Home Cosmetic Science Talk Formulating Cream Turning Pink with Aspen bark and honeysuckle extract

  • Cream Turning Pink with Aspen bark and honeysuckle extract

    Posted by Jodie on January 19, 2019 at 1:24 am

    Hi everyone,
    I have been using natapres in a facial cream but I can no longer find it anywhere.
    I’ve been experimenting with different variations of the ingredients in natapres: Glycerin, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment
    Filtrate, Lonicera Japonica (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Populus Tremuloides Bark Extract, Gluconolactone
    but both the aspen bark and the honeysuckle extract react with citral and turn it pink (it was scented with different eo’s one of them being litsea cubeba oil). The color change is definitely more pronounced with lower ph versions, but it is apparent regardless of the ph of the sample formulas. Some turn pink immediately (really pink) and others mellow into a peachy color after a couple of days.

    I was wondering if adding a chelating agent might decrease the color change. I can’t figure out why I never had this issue with the natapres. In my searching, I found that earlier literature on Natapres mentioned the possibility of a color change, while later they state that it will not change colors.

    Any insights are appreciated.
    Thanks!

    murphy replied 5 years, 2 months ago 4 Members · 6 Replies
  • 6 Replies
  • belassi

    Member
    January 19, 2019 at 2:00 am

    Just use a better preservative setup. EG, KEM NAT or one of the Spectrastat range.

  • markbroussard

    Member
    January 19, 2019 at 1:46 pm

    Agreed … the preservatives your trying to use are all “Junk” status.  If you want to use a good natural preservative that works:  Linatural Ultra-3 from Lincoln Fine Ingredients (Phenethyl Alcohol, Pentylene Glycol, Propanediol) or Dermosoft 1388 (Dr. Stratemans, also Formulator Sample Shop) + Parfum.

    I suspect there’s a good reason why you are having trouble finding Natapres

  • Jodie

    Member
    January 20, 2019 at 12:00 am

    Thanks for chiming in. I guess I should have worded that a little differently. It’s not that I can’t find it anywhere, it’s that I can’t find it in small quantities. 

    I think the aspen bark and gdl are adding skin benefits, so I would like to keep them in the formulation.

    MarkBroussard, would you explain why you think they are “junk” preservatives? In your experience do they not protect a product, or are they just difficult to work with?

    I will look into both suggestions, thank you.

  • markbroussard

    Member
    January 20, 2019 at 4:33 pm

    Yes, they do not reliably protect a wide variety of products and are very formula dependent.  Anytime you use a preservative such as Natapres or Leucidal Liquid, you are always taking a chance that you will fail Preservative Challenge Test … that is why I never use them … they are simply not reliable.  They might work in some formulas, but no point in taking a chance when there are other natural preservatives that work in 95% of all formulas.

    Aspen Bark Extract is not broad spectrum.  You can add gluconolactone as an individual ingredient.  The Gluconolactone+Sodium Benzoate can be finnicky to work with and has its own relatively high rate of failure as a preservative.

  • murphy

    Member
    January 22, 2019 at 4:04 am

    Jodie said:

    Hi everyone,
    I have been using natapres in a facial cream but I can no longer find it anywhere.
    I’ve been experimenting with different variations of the ingredients in natapres: Glycerin, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment
    Filtrate, Lonicera Japonica (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Populus Tremuloides Bark Extract, Gluconolactone
    but both the aspen bark and the honeysuckle extract react with citral and turn it pink (it was scented with different eo’s one of them being litsea cubeba oil). The color change is definitely more pronounced with lower ph versions, but it is apparent regardless of the ph of the sample formulas. Some turn pink immediately (really pink) and others mellow into a peachy color after a couple of days.

    I was wondering if adding a chelating agent might decrease the color change. I can’t figure out why I never had this issue with the natapres. In my searching, I found that earlier literature on Natapres mentioned the possibility of a color change, while later they state that it will not change colors.

    Any insights are appreciated.
    Thanks!

  • murphy

    Member
    January 22, 2019 at 4:05 am

    0.1- 0.2% edta ..

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