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.
White willow bark extract is a great inclusion in products where you want the awesome power of salicylic acid – so let’s take a look at using white willow bark extract in facial products. Salicylic acid is recommended for oily skin, acne or blackhead prone skin, and red or inflamed skin. Since I have all...
Chrysanthemum extract (also known as feverfew, INCI: Chrysanthemum parthenium flower extract) is considered to be a good anti-inflammatory, astringent, analgesic, and anti-septic (anti-fungal and anti-microbial). It contains tannins, sesquiterpenoids, flavonoids, and more! Camphor contains tannins, specifically gallic acid, which act as good anti-oxidants and wound and burn healers. It contains luteolin (which you might remember...
Grapeseed extract can reduce cell proliferation and there’s some talk it could help with hair growth (although I’m always dubious about claims like that). It would make a great addition to a shampoo or conditioner intended for dandruff prone hair! I’m thinking of including a little rosemary extract to the mix as well. (Click here...
So how can we get the awesome power of chamomile into our products? It’s easy when we have the hydrosol and extract at affordable prices! Since I’ve beaten the toner recipe to death over the last few weeks, let’s take a look at a lotion we could create to include the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidizing nature...
Because cucumber extract offers astringency and anti-inflammatory properties, it’s a natural inclusion in toners and after shave sprays and lotions. When using our cucumber extract, I’d suggest starting with 0.5% dissolved in warm water and added to the cool down phase to ensure you won’t be too sensitive to it. You can go as high...