Chemistry Assistant

I was never very good at science in high school. I mostly got turned off by biology, probably because the formaldehyde odor in the lab gave me an awful headache. And since I did so badly at biology, I never even considered taking chemistry. I mean, really, Typing III seemed a much better fit at the time.

Jump ahead 3 decades and I’m up to my elbows in soapmaking, lotion making, cream making, shampoo making and all the chemistry that entails. Why didn’t any of those teachers tell me that cosmetics and beauty products are all about chemistry? I would have forced myself to withstand the stench of the biology lab if I could have made my own moisturizer or hair conditioner!

And that brings me to this great find. ChemFinder makes looking up various chemicals a snap. No googling and clicking all over the place. This one site gives you all the info you could need for any chemical. For more comprehensive data, students can purchase a one year subscription to ChemIndex for just $30/year. That’s a great bargain, especially for such a useful reference site.

Even if you aren’t a student, go ahead and check out the site. Look up a chemical, like caffeine, and see all the info you get. Enter a chemical from the ingredient list of one of your cosmetics or your shampoo. See? Chemistry really is interesting, isn’t it?