Abstract: An apparatus is described for providing a customized, personal care product to a consumer at a location, typically the point of sale, that is remote from a second location in which a personal care product base composition is prepared. A selection of customizing agents of different classes with a common vehicle is made available to the consumer for custom formulation of a personal care product with the desired attributes. The apparatus typically includes a plurality of product base dispensers, a plurality of fragrance dispensers, and a plurality of customizing agent dispensers that may contain benefit agents, botanical extracts, active ingredients for skin and hair, and the like. A blank vehicle is substituted if insufficient customizing agents are selected. Efficient mixing mechanisms are also described.

Abstract: A vehicle, and a fragrance concentrate are described for providing a customized, personal care product to a consumer at a location, typically the point of sale, that is remote from a second location in which a personal care product base composition is prepared. The custom personal care product typically includes a product base, a fragrance concentrate, and one or more performance agent concentrates that may contain benefit agents, botanical extracts, active ingredients for skin and hair, and the like. The inventive vehicle is substituted to the extent that an insufficient amount of performance agents are selected by the consumer to obtain optimum, final product, component concentrations.

Abstract: A system is described for providing a customized, personal care product to a consumer at a location, typically the point of sale, that is remote from a second location in which a personal care product base composition is prepared. A selection of performance agents of different classes with a common vehicle is made available to the consumer for custom formulation of a personal care product with the desired attributes. The system typically includes a product base, a fragrance part, and one or more performance agent parts that may contain benefit agents, botanical extracts, active ingredients for skin and hair, and the like. A blank vehicle is substituted if insufficient performance agents are selected.

Abstract: The method disclosed is one wherein n pumps and n relative solenoid valves operated by a single microprocessor-controlled stepping motor dispense one or more of n colouring agents into a paint/varnish medium. The quantity dispensed is either a proper or improper fraction of an integer of 1/m of the volumetric unit of measure (fluid oz) and is defined p, a nominal value reflecting the number of half-steps indexed by the motor which is corrected proportionally by comparison of the effective and the nominal weight of a droplet downstream of the pump and upstream of the solenoid valve in order to produce an effective number of half-steps x. A similar correction is made to the number R of half steps which correspond to the delay occasioned by operation of the solenoid valve, comparing the effective and nominal weights of the droplet downstream of the valve; the speed of the motor is corrected to compensate for system resistances.