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.
Camellia oil, known as “tea oil” or “tea seed oil” (INCI: Camellia sinensis seed oil), is a light, non-greasy, really affordable oil filled with oleic acid, polyphenols, and vitamins! It is generally cold pressed and comes from the seed of the tea plant, not the leaves. You can even cook with it (the smoke point...
What the heck is a CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) or CLnA (aka CLN or conjugated linolenic acid)? From Wikipedia, a conjugated molecule is an organic compound is one where atoms covalently bond alternating single and double bonds that influence each other to produce a region called the electron delocalization. In this region, electrons do not...
Gamma linolenic acid (C18:3) is another essential fatty acid, one our bodies can’t produce. It has three double bonds, meaning it is a fatty acid that is going to oxidize quickly, so we need to combine it with some good anti-oxidants or use it quickly in our lotions. It is found in small quantities in...
Shea butter is composed of 3 to 7% palmitic acid (C16), 35 to 45% stearic acid (C18), 40 to 55% oleic acid (C18:1), and 3 to 8% linoleic acid (C18:2). With all these saturated fatty acids and a ton of anti-oxidants, we get a soft butter with a great shelf life! (Please note, the region...
Hazelnut oil is another high oleic acid (66 to 85%) oil containing a little linoleic acid (up to 25%), a little palmitic acid (4 to 9%), and a little stearic acid (1 to 4%). It’s high in phytosterols – 1.2 to 1.4 grams per kg of oil – and Vitamin E (between 382 to 472...