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Help with a coffee-based formulation
Please could you advise on the following?I collect used (brewed) coffee grounds and add almond oil, vitamin E and essential oils to create a body scrub. However, after some time in storage, the mixture breaks down and separates into liquid and solid.I have been looking for an ingredient(s) that will act as a binder/thickener to prevent the separation of these ingredients.Please can you advise? -
10 Replies
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You need a “bodying” agent for your oil. There are a number of waxes you could try, but my first choice would be Cera Bellina. I would also very, very strongly suggest a preservative, if you aren’t planning on keeping your scrub refrigerated.
Heat the oils+wax until the wax dissolves, add the coffee grounds right away, then fill into containers while still hot.
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Hi, thank you for your reply.
I should have mentioned that I add brown sugar and salt (which act as preservatives I believe?)
I will try Cera Bellina - out of interest, is there any reason in particular that you recommend this one first?
I have also been told to try out Sucragel - have you ever come across this before?
Thanks
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Hi wb1990,
I’m assuming you are adding the coffee grounds wet. If so, I think this will be a problem as water will likely continue to seep out of the coffee grounds slowly over time.
Have you considered placing the coffee grounds on a flat cookie sheet and letting them dry out in your oven on the lowest temperature setting? This could be an option.
If you are using wet coffee grounds with oils, you will need an emulsifier. The choice of emulsifiers depends greatly on the proportion of wet coffee grounds to oil. Are you adding 2% oils to 98% wet coffee grounds, or 50% oils to 50% wet coffee grounds, or what?
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Hi @jiroband ;;;
The grounds are dried rather than wet.
Our formula is roughly equal amounts of coffee, sugar and salt. The balance is made up of almond oil and then a little tocopherol and essential oils.
The issue is that the oils seem to separate from the solid grounds and as such I need to find ingredient(s) that will bind the mixture together better in a more solid gel- or paste-like texture.
Thanks
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You could go for Cera Bellina as Bob suggested, or something like olive oil wax (aka: Olivem 1000 at Lotioncrafter).
Since Sucragel is a very thick liquid (syrup-like), I don’t think it will do what you need it to do. Your other ingredients will eventually settle out of it.
I’m someone who is “pro-preservative” in general, but I think you may be able to get by without an additional chemical preservative here — since what you have sounds to be totally anhydrous (water-free). The Vitamin E (tocopherol) will help prevent the oils from going rancid, and the essential oils, sugar, and salt are not friendly to the growth of “nasty” stuff.
However, if it was me, I would add some Phenonip as a preservative just to be on the safe side, especially if I was selling this to the public.
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@jiroband
@Bobzchemist ;thank you for your suggestions - very greatly appreciated!I’m based in Europe and as such accessing ingredients like Phenonip is tricky. Have you come across Geogard Ultra before (however I don’t think this will be suitable for an oil-based formulation?)
Alternatively, would something like Benzyl Alcohol or Phenoxyethanol be suitable as a preservative?
Also, with the waxes, if Cera Bellina proves difficult to get hold of (again a result of being EU-based), which would you recommend out of the following: Candelilla Wax, Carnauba Wax, Jojoba Wax, Olive Wax or Rapeseed Wax?
Thanks again for your time.
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Koster Keunen has an EU base - I think it was originally a Dutch company, before the US part got so big.
Koster Keunen Holland BVP.O. Box 535530 AB BladelRaambrug 3T +31 (0) 497 36 10 10F +31 (0) 497 38 79 02 -
Olivem 1000 (olive wax) is from Hallstar with headquarters in Italy:
Hallstar Italia Corporate Office
Via Ernesto Rossi, 60/62
20862 Arcore (MB)
Italy+39 0396180447
Phenonip:
INCI: Phenoxyethanol (and) Methylparaben (and) Ethylparaben (and) Butylparaben (and) Propylparaben (and) Isobutylparaben
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@jiroband @Bobzchemist thanks both
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