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 swear I shared this with you in another post, but I couldn’t find it, so please indulge me if you’ve heard it before. A few years ago, a cosmetic chemist contacted me and said he could always identify my formulas as I have a very strong signature, in this case that I use certain...
I was considering the discussion we had in this post – Discussion: What are your favourite ingredients? Lotions and facial products – and thought we should talk emollients! What are your top 5 oils or butters? I always tell this story in my classes and presentations…When I started making products, I’d see a formula like...
People ask me all the time how I manage to keep all the stuff I know in my brain, and the short answer is that I’ve deleted anything related to cleaning, tidying, or generally not being a slob to make more room for cosmetic chemistry fun. ? I paid my way through university the first...
Over the last year, I’ve gone on a few spending sprees and at least one jag – never a good idea when I’m full of muscle relaxants and codeine, but at least I get to formulate with new things, right? – and I find myself in possession of at least 400 new ingredients. Some of...
What’s your origin story? How did you become the awesome crafter you are today? What were some of the things you made? I’m sure you’ve heard this story from me before… I was offering a free craft program at the library, and really wanted to make bath bombs. I’d made them quite a few times,...