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.
Esters are a quick and easy way to reduce the feeling of greasiness in our lotions. Most of them spread very well – better than oils – and will feel lighter on our skin. So let’s take a look at which ones we can use in an after shave moisturizer for men! There are three...
So let’s say you made yesterday’s recipe, but still consider it too greasy or heavy for your tastes. It’s easy to make a very light feeling, dry lotion by taking out a few things or adding a few things. If you leave out the thickener – stearic acid, cetyl alcohol, cetyl esters, or cetearyl alcohol...
The chemistry of men’s skin is just slightly different enough to be interesting and relevant when we’re making products for men. (Click here to see an overview of our skin’s chemistry.) Men’s skin tends to be thicker than women’s skin and they experience more gradual thinning of the skin over their lifetime, whereas women’s skin...
My dad was a manly man. He liked manly things like plumbing and/or pipefitting, hockey, drinking alcoholic beverages, and bubble baths. Whaaaaaat? Yep, almost every man I know enjoys a good bubble bath from time to time, and why shouldn’t they? It’s an enjoyable experience! I didn’t get to share any of the products I...