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Can I alter lotion formula to make emulsified body butter?
Hello,
I want to create my own formula for an emulsified body butter and I was wondering if this is possible by altering a lotion formula?
My current lotion formula has 72.8% water; 10% glycerin, and 0.2% siligel for the water phase with an oil phase that includes Apricot Oil at 9%, Ritamulse SCG at 5%, Myristyl Myristate at 2% and the rest Vitamin E, LGP, and FO.
If I added Mango and Cocoa butter into this formula, what is the lowest percentage of water I should drop down to?
Would a total water phase of 45% be too low?
Thanks!
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10 Replies
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You don’t necessarily need to reduce the water phase significantly to make an emulsified body butter. What you are essentially wanting to do is make a thicker version of your lotion. You can achieve this by adding some cetearyl alcohol to your formula which will increase the viscosity. You can additionally increase the siligel to 0.3%.
I’m not sure about the emulsifier you are using as I have never worked with it, but the most commonly used one in commercial body butters appears to be Glyceryl Stearate (and) PEG-100 Stearate. It is very easy to find and relatively inexpensive. It won’t thicken your formula, but it will emulsify it and then you can control the viscosity through a combination of cetearyl alcohol and a water gellant (in your case, siligel).
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It is very much a mommy blogger topic….when they discuss the water percentage. Water in cosmetics is always just the leftover. You can make a solid product…with 97-98% water.
That being said…. I do make a pretty delightful emulsified body butter. It has the highest natural oil/butter content of anything I make…. 13% if I recall. You don’t necessarily need to add plant butters to a body butter….to make it awesome….as they are the lowest form of oil…mainly stearic and oleic fatty acids. You can easily just thicken the nicest of oils…to make your butter. I only use two butters in my formulations… Illipe, and Murumuru. The wonderful aspect of Murumuru….is it is almost totally devoid of stearic acid….hence will not cause all the nasty issues that come with high stearic ingredients like shea. In my e-butter…I use 3% butter…and the balance as nice oils.
1) Why so much glycerin? Can’t imagine that feels good….without the emollients to detacify that much G? In cosmetics… ‘more’ …. is rarely better…in fact, usually more is worse. If you aren’t getting the moisturization you need at 4%…then add a second humectant that works a little differently.
2) For thickening your lotion formula… Just add fatty alcohols… cetearyl, cetyl, or behenyl. You can blend…or use one…your choice. Start with 3.5%….see what viscosity you get…and move on. Other thickeners to consider would be GMS and C10-18 Triglycerides (linked).
Good luck.
Thank you for preserving properly as a beginner. It is appreciated by all. (Consider adding a chelate as well. ???? )
Butter Pearls ™ (simply-ingredients.com)
simply-ingredients.com
Butter Pearls is a sustainable rheology modifier derived from the non-edible fraction of olives, which are leftover from olive oil production. These eco-friendly pearls are an effective oil phase gelling agent for any choice of oil. Add texture to any … Continue reading
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If you just want to add the butters, you might want to check if the emulsifier blend can support the percentage of lipids you want to use. Some might not.
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Definitely top priority. I more than likely will not exceed 30% butters and oils combined. Going to use 2-3 emulsifiers to help with that percentage. Thanks!????
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Thanks for all the comments and helpful suggestions!
I actually have a chemistry degree and worked in the medical field for eight years before going to education and finishing it out in Cybersecurity….so I’m not as much of a “mommy DIY-er” as I come across ????….. BUT I am looking at making formulating as my Act 3!
My question was rooted in the fact that if we add ingredients to the oil phase, we subtract the same percentage from the water input, so it just made sense to me keep the total phases as balanced as possible. I view the phases as a see-saw. I could be wrong in my thinking. Not the first nor the last time I’ll be mistaken.
Ritamulse is a more natural alternative to Ewax NF and Myristyl is the natural alt to Stearic Acid. I was trying to stay away from Glyceryl Stearate and PEG 100 Stearate, so I had already considered using C10-C18 Triglycerides (Butter Pearls).
I’ll definitely lower the glycerin and possibly add aloe vera juice as an additional humectant. Or maybe Honeyquat……hmmmmm.
Thanks again everyone! I truly appreciate the help!????
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Aloha Act 3.
When you thicken something….that can result in very different haptics….thick is not always ‘thick’. Meaning…. you can make paste…or you can make butter.
GMS (sans the Peg 100) is quite natural…even used widely in cooking. I found it was one of the better thickeners for making a butter like texture. I’ll link a superb version for you…as most of the mommy suppliers sell a 40-45% version…and pretend it is what you want. ????
Sorry…. can never leave ‘well enough’ alone. Please reconsider the aloe…that is nothing but over hyped bug food. I meant something like propanediol (plenty of natural versions sold) , or even building off of betaine or other osmolytes. Even sorbitol or Xylitol (Birtch only) would be better choices than the green goblin.
1.0 lb Glycerol Monostearate GMS Emulsifier• Thickener• Stabilizer. Vegan | eBay
ebay.com
1.0 lb Glycerol Monostearate GMS Emulsifier• Thickener• Stabilizer. Vegan | eBay
Our Distilled Glycerol monostearate h as a monostearate content of no less than 95%. 1.0 lb (454g) Pure distilled Food Grade Glycerol monostearate E471 - Vegan, Kosher, Natural. Distilled monoglycerides is a white powder, oil / water emulsifier that is … Continue reading
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BTW…. Like any pro….I would RARELY recommend an e-bay. ETSY or Amazon seller. But if you are in the ‘know’ …. there are actually a few good/reputable sellers. The one I linked….is one of them!
Also here is a link for an excellent chelate that should support your ethos.
TSGD (Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate) | MakingCosmetics
makingcosmetics.com
TSGD (Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate) | MakingCosmetics
Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, GLDA chelate
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I see we’re going to be friends!????????
Okay…I’ll let go of the green goblin. I already have glyceryl stearate and PEG 100 stearate, propanediol 1,3, both cetearyl and cetyl alcohols, and Butter Pearls so I’ll start with those.
I got my hot plate and analytical balance off eBay, no judgement, just gotta verify the source of the ingredients when buying online no matter the provider. I started with Amazon and I still get some things from there especially when I’m in a pinch for time.
I’ll check out your suggestions. Thanks!????
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Umh… GMS will be profoundly different….than GMS + PEG100 ! ????
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Now you’re going to make me go buy more ingredients! *like I’m really upset about buying more stuff*????
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