Home Cosmetic Science Talk Formulating Another question about stickiness

  • Another question about stickiness

    Posted by NorseMountain on May 28, 2023 at 2:19 pm

    I’m relatively new to formulation, but am really enjoying it, and love working with my customer base.

    The issue I’m having is that I cannot seem to get around stickiness in the products that I want to make. The only serum formula that I’ve truly enjoyed the afterfeel of is one that I based on the Lotioncrafter Serum SE product (a combination of silicones, it appears). I really like the Serum SE base, but it’s cutting into my already tight margins as a small producer. I’d love to be able to come up with something that has a similarly silky, non-sticky afterfeel, and is similarly versatile in what actives I can add to it. Hoping someone might have a jumping off point for a basic serum base formula that has enough “silicone & friends” ingredients to leave the skin feeling silky and dry-ish to the touch, yet fully hydrated.

    I’d also love to have a serum base that doesn’t have that silicone feel, is primarily hydrous (with maybe a small oil/ester phase), contains humectants and some extracts that come in a glycerine or propylene glycol base, and maybe even some hyaluronic acid, but doesn’t leave skin sticky. The serum SE is yellowish and cloudy. I’d love a serum base that’s either milky or clear, without the yellowish tinge to it.

    Between the two serum bases, I think that would cover all of *my* bases. I’ve tried multiple different serum formulas from the various beginner formula creators (HB&M, SCM, TL, MC), and just haven’t found one that has the silkiness or non-sticky feel that I’ve found with that serum SE base.

    I know this isn’t a lot to go off of, and I know it’d be ideal to post the formula I’m struggling with, but since it’s been so many different ones, I’m hoping just this once someone might be able to help me figure out a basic versatile base without needing a formula to critique.

    Thanks for any help you guys can offer. Love this forum, and how much everyone helps each other without being assy about it. Many other forums aren’t as pleasant.

    gordof replied 9 months, 3 weeks ago 3 Members · 2 Replies
  • 2 Replies
  • graillotion

    Member
    May 28, 2023 at 2:32 pm

    Find a commercial ‘Benchmark’ … and knock it off! 🙂

    That means …. find something you like… that someone is already making….look at the INCI….and make it. If you can provide the INCI…we can probably give you starting points on the percentages.

    • This reply was modified 9 months, 3 weeks ago by  Graillotion.
  • gordof

    Member
    May 30, 2023 at 12:54 am

    I can really recommend the thickener Rheozan® SH | Solvay it is a natural thickener that has ( depending on the concentration of course) a very silky and nonsticky after feel it goes for 10 sec into a sticky moment while drying on the skin but afterward, the gel network feels very pleasant and silky on the skin. you can get around the sticky moment by adding some high-middle spreading emollients to give a sensory counterpart to the short time of stickiness.

    Other than that I can only say don’t use too many humectants like glycerin they tend to feel sticky so be aware of your plant extracts and what is used in them and how high you can concentrate them in your formulation.

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