Welcome to the home of SwiftCraftyMonkey Formulating Inc.! Join Susan as she obsesses about cosmetic chemistry and other things (some possibly related to monkeys)! Here you’ll find over 5,000 posts and formulas written over the past 16 years for everything from lotions, creams, and body butters to hair care products to fancy facial products filled with actives and cosmeceuticals! Enjoy the site without distractions – no ads, pop ups, sponsored posts, affiliate links, “one weird tricks” – all supported by readers like you.
…I send it out as soon as I can. I have to do it by e-mail, which means i need to be awake and near a computer/smartphone/tablet to send it out, but I generally get it out within an hour or two. Sooner if I’m actually looking at said device, a bit longer if I’m...
How much stuff should you order when you order supplies? This is a great question posed by Sandra in the what do you want to know? post. This is a hard question to answer because it depends upon the ingredient, the product you’re making, and how much you’ll use the ingredients, but I’ll offer a...
I’m excited that you’re thinking about making a lotion! They are such great products, and after you’ve made one for the first time, you won’t be so scared about making it again! I encourage you to follow the recipe and instructions exactly the first time you make it, and keep loads of notes so you...
Someone – sorry, can’t remember who – suggested I write some posts about what to buy when you’re starting out. This is a very big question, and it depends upon the product you’re making. Let’s take a look at anhydrous products. Anhydrous means “without water”, so anhydrous products are ones we make with oil soluble...
In this post, Iron chemist: Sodium lactate, Matt asks: When you say “I use sodium lactate at 2.5% or lower in my products because at 3% it can make you sun sensitive” Do you mean the total concentration of sodium lactate should not exceed 2.5%? I have the liquid version which is a 60/40 blend...