Author Guidelines

Submitting a Feature Article/Idea

  1. Pitch Your Idea. Do you have an article idea? We want to hear it! Please send it through our Online Editorial Form or email the editor at [email protected].
  2. Submit an Abstract. If you have something already in the works, send us your abstract and a proposed title—also through our Online Editorial Form. Note that technical articles book up months in advance, so reach out early with your ideas. In addition, your full manuscript is required at least 4 months prior to the anticipated* month of publication, in order to permit peer-review time.
  3. Send in Your Manuscript. While we recommend submitting an idea or abstract first (for planning purposes), we're always pleased to receive full manuscripts. After accepted by the peer reviewer, articles are tentatively scheduled* for publication in our print and/or digital formats. Submit through our Online Editorial Form.

*Publication dates for editorial are always tentative. While we strive to meet the requests of our authors, the final publication date is at the editor's discretion.

2025 Feature Article Submission Deadlines

See the 2025 media planner or propose your own idea.

January 2025: Oct. 1, 2024

March 2025: Nov. 15, 2024

May 2025: Jan. 3, 2025

July/Aug 2025: March 3, 2025

October 2025: June 2, 2025

February 2025: Oct. 20, 2024

April 2025: Dec. 2, 2024

June 2025: Feb. 3, 2025

September 2025: May 1, 2025

Nov/Dec 2025: July 1, 2025

Content Requirements

  • Original. Submissions must be original, presenting new information relevant to the development of cosmetics and personal care products. In order to publish your work, you will be required to sign an author agreement, which assigns publishing rights to Allured Business Media, publisher of Cosmetics & Toiletries.
  • Peer-reviewed. All manuscripts submitted will be peer-reviewed by one or more Cosmetics & Toiletries advisors for soundness of science and appropriateness for our audience. Upon reviewer acceptance, articles will be scheduled for publication.
  • Support Your Claims. Any claims made in the article must be substantiated with references and/or data. Note: For charts/figures, please include error bars on graphs and the p-value to indicate statistical significance level.
  • Technically Focused and Nonpromotional. Promotional and marketing language is not permitted. Focus on the science. When discussing a product, the trade name may be referenced initially in the footnotes but the chemical and/or INCI name should be used in the main text of the article.
  • Novel and Relevant. Articles should cover new or cutting-edge concepts in cosmetics and personal care formulating, research and testing, or updates and insights on regulatory information. All articles should be applicable to personal care product development. This information may come from within the industry or from peripheral fields. In the latter case, the article should propose how cosmetic scientists could practically apply the information presented.
  • Review Articles. Review articles also are acceptable, so long as they provide a comprehensive view of the subject matter and are presented in the context of the current cosmetics and personal care market.
  • International Audience. Cosmetics & Toiletries speaks to a technical international audience. Please write using scientific language that is familiar to cosmetic chemists worldwide.

Submission Requirements

  • Complete Contact Information. Include name(s), title(s), company or organization affiliation(s) and city/country location(s) for all authors. For the primary corresponding author, include current mailing address, phone number and e-mail address.
  • Digital Format. Submit articles in a digital format to the C&T managing editor, Rachel Grabenhofer, at [email protected]. Word files for PC are preferred.
  • Manuscript Length: Approx. 2,000 Words. Exceptions will be made but longer manuscript may be split into parts.
  • Manuscript Components:
    • Proposed article title. Descriptive yet short and catchy titles are best to draw the readers' eyes; editors will work with you to ensure accuracy and appeal.
    • Author byline—including professional affiliations, i.e., Ph.D. or M.D., and the business affiliations and location of each author
    • Key concepts—two to four short statements (~30 words) descrbing the take-aways from your article.
    • Main text—including:
      1. Introduction. Briefly explain the premise of the study or why the content of the article is a topic of interest;
      2. Experimental Design. If appropriate, provide a description of the experiment and protocol, including a discussion of: instruments used and their manufacturers; tested ingredients with INCI names, suppliers and test levels/concentrations used; test formulas and amounts used; experimental conditions and controls/benchmarks; sample size(s), if appropriate; p-values; etc. Clinical data is also very appealing to readers.
      3. Results. Provide results from the tests performed or conclusions from the literature reviewed; if tests were performed, include figures (with error bars), graphs, etc., illustrating findings and compared with controls/benchmarks.
      4. Discussion. Discuss the results and conclusions, and explain why they are significant and relevant; i.e., what they mean to cosmetic scientists.
      5. Conclusion or Summary. Review the work described in the article and implications for how it impacts the cosmetic scientist or overall industry.
    • References. Support the information presented and claims made.
      *Please do not format the references as endnotes, list them as text at the end of the paper. Note that new as of 2019, we generally follow the APA style for references. Following are examples for: 1) journal articles, 2) books, 3) chapters in books, 4) patents and 5) websites:

