The home of SwiftCraftyMonkey Formulating Inc.! Join Susan as she obsesses about cosmetic chemistry and other things (some possibly related to monkeys). Often strange, occasionally useful, and always worth a stop as a point of interest on your journey through the Intertron.
In this month’s Q&A, Susan shared, I recently did a side by side comparison of thickeners to try to see and feel the differences between them. I heated 9 grams of fractionated coconut oil (FCO) with 1 gram each of the following: behenyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, cetyl esters, cetearyl alcohol, and stearic acid. I put all...
Let’s take a closer look at this really interesting oil I found at Lotioncrafter, Buruti oil (INCI: Mauritia Flexuosa (Buriti) Fruit Oil)! Buruti oil is derived from the bright orange fruits of the Mauritia flexuosa palm tree from South America. This oil is sustainably produced, obviously plant-derived, and vegan. It might be cold pressed, refined or...
Amla oil (INCI: Emblica officinalis (Amla) oilis the fruit oil of the Indian gooseberry, a deciduous tree fund in tropical and subtropical areas. The fruit itself is a “fleshy pale yellow with six obscure vertical furrows and spherical in shape” (Reference: Fruit oils textbook). If you’re been using or making hair care products for any length...
Cranberry oil – INCI: Vaccinium macrocarpon (cranberry) seed oil – is an interesting oil. With 3 to 6% palmitic acid (C16), up to 2% stearic acid (C18), 22 to 26% oleic acid (C18:1), 30 to 38% linoleic acid (C18:2), and 20 to 38% linolenic acid (C18:3), you’d expect it to have a short shelf life...
I bought this awesome cold pressed, refined black currant seed oil (INCI: Ribes Nigrum (black currant) seed oil) from Voyageur Soap & Candle* a few weeks ago, and I have been trying it in all kinds of things, from anhydrous products like whipped butters and lip balms to emulsified products, like lotions, body butters, and...