Home Cosmetic Science Talk Formulating Creating HA face serum need help!

  • Creating HA face serum need help!

    Posted by Melcas on April 24, 2020 at 1:36 am

    Hello! I was looking to create a 1% solution of hyaluronic acid including low and high molecular weights. I was wondering if adding vegetable glycerin to the recipe would be a good idea, also I would like to add sodium anisate as a preservative yet I am unsure at what percentage I should use it at and whether I should add it at the same time the HA is hydrating in the distilled water or after it has been mixed.

    . Also a side note for a different formula but I was wondering what would be the best time to add arrowroot powder to make the cream less greasy, should it be in the liquid phase or after it is solidified again?

    thank so much!!

    Melcas replied 3 years, 11 months ago 3 Members · 6 Replies
  • 6 Replies
  • Melcas

    Member
    April 24, 2020 at 2:07 am

    current ingredients for the cream would be 
    -shea butter
    -rosemary extract oleoresin
    -argan oil cold pressed
    -squalane oil cold pressed

  • EVchem

    Member
    April 24, 2020 at 2:27 pm

    1% HA is going to be pretty expensive, you’ll have to use mostly low molecular weight because the higher MW will thicken your product substantially. Probably can’t get the high in at anything over 0.3 maybe 0.4%.

    If you are dead set on the HA, the glycerin doesn’t really need to be there.

    Sodium anisate has fungicidal activity, but you’ll need a more robust system. it’s commonly paired with Sodium Levulinate, take a look at this brochure for a ready made blend, looks like you should add your preservative first then add HA. You’ll need the pH to be below 5.5 for preservative efficacy. Anisate alone has a use rate of up to 0.4%

    The cream isn’t really a cream, its just butters/oils. I usually add my powders while everything is still liquid to make sure it can disperse

  • Melcas

    Member
    April 24, 2020 at 8:32 pm

    @EVchem Thank you so much for this valuable information!!!

  • Melcas

    Member
    April 25, 2020 at 8:53 pm

    @EVchem I just like up the prices for sodium levulinate and unfortunately the price is a little steep for me at the moment, would there be any substitutions you could suggest?

  • pharma

    Member
    April 26, 2020 at 7:48 am
    Go with anisic acid (and levulinic acid), not with their salts. The salts are not active and are water soluble. As @EVchem pointed out, in order to turn a salt into an acid, you have to lower pH and that is not possible in an anhydrous formulation.
    Why did you decide to add sodium anisate and not something else?
  • Melcas

    Member
    April 26, 2020 at 7:01 pm

    @pharma for some reason I guess I just assumed that sodium animate was broad spectrum and could do the trick by itself. Thanks so much for the help though!

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