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.
Cupuacu butter (INCI: Theobroma grandflorum seed butter) is a relative of cocoa butter, with a less greasy skin that leaves a less shiny appearance. Its melting point is more like refined shea butter at 32 ̊C to 36 ̊C (89˚F to 96.8˚F), so melts in contact with skin, which is lovely. It can be used anywhere you might...
A massive thank you to Shannon of IMCD for introducing me to and sending me this ingredient! I didn’t think I could love working with gums, but she made me a believer! 🙂 We’ll be making two products over the few weeks with this – a lovely fluffy Moisture Renewal Body Wash and those gorgeous, Blooming Jelly...
Sodium cocoyl glutamate is a negatively charged or anionic foamy, bubbly, lathery surfactant derived from amino acids. It’s considered incredibly mild and doesn’t defat the skin like some other, less mild surfactants might. You might find it described as having a “comfortable and soft feeling to skin during and after use”, and it’s noted constantly...
Cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine is an amphoteric surfactant related to cocamidopropyl betaine, known as a sulfobetaine. It’s derived from coconut oil, and is biodegradable. It’s water soluble through a large pH range, reduces irritation of other surfactants, and may thicken bubbly and lathery things, like bubble baths or body washes. Because it’s cationic – thanks to a...
As you probably know, I’m a huge surfactant junkie – they’re like Pokemon, I have to catch them all! – so I thought I’d introduce you to another surfactant I adore, sodium cocoyl glycinate. I used this one a lot in the e-zine, Surfactants: Making foaming facial cleansers, as it’s lovely and mild for all...