today i want to talk about something that’s incredibly important when making your own skincare. preservation. one of the reasons i’ve chosen to start the formula room with three simple oil-based products is that they don’t require us to formulate water-based emulsions. there’s a significant difference between creating a balm using oils, butters + wax, + making a face cream containing water. water-based skincare generally needs a properly designed preservative system to help prevent microbial contamination. here’s something worth remembering: vitamin e isn’t a preservative. it’s an antioxidant that can help slow oil oxidation, but it doesn’t reliably protect against bacteria, yeast + mould. our water-free formulations are simpler in that respect, but we still need to think about hygiene, ingredient quality, packaging + storage. i want the formula room to be more than following a recipe. i want you to understand why we’re using particular ingredients + what each one actually does. because that’s what makes skincare formulation interesting! 💬 a question for everyone: have you ever made a homemade skincare product? if so, what did you make? + did you think about preservation? i’d love to hear about your experiences. 🌿

i came across some interesting research that i thought was worth sharing with you. researchers analysed 38 viral korean skincare tiktoks + found that almost 95% contained at least one potentially misleading claim. that’s a pretty confronting statistic. but here’s something important. this isn’t evidence that korean skincare is bad. it’s evidence that some of the claims being made about skincare online deserve closer scrutiny. it got me thinking about something. why should you believe what i say about skincare? i’m here making videos about skincare ingredients, products + formulations. i’m sharing what i’m learning, explaining ingredient functions + questioning marketing claims. but that doesn’t make me immune to getting something wrong. i don’t want anyone in this community to think they should automatically accept everything i say. quite the opposite. i want you to question things. if something doesn’t make sense, ask. if you see a skincare claim that sounds too good to be true, investigate it. if i explain an ingredient + you find evidence that challenges what i’ve said, bring it into the conversation. that’s how we all learn. because the zook lab isn’t supposed to be another place where someone tells you what to buy. it’s supposed to be a place where we learn how to think about skincare for ourselves. 💬 let’s discuss! what’s one skincare claim you’ve heard online that you’re not entirely convinced about? share it below + we might investigate it together. skincare, decoded. not blindly believed. 🌿

i’ve been experimenting with making my own skincare for a while now. - one of the things i’ve discovered is just how satisfying it is to understand what you’re making. not just mixing a few ingredients together. actually knowing why you’ve chosen them. what they contribute. - how changing the proportions can change the finished product. that’s what i want to share with you in the zook lab formula room. i’m putting together our first beginner-friendly workshop, where we’ll learn to make three simple skincare products. 💦 1. facial cleansing oil an oil-based cleanser that helps dissolve makeup, sunscreen + excess oil. 🌿 2. nourishing facial oil a blend of botanical oils designed to soften + condition your skin. 🧴 3. everywhere balm a multipurpose balm for lips, cuticles, hands + dry patches. no previous experience needed. we’ll explore the ingredients, what they do + how to combine them to create your own products. i want you to finish the workshop with more than three lovely skincare products. i want you to feel more confident understanding the ingredients you’re using. because that’s what the zook lab has always been about. skincare, decoded. 💬 now i need your help! which of these three products are you most excited to learn to make? 1. facial cleansing oil 2. nourishing facial oil 3. everywhere balm tell me below! your answers will help me shape the workshop. 🌿 want to join the first session? join the early-interest list through the link in my bio.

i was looking back through some of my videos + photos from this year + realised just how much has happened. what started with me talking about skincare ingredients has turned into quite the little adventure. i’ve decoded countless ingredient lists. questioned some pretty outrageous skincare claims. experimented with making my own products. made a few things i absolutely love. made a few things that needed another attempt. 😂 somewhere along the way, the zook lab started becoming something much bigger than i’d originally imagined. but here’s what hasn’t changed: i still believe that understanding skincare ingredients is one of the most valuable things we can learn as consumers. not because we should be frightened of what’s in our products. quite the opposite. because knowledge takes away the guesswork. when you understand ingredients, you’re less likely to be swayed by exaggerated claims, expensive packaging or whatever happens to be trending that week. you can make decisions based on what your skin actually needs. that’s what i want the zook lab to be about. a place to ask questions, learn things, challenge assumptions + have a bit of fun along the way. i’m still building it. still learning. still experimenting. i’m really glad you’re here for the ride. we’re just getting started. 🌿 💬 a question for the community: i’m curious…what would you love to see more of from the zook lab? - ingredient breakdowns + product reviews - simple, practical skincare tips - behind-the-scenes skincare formulation - the business-building journey - a bit of everything! tell me below. i’m listening! 👇

okay, i’m getting a little bit obsessed with making skincare. 😂 yesterday i made another face oil. today i’m using it. - there’s something ridiculously satisfying about that. not just because i made it myself. but because i understand why every ingredient is there. what it contributes. why i chose it. - what i wanted the finished product to feel like. that’s the part i really want to share with you. because the zook lab has always been about understanding skincare ingredients. but now we’re taking it a step further. from reading formulas → to making some of our own. the formula room is coming together + i’m working on the first few products we’ll make. we’re starting with simple, useful products that don’t require complicated cosmetic chemistry. things like face oils, cleansing oils + multipurpose balms. - we’ll learn why each ingredient is there, not just follow a recipe blindly. because i want you to finish the workshop with more than a jar of something you made. i want you to understand what you’ve made. so here’s my question: if you could learn to make your own face oil, what would you want it to do? feel lightweight? nourish dry skin? leave a beautiful glow? or something else?