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.
A quick note about some things I found at Voyageur Soap & Candle! They’ve started carrying cetearyl alcohol, micronized zinc oxide (water or oil soluble), and a ton of new micas (the one to the left is blue lagoon mica). They’ll be carrying two new products in July that I will be running down to...
In this post, Always Looking 4 1 More writes:In regards to your comment, “If you see something like aloe vera, odds are really good that it’s aloe vera liquid or extract, not the gel, because the gel doesn’t get used all that often.” I’ve come to the conclusion that not much of what we find in...
I do love working with thickeners in my products! We know that cetyl alcohol can produce something slicker and silkier than stearic acid, and that cetearyl alcohol can offer those same qualities with a little more waxiness, so what does behenyl alcohol bring to the party? First, a review…. Cetyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol...
Kathy wrote to me to ask why a recipe similar to this one wasn’t working for her. I knew right away that BTMS-25 was the culprit! If you’re using Incroquat BTMS as your emulsifier, please ensure you’re using BTMS-50 – not BTMS-25 – as your emulsifier! BTMS-25 contains 25% behentrimonium methosulfate, the active ingredient in...
I write this post about how I’m back, then I forget to hit publish on yesterday’s post! I guess I need more vacation time! Pineapple extract (INCI Ananas cosmosus fruit extract or powder) can be found in a powder form that is used at 0.5% in the cool down phase of your product. This extract...