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.
SwiftCraftyMonkey 
In the monthly Q&A, Bita asked Hello, this is a quick question, I am formulating body oils and gosh I am now debating T-50 [mixed tocopherols] addition to final formula. Some say get the most out of it and add 0.5% to final but some say stick to 0.2% T-50 for final formula, can you...
Join me for this awesome Chemistry Thursday post in which we’re looking at how masculine scents differ from those we’ve met in the series so far. We’ll also look at hexyl cinnamyl (aka hexyl cinnamate or ⍺-hexylcinnamaldehyde), hexamethylindanopyran (Galaxolide), tetramethylacetyloctahydronaphthalenes (Iso E Super, synthetic), and phenethyl alcohol, molecules found in more “masculine” fragrance oils than...
I’m trying to decide the topic for our next Zoom workshop on Sunday, August 23, 2026, at noon PDT (Vancouver, Canada time), and I need your help! I’ve been choosing the topics based on your interest, the ingredients I have or what’s easily available around the world, or what I need to make for my … Read more
If you’re thinking about making anything for the upcoming celebration seasons, autumn markets, or winter markets, get a’shoppin’ now! August is the rush month for supply shopping, and if you don’t get things now, you may need to wait until later in the autumn to get what you’re looking for. This is especially important for...
Are we lucky or what? Once again this month, Windy Point Soap Making Supplies in Calgary is offering you, my lovely readers, a coupon code to get all kinds of wonderful things for less! Want a few ideas on what you can buy there? If you’re interested in making the 10 minute lotions with cold emulsifiers I...