      1. Tyler, A. P., Palmer, T., Jr., and Smith, J. G. (1987). Surfactants for shampoos: A review. J Soc Cosmet Chem 99(4) 43-54.

      2. Schueller, R. and Romanowski, P. (1999). Beginning Cosmetic Chemistry. Carol Sream, IL, USA: Allured Business Media (1999)

      3. Orth, D. and Appa, Y. (2000). Glycerin: A natural ingredient for moisturizing skin, in Lodén, M. and Maibach, H. I., eds, Dry Skin and Moisturizers—Chemistry and Function. Boca Raton, FL USA: CRC Press 213-224.

      4. Tyler, A. P. and Smith, J. P. (1987, Dec 10). US Pat 4,111,323. Copolymers for shampoo formulations, assigned to The Cosmetic House.

      5. Linkhorn, T. (2018, Dec 19). UT engineering professors' invention named to prestigious R&D 100 list. University of Toledo. Available at http://utnews.utoledo.edu/index.php/12_19_2018/ut-engineering-professors-invention-named-to-prestigious-rd-top-100-list

Design Requirements

Figures

  • JPG or EPS. Figures should be submitted as JPG or EPS files and saved at a resolution of 300 dpi or higher. Figures should not include trade names; please use chemical or INCI names. In addition, we welcome illustrative images that relate to a product's application.
  • Large Files can be sent via Dropbox, YouSendIt or other free services. Please indicate with your article submission if you will be sending files through these services.
  • Please DO NOT rely on embedded figures in Microsoft Word or those copied from the Internet. They will not reproduce clearly in print. You may include low-resolution images in the text for placement purposes only; separate, high-resolution JPG or EPS files also are required.
  • Indicate Figure Placement. Include instructions in your text for figure placement, such as "INSERT FIGURE # HERE" or embed low-resolution images to illustrate placement.
  • Figure/Table/Formula, etc., Captions. Provide captions for your additional article elements.

Tables

  • Microsoft Word or Excel. Tables may be dropped into the article text where they belong in the layout or at the end of the article. If the latter, please include the instruction "INSERT TABLE # HERE" within the text. Tables may also be provided in a Microsoft Excel format, again, with instructions as to where they should appear in the layout.

Formulas

  • Formulas must be titled and numbered.
  • Text, Table or Microsoft Excel. Formulas may be formatted in Microsoft Word as text, tabbed across the various columns, or as a table within the text. They may also be provided as separate Microsoft Excel files.
  • INCI Names are Required; trade names may be included so long as they also include the name of the supplier.
  • List Each Ingredient on a Separate Line with its relevant quantity or percentage. Please be sure your formulas add up to 100%, if applicable.
  • Indicate Placement in the Article. If formulas are not embedded in the text and provided as separate Microsoft Excel files or Tables at the end of the article, please provide the instruction "INSERT FORMULA # HERE" in the text to indicate their placement.

Questions?

For submissions or inquiries, please contact:

Rachel Grabenhofer, ELS
Managing Scientific Editor
Cosmetics & Toiletries
336 Gundersen Drive, Suite D
Carol Stream, IL 60188 USA
Tel: 1-630-344-6072
Fax: 1-630-653-2192
[email protected]