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.
In the What do you want to know post, Katie Z asks: I’ve been wondering what would happen if I used two complete emulsifiers together in one formulation. This came up because I was looking at your emulsified scrub, and it calls for 10% emulsifier. I use Olivem 1000 [INCI: Cetearyl Olivate (and) Sorbitan Olivate], and the...
HOW DO SELF-EMULSIFYING EMULSIFIERS WORK IN THE HLB SYSTEM?In the same Weekend Wondering post, kiev asks: As I am new to lotion making and have done some of the no no’s you have listed. I am trying to understand the HLB system and that has prompted a question regarding Ewax or any self emulsifying system....
It’s a long weekend around these parts – November 11th is a statutory holiday, so I’m off work – so I have time to answer more comments than usual! Let’s take a look at some quick questions and answers! CAN WE USE THE LECITHIN WE FIND AT THE HEALTH FOOD STORE?In this post, Chemistry Thursday:...
In this post on solubilizers, someone asked: I still don’t get the difference between a solubilizer and a emulsifier. If I mix propylene glycol (in substitution for the surfactant), cetyl alcohol or stearic acid in water, will I be getting a lotion? The quick answer is no because there’s nothing in your question that is...
Recap: On (last) Tuesday I made a lotion using Natragem EW as my emulsifier instead of Ritamulse SCG or Polawax. It’s an Ecocert emulsifier with an INCI of INCI is Glyceryl Stearate (and) Polyglyceryl-6 Palmitate/Succinate (and) Cetearyl Alcohol. The suggested usage rate is 3.0% to 7.5%, and the manufacturer notes that we can use it exactly...