The home of SwiftCraftyMonkey! 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 the monthly Q&A, Donna asked, Hello, I am trying to duplicate a body oil that has seaweed/algae as an ingredient, undaria pinnatifida powder to be specific. I can’t find a similar ingredient that will work in oil. All other ingredients are oils or extracts. Does anyone have a suggestion? The body oil is OSEA Undaria Algae...
Original post from 2009! If you’ve been following this blog for any length of time, you’ll know I’m a fan of isopropyl myristate or IPM. I use it primarily as a dry or astringent emollient to reduce the greasy feeling of other oils in a lotion or lotion bar. You can use it in large...
I’ve used this one so many times, but I’ve never written an entire post on it, which is surprising as I love it so much! I’ve written about the oil soluble extract or infused oil, which is awesome, but let’s take a few minutes to consider the water soluble aspects of this wonderful flower! So...
For more information on how to work with HEC, please visit this post – Q&A: How does one work with hydroxethyl cellulose (HEC)? I bought some hydroxyethylcellulose from Lotioncrafter* for a duplication of ASDM Beverly Hills Ultra Firming Cream over on my Patreon feed, and I realized that I haven’t worked with this ingredient before. I...
Olive oil unsaponifiables (INCI: Olea europaea (olive) oil unsaponifiables) are the unsaponifiable portion of olive oil that can be used in our products as an oil and ethanol soluble emollient, much in the way we’d use olive oil. Use it the way you would any other oil, but especially where you want a light product,...