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.
I had some samples of super sterol liquid and Crodamol STS lying around the workshop – I know, I’m a lucky girl, eh? – so I thought I’d try Croda’s recipe for a lip balm with these products. What is super sterol liquid? The INCI reads C10-30 cholesterol/lanosterol esters. It’s a light emollient that is...
I am asked frequently where I get my supplies for mineral make-up, so here’s a short list of my favourite suppliers. If you have your own favourite suppliers, feel free to link them in the comments section, but please give us a little information about what you like so much (I’m not a fan of...
It seems there are dozens of waxes to choose from for personal care type products, which it makes it both confusing and exciting for formulators! Waxes give structure to our products, keep them firm – in the case of lip balms or lotion bars – and help our products be flexible but not brittle. There...
This is my beloved double boiler. From left to right, clockwise, you see the lip balm base, the classic base, and Croda’s super sterol base. Although I really like the lip balm base for a lipstick base, I couldn’t resist trying this recipe for a (supposedly) less greasy, more dry, stiffer recipe than the lip...
Boron nitride is a great addition to a lipstick at 2 to 5%. It offers slip, glide, a pearly sheen, and a little whitening that won’t morph your colours too much. It is a great adhesion ingredient, and that’s always welcome in my lip colours! A note: 1 cc = 1/5 tsp or around 7...