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.
I’m always fascinated by what we don’t know about stuff. We can put a man on the moon and create robots and describe in minute detail how someone dies of a heart attack, but we do not know the complete breakdown of all the chemical compounds found in garlic or what makes up 85% of...
When your skin cells reach the top layer of the stratum corneum, they will sit there for about 14 days before sloughing off. This process is called desquamation or exfoliation. Interestingly enough, there is so much scientists don’t know about this process. Scientists know there are enzymes that will break the bonds between the corneocytes,...
I know I wrote a post of this nature last year, but I thought it was time to write a more detailed series of posts on the chemistry of our skin if we’re going to take a look at formulating for different skin types. Your skin is composed of three layers – the epidermis, the...
I’ve been reading a lot about chemicals lately, I’ve made a big decision – I’m going chemical free! I’m getting rid of all the chemicals in my bath & body products, my household products, my food, my car, and my life. I’m chemical free and loving it! Argh…can’t breathe…air leaving lungs…(sound of me falling dead...
Coumarins – found as coumaric acid – are very powerful anti-oxidants that smell like either vanilla or freshly mown hay (it’s what smells nice after clover is cut). Because of this lovely smell, it’s often used in perfumes and fragrance oils. Coumarins are good anti-inflammatories, and they reduce both oedema and redness on our skin....