Critique my body butter formulation

Formulating

Critique my body butter formulation

Posted by Cafe33 on January 5, 2021 at 4:56 am

I am attempting to make a thick body cream/butter which spreads well and has a luxurious skin feel. I have tried different combinations and here is the base formula, please critique it.

Ingredient %

dH20 — 64.72
Glycerin — 3.00
Sodium Lactate - 2.00
EDTA —   0.20

BTMS-25 — 4.00
Polawax NF — 1.50
Cetyl Alcohol — 2.00
Glyceryl Stearate -1.50
IPM —- 4.00
Shea Butter — 2.50
Almond Oil — 5.50
Macademia Nut Oil - 4.00
BHT — 0.02

Dimethicone 350cc — 2.00
Polyquat 7 —   2.00
Vanilla Fragrance — 0.55
Tinogard TT —   0.01
Germall Plus —   0.50

The oil phase is 22%. I would like to drop my usage of BTMS-25 but I am concerned it will not emulsify the silicone and oils. I tested 3.0% BTMS-25 with 2.0% Polawax but it was too greasy.

I also tested 5.0% BTMS-25/ 2.5% Cetyl Alcohol/ 1.5% Glyceryl Stearate but it was surprisingly way too thin.

Graillotion replied 3 years, 10 months ago 5 Members · 13 Replies
13 Replies

ngarayeva001

Member
January 5, 2021 at 9:10 pm

I don’t see this approach in commercial products very often. You would make your life easier if you ditch cationics. But if it’s important for you to keep it this way, you need to increase cetyl alcohol for ‘butter’ consistency. Speaking based on my experience in hair conditioners.
Cafe33

Member
January 6, 2021 at 5:53 am

Thanks for the reply.

I manufacture a conditioning hair mask based on BTMS-25 and people love the consistency and it has been a success. I am trying to use ingredients I already stock, however I would be more than happy to do away with the BTMS as it is expensive. I am limited in terms of what I can buy in Mexico in low kilogram amounts.

Do you think that Glyceryl Stearate SE would be a good choice as the primary emulsifier? I have tried Lanette N and Polawax and it was unsatisfactory.
ngarayeva001

Member
January 6, 2021 at 8:16 pm

Glyceryl Stearate SE can be used as a primary emulsifier although I prefer Glyceryl Stearate and PEG-100 Stearate. It’s one of the most versatile and robust o/w emulsifiers. Try a combination of polawax and GMS SE. You would need to keep pH above 7 because SE is technically a soap and won’t work at acidic pH. Your formula looks good overall, keep it as is but replace BTMS with Glyceryl Stearate SE (probably not more than 3%) and remove polyquaternium-7.
Cafe33

Member
January 7, 2021 at 10:32 pm

Thank you again for your help.

Can allantoin be added easily to this formula at 0.5%? I have never used this ingredient and I am about to order it. Is 0.5% the absolute minimum usage rate?
Microformulation

Member
January 8, 2021 at 4:25 pm

Allantoin above 0.5% becomes OTC, not a Cosmetic. Trying to achieve greater than 0.5% requires a great deal of effort to solubilize in water itself.
Cafe33

Member
January 8, 2021 at 6:08 pm

Thank you, I meant to ask if allantoin with have a noticeable effect under 0.5%, effectively can I use less in my formulation ?
ngarayeva001

Member
January 8, 2021 at 6:20 pm

I don’t think you will notice any effect even above 0.5%, to be honest.
Cafe33

Member
January 8, 2021 at 6:39 pm

Okay, so it is not all that effective as a soothing agent? So by comparison, would aloe vera be a better choice in the water phase or would I simply not notice any effect in your opinion?
lz150

Member
January 15, 2021 at 6:08 pm

Why not A165?
Cafe33

Member
January 15, 2021 at 6:39 pm

Availability issues. I am in Mexico, I can order glyceryl stearate for 3 USD per kg yet I do not have 165 available. The lotion was made and was very well receive. We processed a first order for 4kg. It was time sensitive so I used what I had on hand.

I am unable to find PEG 100 Stearate, however PEG 150 Stearate is available to me. Does anyone have an opinion on whether that would provide a nice skin feel comparable to the 100 version? Buying it will come with some frustration as it involves dealing with a not so professional customer service.
Graillotion

Member
January 16, 2021 at 4:05 am

Cafe33 said:

Thank you again for your help.

Can allantoin be added easily to this formula at 0.5%? I have never used this ingredient and I am about to order it. Is 0.5% the absolute minimum usage rate?

I use allantoin as a claim ingredient…don’t think I can tell a difference with or without. I guess I am just hoping that long term use has a benefit.

.5% (of water) would be the maximum, beyond that it won’t dissolve. Don’t get caught up with the mommy blogger formulas.

And remember that allantoin should be included at a rate of .5% of your water…… NOT .5% of total formula. Above that level…it only serves as a derm-abrasive.
Cafe33

Member
January 17, 2021 at 5:12 pm

Thanks. So how does Allantoin compare to Aloe vera gel?
Graillotion

Member
January 17, 2021 at 6:14 pm

For me…I am not able to detect a difference…if it is included or excluded from a formula….hence my hope is for some long term soothing effect, and label appeal.