Techniques

Tips & Techniques: Creating your own ingredient comparison charts for things like oils, butters, solid oils, esters, surfactants, preservatives, and so much more

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Preservative comparison chart for Eumulgin SG. I can't describe it all here as it's huge, but if you email me at swiftcraftymonkey@swiftcraftymonkey.blog, I will send you a text version.

I love a good chart! I started compiling them in 2006 when I started out as a baby formulator so I could make good decisions about which oils to use because I just couldn’t justify owning 70 different oils. As you work your way through the site, create a chart for things that interest you....

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Tips & techniques: Why do we need to add water back to the water phase of an emulsion if it evaporates?

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I was on a Facebook group this weekend where this question was posed, “Do you need to add the evaporated water back to the lotion?”, referring to the water that was lost as we heated and held the heated water phase when making an emulsion. The short answer is heck, yes! The longer answer is...

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Tips & techniques: Learning INCI names! (Updated April 2025)

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This is an incredibly important skill to learn when formulating, but even more important when you’re buying supplies! I’ve updated this for April 2025 as I had even more to share! What’s the INCI (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients)? The INCI is the name you’ll see in brackets for an ingredient at our suppliers’ shops,...

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Demythifying the myths: There isn’t a negative interaction between Sepimax ZEN and cetearyl alcohol

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I’m sharing this post again as I’m seeing this myth being passed around as if it were not only true but an “everyone knows” kind of a thing   I’ve had some downtime to surf the ‘net and catch up on all kinds of social media posts, and I’ve noticed a few things being said...

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Tips & techniques: Why I recommend weighing all your ingredients directly into the same beaker (when possible)!

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A collage of two photos and the title “Why I recommend adding all the ingredients to the same beaker!” There are two photos of the same beaker: One with about 25 ml of purple liquid, the other with around 4 ml of the same liquid

You’ve probably noticed I encourage you to measure everything you can into the same container when you’re formulating, including the cool down phase full of product protecting ingredients, like preservatives or anti-oxidants, and this is why! Into a 50 ml (1.69 fluid ounces) beaker, I measured the botanical extracts for a 300 gram batch of...

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