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.
pH is so important when it comes to creating rinse off and leave in products, especially facial products or those based on foaming and lathery surfactants. Using a product with an out of whack pH on our skin can lead to an increase in scaling, a decrease in hydration, and a possible increase in bacterial...
As I mentioned in yesterday’s eye cream post, I wanted to use an ingredient from the Formulator Sample Shop called Revital-Eyes (INCI: Water and Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate Filtrate, Camiellia sinensis leaf Ferment Filtrate, Punica granatum Ferment Filtrate, Caffeine Ferment Lystate Filtrate). I was intrigued by the various components in this ingredient and thought I’d take...
I’ve read the e-mails and the comments and I know some of you are seeking alternatives to silicones. Fortunately, you can find ingredients that will offer the same kind of conditioning, slip, film forming, and shine enhancing qualities of dimethicone to include in your hair or skin care products. (You really can’t mimic the effects...
If you’re new to chemistry, I encourage you to read this post on molecules and this one on covalent bonding. These are modifications of posts I’ve written in the past with more chemistry information and more asides! TRIGLYCERIDES! This beautiful molecule to the left is a triglyceride (castor oil, to be exact). It is a molecule...
In this post, Nancy asks: Okay, here goes. I feel so dumb asking this question. If you make a facial serum out of oils and extracts with vastly different specific gravity, how do they stay together without shaking, or an emulsifier? I’ve seen plenty of shops on Etsy selling these. I make a product, but I...