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.
In the December Q&A, Michele asked: When you are heating your distilled water do you boil it on the stove and heat and hold for 20-25 minutes? Is that necessary or only necessary when making some formulations? I find when I do this, the water evaporates. I’m concerned that my percentages are no longer accurate because...
In the December Q&A, Marta suggested, The glossary under Resources is a wonderful thing. Would you consider creating a list of the acronyms that you’ve used in your writing (e.g. AHA, DLS, CMC, GLA, HEC, INCI, MSM, NF, NMF, PF, SC, TEWL, TJ, ARGH)? You always define the acronym when it is first introduced. But,...
In the November Q&A, cwood85 asked, A friend of mine showed me some products that her friend recommended and she really liked a misting toner. (Oz Naturals Ocean Mineral Tonic) She was telling me how it made her skin feel, soft and smooth. I looked up the product and the ingredients and was a bit...
There is a fabulous discussion going on in the November Q&A about how to figure out the volume of our products. I’m sharing the discussion here with some thoughts, and I hope you share some of your own! (I wrote about this a number of years ago, but I’d love to hear more about what...
In the November Q&A post, Amy asked: So my 20 something year old daughter approached me and asked if I could try my hand at duplicating her acne face wash, she’s tired of paying $15/bottle. It’s Mario Badescu acne facial cleanser. Ingredients: Aqua (Water, Eau), Glycerin, Triethanolamine, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Propylene Glycol, Isopropyl Alcohol, Salicylic Acid, Dimethicone,...