Conny Oberrauter — The Cosmetics Chef. I chat to Conny about starting her business and her book
With Conny Oberrauter — The Cosmetics Chef. I chat to Conny about starting her business and her book
In short
Conny Oberrauter turned a matric-leaver's cold call through the Yellow Pages into a career as a qualified cosmetic chemist, a consulting business, and finally The Cosmetics Chef — a book of 50 recipes for making cosmetics in a domestic kitchen, plus ingredient kits and workshops. She also unpicks the scare stories around parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate and animal testing. The one takeaway: A cold call through the Yellow Pages, not a degree, opened the door to Conny's career as a cosmetic chemist.
How did she get into cosmetic chemistry when she couldn't afford university?
She opened the Yellow Pages and phoned chemical companies asking for a bursary or apprenticeship. Most said no, but one referred her to a woman named Diane who ran a cosmetics manufacturing company, Q Cosmetics. Conny spent a day at the factory the day after finishing her matric exams and fell in love with making cosmetics.
How do you actually qualify as a cosmetic chemist in South Africa?
Through a two-year diploma run by the Society of Cosmetic Chemists, since no university offers a specialised cosmetic course. The first year covers emulsion technology, chemistry, and skin and hair biology; the second focuses on production, manufacturing and packaging. Conny studied part-time while working, starting on the factory floor compounding cosmetics.
What does a cosmetics formulation consultant do for someone starting a brand?
Everything from product idea to product launch. A client says they want, for example, an anti-ageing cream with wrinkle-reduction benefits; Conny compiles the formulation, makes samples for testing, checks it against target costing, then connects the client with contract manufacturers and helps them meet the legal requirements so the product can even be exported.
Why did she leave consulting to write a recipe book instead?
Consulting meant selling limited hours, and growing it would have pulled her away from the lab bench she loves into management. A friend who saw her Thermomix asked whether cosmetics could be made in a kitchen. She initially laughed, then realised a recipe book from an actual cosmetic chemist did not exist.
How long did the book take from idea to launch?
Under a year. She settled on the idea over the December 2016 break, spent six months of weekends in her kitchen creating, perfecting and testing 50 recipes, finished testing by July 2017, then wrote the science sections, hired a professional editor and product photographer, and launched in November 2017.
Why does she sell ingredient kits rather than pointing people to health shops?
Because supermarket and health-shop ingredients were too limiting and the resulting products didn't feel good enough. Industry-only ingredients, such as her organic emulsifier Beauty Mousse, give the luxurious feel people expect. She buys in 10-kilo packs and repacks into 100-gram quantities, storing stock in a warehouse and her converted home lab.
Are ingredients like sodium lauryl sulfate and parabens really harmful?
No, according to Conny. Sodium lauryl sulfate is a safe cleansing agent; its high pH makes it an irritant, which formulators offset by pairing it with cocamidopropyl betaine and citric acid. The parabens-cancer scare rests on one flawed, never peer-reviewed study whose test area had been cleaned with a paraben solution and which lacked a control.
Is animal testing still part of the cosmetics industry?
Not in South Africa for at least the last 15 to 20 years, and there are no local facilities specialising in it. Historical safety testing on ingredients was done decades ago, which is why cruelty-free claims carry a cut-off date — most products contain something tested on animals, but long ago.
What happens at a Cosmetics Chef workshop?
A three-hour session at the Miele kitchen in Bryanston, run roughly every two months, where Conny makes premium products alongside attendees — anti-ageing serums, firming body lotions and beauty masks — and everyone leaves with three products. She also does home demonstrations for groups of friends.
In their words
I also realized that consulting is you selling hours, and of course hours are limited, and I needed to make a decision about where am I gonna go with my business.
And I thought, actually why can't you make cosmetics in the kitchen? If I know how to make in a lab, why can't I simplify it so that everybody can make it in their kitchen?
The reality is it's sleepless nights, there is a lot of stress, you worry about things. A lot of days I feel like I'm in way over my head, I don't know what I'm doing, I've completely left my comfort zone, which is the lab.
And the fact is all of these supposed scare stories, including the parabens on the cancer side, they are not based on real scientific evidence.
In South Africa right now, and for at least the last 15 or 20 years, no cosmetic products, finished products or ingredients have been tested on animals in South Africa.
Key takeaways
- A cold call through the Yellow Pages, not a degree, opened the door to Conny's career as a cosmetic chemist.
- Growing a consulting business would have meant more management and less lab work, so she built a product business instead.
- The book was deliberately completed in under a year because she knew she would lose interest if it dragged on.
- Homemade cosmetics only feel like shop-bought ones if you can get industry-grade ingredients, which is why she repacks and sells them.
- The parabens and sodium lauryl sulfate scares are not supported by sound science, but the corrections never caught up with the headlines.
- Homemade does not mean short-lived: properly preserved recipes were formulated for real shelf life.
Show notes
On this episode I chat to Conny founder of The Cosmetics Chef about her journey to starting a new business as well a her book and the courses she offers.
Frequently asked questions
How long do the homemade products last?
The formulated recipes were tested for a shelf life of at least 18 months and need no refrigeration, because they use preservatives. Only the fresh-food recipes, such as the avocado hair mask or pineapple mask, must be used immediately.
Are the ingredients natural or organic?
All are natural or naturally derived, and some are organic. Conny notes that organic ingredients are hard to source in South Africa because most cosmetic raw materials are imported and the local market is a tiny share of global demand.
Is making your own actually cheaper?
David compared a muscle bath soak recipe of almonds, citric acid, bicarbonate of soda, salt and Epsom salts to a retail equivalent selling for 180 to 250 rand; Conny said you could make double the quantity at home for about 20 rand.
Where can the book be bought and what does it cost?
From her website, thecosmeticschef.com, for 350 rand. It contains 50 handcrafted recipes plus sections on cosmetic science, preservatives, emulsifiers, and skin and hair biology. Enquiries go to [email protected].
What is the CTFA and what does being on its technical committee involve?
The Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association handles cosmetics legislation in South Africa, where the industry is self-regulated. The technical committee monitors legislation, industry issues, proper standards and correct advertising.
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