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.
Cocoa butter is a staple in bath and body creations with 25 to 30% palmitic acid (C16), 31 to 35% stearic acid (C18), 34 to 36% oleic acid (C18:1), and 3% linoleic acid. It is filled with wonderful polyphenols and phytosterols that may benefit your skin! (And you can eat it in the event of...
If you’ve been reading this blog, you’ll know I like my lotions to be a bit oily – I hate that word, but it fits! – with lots of slip and glide. If you’re a non-oily lotion kind of person, there are a few things you can try to reduce that feeling and make a...
You can whip mango butter the way you’d whip shea butter, but you might want to consider mixing the mango with shea or another soft butter. It feels very nice, but some people find it astringent and a bit drying. I wouldn’t consider using avocado butter here – the two together will feel very powdery...
I love using mango butter in a solid scrub bar in the shower. It melts at body temperature, and it keeps its shape nicely. (For the original post on the solid scrub, click here.) If you have normal to oily skin, feel free to use 20% mango butter – if you have dry skin, consider...
Isn’t this mangiferin molecule beautiful? Mango butter (from the seed) is composed of 6% palmitic acid (C16), 42% stearic acid (C18), 46% oleic acid (C18:1), and 3% linoleic acid (C18:2). It contains Vitamins A, B, and C. We know oleic acid offers great moisturizing and softening of our skin by being well absorbed by the...