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.
C12-15 alkyl benzoate is an ester you’ll see a lot in commercial products as it is an emollient, skin feel modifier (makes other oils feel less greasy), an anti-tackiness agent, lubricant, and binder and wetting agent for mineral make-up products. It also works as a solvent for sunscreen ingredients, making it easier to incorporate those...
How many times have you heard a lotion, cream, or oil being described as “draggy” on our skin? This word is generally used to indicate there’s some difficulty in spreading the lotion or cream on our skin. This has actually been studied and is considered a “sensory characteristic” of bath & body products, along with...
Okay, get ready for a little organic chemistry. I know, I can hear some of you saying, “But it’s summer. We don’t have to learn!” but it’s a fascinating journey into the world of esters and I know you’ll have fun! What is an ester? (From Wikipedia) Esters are chemical compounds derived by reacting an oxoacid...
Cetrimonium bromide isn’t used a lot by homecrafters as it isn’t easy to get, but it is a great cationic quaternary compound for really damaged hair, especially hair with gaps in the cuticle. It isn’t as lubricating as BTMS, so you’ll want to include some oils or silicones or cetyl alcohol to ensure you are...
p suggested…You know how you posted on how you duplicate a product? I would absolutely love an analogous post on how you research ingredients and formulations. You shed so much light on topics that other sites discuss only casually. Do you do your research mostly through books? Or is the web actually a really good...