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.
Thank you all for your patience as I try to get through all the Q&A for this month and last. You all ask such great questions, I find it hard to answer them without starting a new series. In the September Q&A, Charlette asked a question about how large companies manage to preserve products with … Read more
On September 7th, we started this series off by looking at why xanthan gum might pill or ball on your skin when used in lotions. Then we started this series, for which I’ve also created a glossary of terms as we’ll be using them a lot in the future… Defining some scientific terms: Solubility, viscosity,...
In the March Q&A, Stephany asked: So I have made a simple gentle (morning with no makeup) oil cleanser with FCO and cromollient (solubilizer) and I am looking for ways to make it feel more luxurious, thick, and silky without using silicones because my skin usually doesn’t like them. Current Recipe: 98% FCO (Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride) 2%...
So you’ve made a facial cleanser you really like. What’s next? Let’s turn it into an exfoliating cleanser! There are two ways we can exfoliate – using chemical exfoliants or physical exfoliants. Physical exfoliants are ingredients like loofah, jojoba beads, sugar, salt, fruit seeds, and anything that removes dead skin by abrading it. For facial products,...
We took at look at what decyl glucoside is and the pH and thickening problems associated with it last week. Let’s take a look at a few questions about this ingredient, then look at how we can substitute it into a recipe. Why is the pH so high? I’m sorry, but I have no idea why...