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Awful smell coming from my formulation
I have been formulating a deodorant lotion and while there is a slightly chemical smell after its been made, as time goes by, the smell becomes stronger and almost ammonia-like. The smell even overpowers any fragrance that I might add. I am hoping somebody could suggest which ingredient might be causing the issue.
Phase A
Water
Glycerin 5% w/w
Disodium EDTA 0.5%
Phase B
Sepimax Zen 0.7%
Olivem 1000 1.5%
Zinc Ricinoleate 1.5%
Jojoba oil 1%
Triethyl Citrate 2%
Isoamyl Laurate 6%
Phase C
diazolidinyl urea and iodopropynyl butylcarbamate (Germall Plus) 0.5%
D-alpha Tocopherol (Anti-oxidant) 1%
Sodium Diethylenetriamine Pentamethylene Phosphonate, Sodium Metabisulfite, Sodium Gluceptate 1%
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9 Replies
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not familiar with that last line ingredient…. but I have used Sodium Metabisulfite on occasion, and the scent is not soon forgotten. 😉
Make a small batch of the formula…leaving out the last line….and see if you still have the odor. (Aka: knockout experiment.)
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Hi thanks for your reply,
So the last line are all part of this https://www.myskinrecipes.com/shop/en/antioxidants-uv-absorbent/7752-activeprotec-ox.html Which I started using because I suspected that the problem was that the formula was oxidising too much. The smell was there before I started using sodium metabisulfite but its definitely worth running a knockout experiment.
myskinrecipes.com
antioxidant High performance, various types, acts to prevent free radicals (oxidation) of ingredients.
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the smell was there before the oxprotect, yes? I’ve not had a smell from oXprotect (I have all of that range from MSR). I would try formulating without zinc ricinoleate to see if the smell dissipates. Maybe also consider switching from Germall Plus to a non-formaldehyde-releasing preservative.
the amount of oxprotect you are using seems high? the use rate is 0.1-1.0 isn’t it?
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Okay I am going to try making some without the zinc ricinoleate. It would be a shame if it is causing the smell since I have found it to be a really effective odor absorber. Thanks
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I decided to use 1% because I was hypothesizing that the smell was due to oxidation of the oils in the formula. I’ll try to play around with the percentages
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bisulfite also reacts with formaldehyde, reducing preservative capacity
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Thats really interesting I did not know that. I have phenoxyethanol preservative as well, so I might try that in a formula without the metabisulfite and see how that affects the smell. Thanks
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If you suspect that sodium metabisulfite, an antioxidant, is responsible for the smell, try BHA, BHT or sodium ascorbate as a replacement.
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I have noticed that Isoamyl Laurate smells worse over time. It’s fine when I first make the deodorant, but after 1 week Isoamyl Laurate takes over. Even smelling the Isoamyl Laurate bottle doesn’t smell great, it’s like earthy ants.
Did you manage to solve the issue?
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