This is the temperature at which something melts (obvious, right?) This is an important consideration when formulating to make sure things like lotion bars or whipped butters won’t melt in a purse, steamy bathroom, or hot car. It’s also important when it comes to application on the skin. If the ingredient has a melting point at lower than skin temperature, like babassu oil, it will melt quickly when applied to the skin. If it has a melting point higher than skin temperature, like cetyl alcohol at 49˚C, it won’t. How do we figure out the melting point of a product? We have to determine that experimentally, by actually seeing when it melts. (More in this post…)
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.
