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Help with sugar scrub formulation
Hello - layperson chemist here. 🙂 I’ve been working on an emulsified sugar scrub and have gotten it close to where I’d like it. The thing I’m trying to fix is the excessive ‘glycerin-like’ feeling that it has when washing off. It feels like when you have too much butter on your hands and it’s hard to rinse - not the same as the feel of washing oils off though. It’s more greasy than that. Once it’s all rinsed, it does not leave that feeling on the skin, though. Only when the water first hits it during the rinsing process. I don’t get the same feeling when trying to rinse off our body oil, so I’m guessing it’s related to either the emulsifier, squalane, and/or the cetyl alcohol? Any insight is much appreciated - thanks!
The full formula is 40% emulsion / 60% exfoliant (sugar). Here is the emulsion formula:
Kokum butter : 5%
Shea butter: 15%
Rice bran oil: 45%
MCT Oil: 8.7%
Jojoba Oil: 5%
Squalane: 5%
Ritamulse (Glyceryl Stearate/Cetearyl Alcohol/Sodium Stearyl): 8%
Cetyl Alcohol: 5%
EOs: 1.7%
SymSave: 1%
Hemp Extract: .7%
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2 Replies
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If you could describe what feeling you’re going for and exactly what the benchmark is, it might help. Ive only made a sugar scrub for myself but it was not an emulsion. So I have to guess here:
Kokum butter : 5% This is good, might make sugar a little hard but its non greasy but contains high levels of steric acid which has some drag and thickness
Shea butter: 15% Shea butter is also a little bit on the hard side, its a high level for a sugar scrub
Rice bran oil: 45% Very high amount even for a light oil
MCT Oil: 8.7%
Jojoba Oil: 5%
Squalane: 5% One of the best light oils you could use
Ritamulse (Glyceryl Stearate/Cetearyl Alcohol/Sodium Stearyl): 8% Might not work as a primary emulsifier
Cetyl Alcohol: 5% High amount but you may need due to high lipid levels but it is powdery and conditioning
EOs: 1.7% If you can use less, it would be slightly less irritating for sensitive skin even in wash off products
SymSave: 1%
Hemp Extract: .7%
Overall, I don’t see the sugar or emulsifying system. One trick I’ve used is BTMS 25 for an emulsifier and because its conditioning properties, its very silky and helps in application and wash off so you won’t get that greasy feel or drag from the oils. The amount of lipids and fatty alcohol seems to be extremely high. I’ve haven’t seen that before. For my sugar scrubs, even if I created an emulsion, I would start off with this, its just a shot in the dark but similar enough I think. It hasn’t been tested though but it’ll give you a broad idea:
2-3% BTMS 25 or E-Wax
2-4 % Fatty alcohol
8-10% Butter of choice
20-30%% Total Oil of choice
1% Preservative
It just depends what feel and look you are trying to achieve. This recipe below doesn’t use percentages so it’s harder for me to break down. But it looks like she uses a fair amount of oils too so you can do a benchmark on this and experiment from there. It looks like you’re going for more of a conditioning hydrating thick scrub rather than the traditional sugar and little oil type. That will tend to feel greasy and could create a drag type feel when mixed with water, water and oil doesn’t feel nice without a fatty alcohol and proper emulsifier like a conditioning type that you would find with BTMS 25.
This recipe uses steric acid, kokum contains a lot so no need to add more.
https://www.humblebeeandme.com/whipped-lemon-poppyseed-emulsified-sugar-scrub/
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This reply was modified 2 weeks, 4 days ago by MaidenOrangeBlossom.
humblebeeandme.com
Whipped Lemon Poppyseed Emulsified Sugar Scrub - Humblebee & Me
This bright and juicy Whipped Lemon Poppyseed Emulsified Sugar Scrub is a new bath time favourite of mine. In addition to leaving my skin wonderfully soft, hydrated, and exfoliated, it also leaves me craving pound cake, and I definitely don’t … Continue reading
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Butter particularly will feel disgusting when mixed with water. If you
take a teeny bit of any butter on your hands and apply it with water, it
feels very tacky and greasy. Conditioners help cut that grease.
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This reply was modified 2 weeks, 4 days ago by
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