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’m an ingredient junkie, so you know that when Voyageur Soap & Candle brought in Rita BTMS-225, I had to have it. What’s it all about and how do we use it? The INCI for BTMS-225 is Behentrimonium Methosulfate (and) Cetearyl Alcohol. It’s a hair and skin conditioner as well as a complete emulsifier. If...
Let’s take a look at modifying my six ingredient lotion with shea, soy bean, and sesame oil. (Click on the link if you want to see why I used each ingredient as this post doesn’t need to be any longer!) SIX INGREDIENT LOTION WITH SHEA, SOY BEAN, AND SESAME OILHEATED WATER PHASE39.5% water20% aloe vera3%...
I found a comment from someone who was having trouble with lotion separation. In the message, she notes that she is using the base emulsifier from Aromantic in the UK. This is not a complete emulsifier – it’s glyceryl monostearate, a low HLB emulsifier that must be coupled with a high HLB emulsifier to create...
I know what a micellar solution is – “A micellar solution consists of a dispersion of micelles in a solvent (most usually water)” (from Wikipedia) – but I don’t know why these words are being used to sell skin cleansers. As I mentioned the other day, I had occasion to visit a well known Canadian...
So what’s the difference between a lotion and a cream? Or a body butter and a cream? Nothing, to be honest. It’s just another name we give to a product that is generally thicker than a lotion and it tends to be found in a jar. Here’s the plan…We’ll make this on August 21st, which...