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: 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.