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.
madpiano asks in this post: I do have a question though, as we are in Europe, we have slightly different preservatives available. I mainly use one called Microkill, it’s INCI is: Phenoxyethanol (and) Caprylyl Glycol (and) Chlorphenesin. Is there anything I need to watch out for? I know there is a similar US one, but that contians...
Mineral oil. This is probably one of the most maligned ingredients out there. If you read just a sampling of what shows up in a google search, you’ll start to think it’s a greasy demon just waiting to damage your skin, give you cancer, cover your skin like plastic wrap, and generally kill you well...
Although we’ve participated every year without knowing about it, this Saturday, November 13th, is National Gaming Day at your local library! From the ilovelibraries.org website: “On November 13, 2010, libraries across the country will participate in the largest, simultaneous national video game tournament ever held! Kids will be able to compete against players at other...
Dipropylene glycol shares many of the characteristics of propylene glycol, but it has a higher boiling point (232.2˚C vs. 188˚C for propylene glycol) and a higher molecular weight. It’s used more as a fragrance fixative than a humectant, although it can behave as a hygroscopic ingredient. It will reduce the freezing point of your products...
In line at a shop the other day, a woman turned to me and told me that propylene glycol was in anti-freeze and ranch dressing! “I’m not eating anti-freeze,” she said. I have no idea why she told me this. It wasn’t like I was telling her about my love of cosmetic chemistry or holding...