Every time you squeeze toothpaste onto your toothbrush, spray perfume on your skin, or swallow a pill, you’re using the result of a carefully crafted recipe made in a lab. These are called formulations.

Formulations aren’t just simple mixtures—they’re complex arrangements of ingredients designed to work together in specific ways. Getting the recipe right can mean the difference between a product that sits on the shelf (or never makes it to the shelf) and one that changes lives.

Here at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), we’re revolutionizing how scientists create and improve formulations. We hope the result will be better products you use every day.

The process combines robotics, artificial intelligence, and analysis of advanced materials. For example, we can use neutrons or X-rays to take pictures of how molecules millions of times smaller than a human hair are arranged in materials.

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