The home of SwiftCraftyMonkey! 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 this month’s Q&A, GiannaFromMN asked, You say the only stupid question is one that goes unasked, so here we go: I’ve heard it mentioned in a few different places now that we should add tocopherols to our ingredient oils when we get them from the suppliers, to make their shelf lives as long as possible....
In this post, A few thoughts for a lazy Saturday, Fuchia asks: A bit off topic but I’m curious about making a Vitamin C cream. I have a face cream recipe I make now and love (it does not contain Vitamin C but uses Optiphen Plus as a preservative) and keep reading online that you can...
In this post, Lotion bars: Tweaking the waxes, Tracy asks: I was wondering if it would be okay to add an antioxidant like ROE or Vitamin E T-50 to extend the life of the oils? If so, does it matter which one is used? Yes, you can add anti-oxidants to any oil soluble product to extend...
Vitamin E is not a preservative. It is an anti-oxidant. An anti-oxidant will slow down the rancidity of your oils. A preservative prevents the contamination of your product by things like bacteria, yeast, or mold. Vitamin E will not prevent contamination of your products, but it will retard the rancidity of the oils in your...
In this post on anti-oxidants, Bridget asks: I’ve read that many antioxidants are light sensitive. They will quickly become inactivated with exposure to light. I know vitamin C is like this. That’s why C serums have to be packaged in opaque or amber bottles. I have read that vitamin E is also light sensitive. So...