HELP! MY STICK WILL NOT SOLIDIFY!!

niecie2kniecie2k Member
in Formulating
I'm trying to make an eyeshadow crayon that can be used as liner and has long wearing properties.  I have tried about 3 different formulas and none of them will solidify.  Help please.  I'm running out of ingredients.  Here are the formulas:
#1

20
15.00%oils3castor
10%silicone resin2
25%c12-155
10%isododecane2
15%beeswax3
5%caranauba wax1
9.00%laurel laurate1.8
6.00%color1.2
brown oxide & golden lava
2%boron nitrade0.4
2%magnesium stearate0.4
1%sil dim silicate0.2
100.00%



I FIGURED MAGNESIUM STEARATE WAS THE CULPRIT AS I'VE HAD THIS ISSUE WITH IT BEFORE SO I TOOK IT OUT AND TRIED THIS FORMULA adding cetyl alcohol, lowering the silicone resin and the laurel laurate.  I wanted to keep butters out of this as it's going on the eyes and eyes are already oily.  In all cases I dissolved the silicone resin in the c12-15 first.

20
20.00%oils4
5%silicone resin1
20%c12-154
10%ipm2
20%beeswax4
3%cetyl alcohol0.6
5%caranauba wax1
2.50%laurel laurate0.5
9.00%color1.8
1%boron nitrade0.1
5%silica microspheres1
100.00%

Still crumbling.  I set them in the freezer for about an hour and then leave them overnight.  They remain like a hard cream.  Could the issue be the laurel laurate or the silicone resin?  Am I not including something that is needed to make this hard?  Need help as I seem to have this issue a lot.  As an aside my first formula worked and it is below, but i wanted to add something to give this longer wear and more adhesion since it's going on the eyes.
10
30.00%oils3
12%isododecane1.2
5%soft butter0.5
10%hard butter1
19%beeswax1.9
4%caranauba wax0.4
2%lanolin0.2
7.50%laurel laurate0.75
7.00%color0.7
1%boron nitrade0.1




Comments

  • EVchemEVchem Member
    https://www.kosterkeunen.com/pcformulationguide/?fwp_specific_industry_topics=color-cosmetics

    you can look through some of these formulas to see what kind of ratios and ingredients are being used.  (this one seems promising https://www.kosterkeunen.com/soft-eyeliner-pencil/) 

  • niecie2kniecie2k Member
    Thank you for your comment.  The issue with checking out other formulas is that they're using ingredients that I am not - and that will change everything in the formula as you know so it's very hard to compare.  I just know there's something I'm doing that's impeding the stick to harden and set up and I don't know what it is.  So frustrating!  Thank you again so much for taking the time to comment.
  • EVchemEVchem Member
    @niecie2k Yes it is hard to compare, but when I look at other formulas for reference  it helps to break things down like this:

    -- try to identify where things are similar- you are making a color cosmetic  for the eyes , so the ingredients you need will be:
    -something to provide structure ( your beeswax/carnauba, maybe your 'hard butter' depending on melt point)
    -something to provide slip (several ingredients here , you may want to do knockout testing and run formulas where you take out something like 'soft butter' and evaluate performance)
    -something to provide color
    -possibly an additional ingredient to coat /disperse the color (your lauryl laurate though this also adds slip)

    You should try looking at sample formulas to match up the functions between their ingredients and yours, even if the INCIs are different. Once you understand if the functions match, then you can do more comparisons of their physical effects.  Perry often mentions on here to start incredibly simple and change one thing at a time, it may be slow but that's how you will get the most information and understanding of what ingredients do to overall performance.

    If I were trying this formula again I would try with more carnauba wax, find out the melt point of your beeswax/ hard butter to make sure they aren't too low, remove lanolin, soft butter, and maybe some of your "oils"
  • niecie2kniecie2k Member
    Thank you so much!!  I actually made a change that worked beautifully.  I added jojoba wax!  I remelted the stick's I'd made (there were 3) and I added 1 gram of jojoba wax and 1.5 grams of capacu butter.  I had heard that jojoba wax strengthens sticks and capacu butter is very hard.  I could not believe how quickly they set up and stayed hard.  I am THRILLED and thank you so very much for your help.  I truly appreciate it.  :o)
  • doctorbrendadoctorbrenda Member
    That makes sense the Jojoba Wax would help.  Prior to that, I do not understand how that formula could ever be expected to solidify when the great portion of the ingredients has ingredients that are liquid at room temperature.  I have found that if you want something to be solid at ambient temperatures then the product would have to consist of ingredients that would be solid at the same temperature in which they are intended to be used.

    Another good wax to add to make, like eye shadow stick or lip sticks is Sunflower Wax.

  • niecie2kniecie2k Member
    Thank you for your helpful comment.  I did use quite a bit of beeswax, caranauba wax, cetyl alcohol and lauryl laurate - all of which are solid at room temperature.  It was only 1 gram of jojoba and 1.5 grams of hard butter added to this that got it to work so I'm thinking it is something in those 2 ingredients in particular that reacted with the other ingredients and hardened it up.
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