Podcast 307: Why you don’t need to be a chemist to formulate

If you’ve ever felt that learning to make your own skincare or haircare products is only reserved for chemists in lab coats, this episode of Green Beauty Conversations is about to change everything for you.

In this special episode, Formula Botanica CEO Lorraine Dallmeier is joined by Formula Botanica’s in-house Cosmetic Scientist, Natalie Garwe, to tackle one of the most persistent myths in beauty – that you have to be a chemist to formulate.

Together, Lorraine and Natalie unpack where this myth comes from, why it continues to shape how people see formulation today, and why this belief has held so many aspiring formulators back for far too long.

As part of this, Natalie shares her own formulation journey, which started not in a lab, but at home, mixing ingredients in her mum’s kitchen as a teenager.

Her path took her through roles with companies such as Unilever and Brenntag and into her current role at Formula Botanica, but experimentation always came first – not credentials.

Long before she studied cosmetic science or worked in industry, she was already formulating out of curiosity and necessity, proving that this craft is learned by doing and experimenting, not by collecting titles.

Natalie’s story is a powerful reminder that formulation is not reserved for a select, academically anointed few, but that everyone can learn to formulate.

So if you’ve ever told yourself you’re “not scientific enough” or “not technical enough” to formulate, or simply been waiting for permission to start, this episode is for you.

“Don’t be afraid to experiment. Don’t be afraid to fail and own your story. It’s your superpower – go ahead and buy those ingredients and start mixing.” — Natalie Garwe

In this episode with Natalie Garwe, you will hear:

• How Natalie started formulating at home: Natalie shares how she began making products as a teenager in her mum’s kitchen and at her cousin’s house, driven by curiosity and necessity rather than any formal training. She talks about her early experiments, including some memorable failures, and how those first attempts sparked a lifelong interest in formulation.
• The difference between a formulator and a chemist: Lorraine and Natalie unpack what it really means to be a formulator versus a chemist. Natalie explains that formulation is about creating products, while chemistry is a deeper study of compounds and how the world is made – meaning you don’t need a chemistry degree to start formulating.
• Where the chemist myth comes from: Marketing, lab coat imagery, and pristine factory visuals have shaped public perception of who is “allowed” or not to formulate. Natalie explains how these images become internalised, even without anyone explicitly saying you need a chemistry degree. The conversation reveals how far removed this image often is from real-life formulation careers.
• What you actually need to start: Natalie breaks down what beginners really need in terms of scientific knowledge. She explains that basic school-level science is enough to get started and that learning through doing is far more important in the early stages. The important thing is curiosity, experimenting and developing a feel for ingredients rather than being “scientifically-inclined” – very much like cooking.
• Why experimentation matters more than knowledge: The episode highlights how hands-on experience builds intuition and confidence in formulation, more than a chemistry background. Natalie talks about how formulators progress by trying, testing and asking questions, rather than memorising scientific theory.

Key takeaways include:

• You don’t need a chemistry degree to start formulating: Natalie is clear that many people in the industry did not begin with a strong scientific background. She explains that curiosity, experimentation and learning by doing are far more important in the beginning than formal qualifications.
• The beauty industry has created a misleading image: This conversation reveals how marketing and advertising have reinforced the idea that only chemists in lab coats can create products. Natalie points out that when you look behind the scenes, many formulators come from diverse backgrounds and learn on the job. This disconnect does a disservice to the real people making products and their varied, inspiring journeys.
• Hands-on practice builds skills that no chemistry degree can teach: Both Lorraine and Natalie reflect on how formal education can fill in gaps, but cannot replace experimentation, intuition and problem-solving. Natalie describes how working in small labs with simple equipment felt surprisingly similar to her early home experiments. This reinforces the idea that practical experience is central to becoming a good formulator.
• Confidence grows after you start: A recurring theme in the episode is imposter syndrome and the belief that you need to be “ready” before you begin. Natalie and Lorraine describe how confidence usually comes after making something that works, even if it isn’t perfect. The episode encourages you to start experimenting first and let belief in your abilities follow. This shift in mindset can be the difference between staying stuck and actually formulating.

Meet our guest: Natalie Garwe, Cosmetic Scientist at Formula Botanica

Natalie Garwe is Formula Botanica’s Cosmetic Scientist, but her journey into formulation started long before she ever worked in a lab.

As a teenager, she began formulating at home after her mother told her she’d need to make her own products rather than buy the mainstream options.

That early curiosity led her into university qualifications and industry, where she went on to work for brands and suppliers including Cosmiko, Reckitt, Unilever and Brenntag, gaining experience from benchtop formulation all the way through to large-scale manufacturing and lab leadership.

Today, Natalie is a core part of Formula Botanica’s mission to teach the world to formulate, and she leads our in-house scientific quality control to ensure that everything we publish – from courses to blogs to videos – stands up to scientific scrutiny and meets our overarching formulation philosophy.

Related episodes/listen next:

• Episode 129: The history of the beauty industry
• Episode 251: From kitchen formulator to global icon – The story of Elizabeth Arden

Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Formula Botanica Green Beauty Conversations podcast. If you enjoyed listening, please share, subscribe and review this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Youtube so that more people can enjoy the show. Don’t forget to follow and connect with us on Facebook and Instagram.

Lorraine Dallmeier

Lorraine Dallmeier is a Biologist, Chartered Environmentalist and the CEO of Formula Botanica, the award-winning online organic cosmetic science school. Read more about Lorraine and the Formula Botanica Team.