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.
There may be restrictions on certain preservatives in your part of the world, something to keep in mind when you’re following formulas or creating new ones. I do my best to keep up to date on these things, but I can’t possibly know every single restriction outside of Canada or the USA because I only...
In the monthly Q&A, Chavi asked, You also use the term “fish eyes when using rheology modifiers. Could you provide a photo so I know what to look for? Thanks! “”Fish eyes” are agglomerates of partially hydrated powders characterized by a tough outer layer which prevents the complete wetting of particles within the interior.” (Reference) Basically, they’re...
In the monthly Q&A, Chavi asked, Hi Susan, I often see you mention if a surfactant blend can be thickened with salt. Could you describe the actual process of thickening with salt? Thanks! Adding salt – sodium chloride, table salt – is a good way to thicken certain surfactants and blends! It does this in two...
This came up the other day, and I thought it’d make for an interesting post. What does it mean for an ingredient or product to be vegan? Quick summary if you don’t want to read the whole post: When it comes to making products, most of our ingredients are plant- or mineral-derived (like sand or...
This conditioning ingredient profile appeared in its original form in the e-book, Shiny things, volume 3: Things that distracted me, issued in November 2019. This is is the kind of material I share in these e-books – ingredient profiles, emollient profiles, other profiles along with formulas to show you how to use them. Many are exclusive...