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 don’t really talk about fragrances much, but I do like solid perfumes! I can’t wear them much because we have no scent policy at work, but it’s nice to catch a whiff of white chocolate or blueberry on my wrists or neck in the summer. I’ve created a new SnapGuide on how to make...
Working out right now is an adventure in sweaty grossness, and I have to wash my hair every single day right now (not a good thing, I know)! This morning I found I had forgotten to pack my leave in conditioner and anti-frizz, but rather than dash home, I thought I’d do a little test...
In this post on stearic acid, Louise asks: I hate the idea of anything “unnatural” in a skin or face cream. Stearic acid is natural. (It’s also known as octodecanoic acid.) It’s one of the things that makes our butters stiffer than oils – look at cocoa butter, mango butter, shea butter, or other butters – and...
We took at look at what decyl glucoside is and the pH and thickening problems associated with it last week. Let’s take a look at a few questions about this ingredient, then look at how we can substitute it into a recipe. Why is the pH so high? I’m sorry, but I have no idea why...
I stumbled upon this scrub, Fresh Brown Sugar Polish through Sephora.com, while reading the newspaper this morning. At $65, it claims to be anti-bacterial and hydrating for “thirsty skin cells”. The site claims that it offers the “restorative, antibacterial properties of sugar”. The paper claimed that the scrub has become a “cult-classic in the beauty...