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 this post, using polysorbates in your products, Lisa asks: I’ve tried the bath oil formula, but I noticed that the polysorbate 80 starts to separate from the oil after letting it sit for a while. Everytime I want to use it, I have to shake it up. Is there anything I can add to prevent...
I continue to see oils listed as having essential fatty acids or containing omega 3, 6, or 9. What does this all mean? An omega 3, 6, or 9 bond means the fatty acid contains a double bond between carbon atoms that is 3, 6, or 9 atoms from the end of the molecule, as...
In this post on solubilizers, someone asked: I still don’t get the difference between a solubilizer and a emulsifier. If I mix propylene glycol (in substitution for the surfactant), cetyl alcohol or stearic acid in water, will I be getting a lotion? The quick answer is no because there’s nothing in your question that is...
Still suffering from this horrible cold, although my throat is feeling better and my skin doesn’t hurt so much. I keep drinking vast quantities of chicken soup and honey & lemon tea and spraying my throat with echinacea while sucking on zinc tablets, and I think it’s all working. I’m sure the rest isn’t hurting...
I see it all the time: Vendors being asked if they have lye in their soaps because it’s a “dangerous” ingredient (which is usually followed by someone saying they have a friend who makes soap and she doesn’t use lye…). If the soap maker said no, there is no lye in her soap, she’d be...