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.
Chia seed oil is a light to medium, non-greasy oil derived from the seeds of the salvia hispanica flower, a member of the mint family. Is it wrong that all I can think about it is “Ch-ch-ch-chia!” when I’m formulating with this oil? It contains 5% to 8% palmitic acid 1% to 4% stearic acid,...
I’m slowly working my way through the comments you’ve left me over the last few months, and I’ll be posting those I think would appeal to a larger audience over the next little while. If you have a question, please comment on a relevant post, regardless of how old it might be, and I’ll do...
Watermelon seed oil (INCI Citrullus lanatus (watermelon) seed oil) is a pale yellow, light to medium weight, slightly greasy feeling oil that comes from the watermelon seed. The version I have is cold expeller pressed, but you can find solvent extracted versions. It contains 11% palmitic acid (C16), 10% stearic acid (C18:0), 15% oleic acid...
Welcome to Workshop Stadium. This week the Chairman, Raymond (my lovely husband), has chosen the sixth Iron Chemist ingredient – Lanolin! Here are the rules. (Click here for the long version.) Raymond rolled a seven, which means he chose from the assorted butters and things that haven’t been put away properly box. I have until next...
Mineral oil. This is probably one of the most maligned ingredients out there. If you read just a sampling of what shows up in a google search, you’ll start to think it’s a greasy demon just waiting to damage your skin, give you cancer, cover your skin like plastic wrap, and generally kill you well...