Method and system for manufacturing customizable lipstick in a retail environment

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to methods and systems of manufacturing customizable lipstick. In some embodiments, the lipstick can be manufactured through the use of customer selections within a short period of time in a retail environment, without requiring specialized technicians. In some embodiments, the color and flavor of the customizable lipstick can be selected from a display device by a consumer.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for manufacturing customizable lipstick, the method comprising:
 selecting properties of the customizable lipstick from a selection of shown properties;   adding ingredients corresponding to the selected properties in a container;   mixing the ingredients to form a pourable and homogenous mixture;   pouring the homogeneous mixture into a lipstick mould; and   chilling the lipstick mould until the mixture solidifies thereby forming the customizable lipstick;   wherein the method is performed in a retail environment.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the customizable lipstick can be customized and manufactured in approximately 6 minutes. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein approximately 10-200 different customizable lipsticks per hour can be produced. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising removing the customizable lipstick from the mould and inserting the customizable lipstick into an industry-standard, cylinder-shaped lipstick container. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a person performing the manufacturing steps is not a trained chemist, lab technician or person with knowledge of the typical lipstick manufacturing process. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the mixing, pouring and chilling steps are automated. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the properties are selected from a group consisting of color, flavor, opacity, and gloss/matte. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the color is selected from a palette of at least about 100 to 200 colors, and the flavor is selected from a list of approximately 1 to 40 flavors. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the customizable lipstick performs as well as a factory-produced lipstick. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein at least some of the ingredients are prepared in advance in a palette of at least about 1-20 different colors and in pieces weighing approximately 1-10 grams each. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein mixing comprises spinning the ingredients in a centrifuge at approximately 2000 to 5000 rpm for about 10-100 seconds. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the container is substantially sealed during the mixing steps, such that no lipstick material exits the container, thereby leaving an area surrounding the container suitable for the retail environment. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the filled mould is chilled for about 1-5 minutes at −30 to −10° C. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the ingredients corresponding to the selected properties are displayed in a display case configured for retail viewing. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising heating the ingredients. 
     
     
         16 . A system for manufacturing customizable lipstick in a retail environment, the system comprising:
 a display case configured to display solid ingredients that correspond to selectable lipstick properties;   a processing container configured to receive the solid ingredients corresponding to selected properties and mix and heat the ingredients to form a pourable and substantially homogenous mixture;   a mould configured to receive the homogenous mixture; and   a chiller configured to re-solidify the mixture in the mould.   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , further comprising a lipstick container configured to receive the re-solidified mixture. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the processing container is configured to heat the ingredients.