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.
We’re breaking records in the Fraser Valley with temperatures up to 32˚C, and I’m cranky. (Lest you doubt it’s hot, we’re breaking records from the 1930’s!) I don’t like the summer temperatures unless I’m camping or at the lake, so I need to find things to make the summer just a little bit less annoying....
I’m a big fan of both IPM and IPP – I generally add them at 2% in a lot of my creations to make it feel slightly less greasy (although I do like a greasier feeling lotion, IPP and IPM offer just enough reduction to stop me from leaving huge greasy fingerprints on my iPod...
A facial moisturizer is the perfect place to use C12-15 alkyl benzoate or cetearyl ethylhexanoate as they’re lightweight, emollient, non-comedogenic, and non-greasy, meaning we get the benefits of an oil without the possible drawbacks like blackheads or break-outs. And the increased occlusivity of C12-15 alkyl benzoate is always great for facial products! Let’s take a...
Esters are a great inclusion in a facial serum to increase its ability to spread nicely over your skin and to decrease the feeling of oiliness. If you’re a person who can’t handle oils on your skin, esters can be a way to get some emolliency and occlusion without having to worry about break outs!...
Cetearyl ethylhexanoate (also known as cetearyl octanoate, and found under the trade name Tegosoft Liquid, Luvitor EHO, Schercemol CO ester, and Crodamol CAP) is a light, colourless liquid that does have a faint odour. It has a shelf life of 24 months and can be used at up to 25% in our creations. Its viscosity...