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.
I think the best way to try a new ingredient is to take an easy-to-make product you know and love – let’s say a whipped butter – and tweak it using the new ingredient. In this case, I’m using C12-15 alkyl benzoate with soy butter. I haven’t used soy butter in a while as I...
C12-15 alkyl benzoate is an ester you’ll see a lot in commercial products as it is an emollient, skin feel modifier (makes other oils feel less greasy), an anti-tackiness agent, lubricant, and binder and wetting agent for mineral make-up products. It also works as a solvent for sunscreen ingredients, making it easier to incorporate those...
Lissa wrote in this post on body oil sprays: Have you tried an ester in a body spray? C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate? I love, love light weight sprayable lotions or after shower oil sprays. I generally use an ester in my body spray – I like to include IPM because it reduces the feeling of greasiness –...
How many times have you heard a lotion, cream, or oil being described as “draggy” on our skin? This word is generally used to indicate there’s some difficulty in spreading the lotion or cream on our skin. This has actually been studied and is considered a “sensory characteristic” of bath & body products, along with...
Okay, get ready for a little organic chemistry. I know, I can hear some of you saying, “But it’s summer. We don’t have to learn!” but it’s a fascinating journey into the world of esters and I know you’ll have fun! What is an ester? (From Wikipedia) Esters are chemical compounds derived by reacting an oxoacid...