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.
Well, we’re in for a party today, my friends! I’ve been experimenting with ammonium cocoyl isethionate (ACI) in place of sodium cocoyl isethionate (SCI) in my body wash, face wash, and hand wash! Yes, get on your party hats and grab some of those blowy things that make noise – but leave the confetti at...
Original post from July 13, 2009, modified today… Filling containers can be such a huge pain in the bum! Here are a few things I thought I’d share… Since I’m a surfactant junkie, I make a lot of bubble baths, body washes, and shampoos that need bottling. I find the easiest way is to get...
Anonymous wrote in this post: Are phosphate esters derived from chemical or organic? Are they safe in beauty products? As there are really two questions here, let’s take a look at each one. The quick answers are no, and yes. From the post: Phosphate esters are a category of anionic surfactants that include alkyl phosphates and...
Ruth wrote to ask me this question: What does it mean, when a ingredient says it is 25% or 30% or etc. active? Do you use them differently? Depending on the active %? Great question, Ruth! We see this mostly with surfactants in that the ingredient contains 25% of the active ingredient – something like cocamidopropyl betaine...
In this post, The Fawn writes: I currently have coco glucoside on hand and would like to make a facial cleanser for myself. But I find that with coco glucoside at 30% as the single surfactant, there’s very little bubble/lather and no foam at all. I am one of those people who wants LOTS of foam and lather if...