essential oils in your skin care products and explore methods for serums, creamy butters, balms, salves, solid lotions and oleogels.
Class 4: Making Water Based Products - November 7, 2026 12 pm - 3 pm
Building on your knowledge of water based extraction from Class 2, we will now show you how to use these types of ingredients in skincare products. During this class we will be emulsifying essential oils into water based ingredients to create vital and active botanical skincare products. We will experiment with toners, water based serums, gels and cleansers.
Class 5: Emulsions - January 30, 2027 12 pm - 3 pm
In our final class we will bring both of the elements (oil & water) together and explore how to make emulsions. Emulsions are products that include oil based and water based ingredients and they are the most challenging products to master with natural materials. This class cannot be taken unless you’ve attended the 4 previous classes.
Other important topics we will be covering
- good manufacturing processes
- when preservatives are necessary and which ones to use
- emulsification without using ethoxylates
- our favourite guides, tools & materials
- trustworthy sources for hard to find ingredients
- lots of tips and favourite recipes
Spaces are limited. The cost of this course includes all materials. If you need to pay in smaller installments get in touch.
We will issue a Certificate of Completion to everyone who completes the full course
If you’d like to register for specific sections separately, please send us an email and we will assist you subject to availability.
