The home of SwiftCraftyMonkey Formulating Inc.! Join Susan as she obsesses about cosmetic chemistry and other things (some possibly related to monkeys). Often strange, occasionally useful, and always worth a stop as a point of interest on your journey through the Intertron.
In the monthly Q&A, Chavi asked, Hi Susan! Amazon just recently recommended me the surfactant Disodium 2-Sulfolaurate Powder. I was wondering if you could share more information about what it is, how it can be used or what it can be substituted for. Thanks! Great question! I love delving into new surfactants, so let’s take a look at...
As blueberries are my very favourite fruit, I was super excited to receive this gorgeous liquid extract from Voyageur Soap & Candle* to try in all kinds of water-based and emulsified products! We’ve already met two types of blueberry oil before – Blueberry seed oil (INCI: Vaccinium corymbosum (blueberry) seed oil) and Blueberry seed oil (INCI: Vaccinium...
This is a neat new anionic (negatively charged) cold process gelling agent that’s considered green, eco-friendly, and natural. Siligel (INCI: Xanthan Gum (and) Lecithin (and) Sclerotium Gum (and) Pullulan) can create gels, be used as a stabilizer in emulsions, suspend things like exfoliants in gels, and enhance skin feel. (They say it may be a...
Sepigel 305™ (aka Cosmagel 305, CC Sepgel 305) is a translucent to opaque, white-ish, pre-neutralized, non-ionic liquid that works as an oil-in-water emulsifier at 2% to 5% or a thickener for aqueous products at as low as 0.1%. It creates what are called cream-gels, which is one that has a gelling agent along with an...
Xanthan Gum is an anionic (negatively charged) polymer derived from the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris, which can be found on cruciferous veggies like cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli (all of my least favourites!). In the manufacturing of this ingredient, they actually use the bacteria in a fermentation process. It’s permitted in food and cosmetic products and the typical usage...