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.
In the October Q&A post, Chelsea asked, Hey swift – I am super interested in azelaic acid and some in general information about it. I made sure to to check via the search first and didn’t produce results; though I hope I didnt accidentally miss this ingredient info on the blog. Thank you much for...
AminoSensyl™ SC (INCI: Brassica alcohol (and) Brassica Valinate Esylate (and) Brassica Glycerides) is a close cousin to AminoSensyl™ HC, but it has the added Brassica Glycerides to thicken the product. This one is designed for higher oil loads than its cousin – up to 40% oil phase! Wow! They note this emulsifier creates rich textures,...
AminoSensyl™ HC (INCI: Brassica alcohol and Brassicyl Valinate Esylate) is a brand new positively charged or cationic emulsifier suitable for use in lotions and conditioners. It’s an amino-acid based conditioner not based on quats that promises to condition, smooth, and strengthen hair. It’s 100% naturally compliant, and doesn’t require neutralization to increase or decrease the...
In the September Q&A, Patricia asked, Hi Susan. I have been a subscriber for a while now and just got myself upgraded and am so excited to see all the stuffs that i have been missing up till now :-). I have been using Varisoft in my conditioner bars up till now, but bought some...
Brassicyl Valinate Esylate is an “amino acid lipid” derived from the amino acid, valine. It’s cationic or positively charged, so it acts as a conditioning agent that’s substantive to hair and skin, but it isn’t a quaternary compound, like behentrimonium methosulfate, behentrimonium chloride, cetrimonium chloride, or polyquaternium 7 to name a few. This ingredient is...