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My once clear serum spray is now cloudy
Hi all! I am unable to make this formula clear and am seeking help on the following:
1. Is there a proper order that these ingredients should be mixed?
2. What could be causing the result to be cloudy? The first 3 batches I made were perfectly clear and suddenly my batches are coming out cloudy.
3. Do you think this is a good formulation to be marketed as a hydrating serum (in spray form)? Any recommendations to improve it?Thank you!
Rosa Damascena Flower Water
78.0%
Distilled Water
15.5%
Propanediol
1.0%
Panthenol
0.50%
Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) fruit extract
0.5%
Aloe Barbadensis Extract
1.0%
Hyaluronic Acid SLMW
1.0%
Sodium PCA
1.5%
Allantoin
0.4%
Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Phenoxeithanol
0.1%
0.5%
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15 Replies
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@CarrieM actually as answer for your 3 questions according to me
1) there is always an order for better process or product for your case it is not really important
2) I guess that your product from lol supposed to be clear but if there is a suspect it will be about extract may the quality change from buying to other.
3) Your formulation have good ingredients really , just two things for verifying: is the viscosity good for serum then if your product is stable (preservation is it fine?)
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It could be bacterial contamination. Your product isn’t sufficiently preserved. Phenoxyethanol is not a broad spectrum preservative, it doesn’t cover mold. You also don’t have enough of it provided presence of bug food extracts.
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I have just noticed it’s 78% hydrosol! Very likely contamination.
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ngarayeva001 said:I have just noticed it’s 78% hydrosol! Very likely contamination.
That is very interesting and suspect. I will attempt using just water or another batch of Hydrosol. Can I ask, what is a typical % of Hydrosol for a formula such as this? I kept increasing the % because I wanted the rose scent. Regarding the preservative, can you recommend a second one that I can add to tackle the mold? Thank you for your comments!
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Fekher said:@CarrieM actually as answer for your 3 questions according to me
1) there is always an order for better process or product for your case it is not really important
2) I guess that your product from lol supposed to be clear but if there is a suspect it will be about extract may the quality change from buying to other.
3) Your formulation have good ingredients really , just two things for verifying: is the viscosity good for serum then if your product is stable (preservation is it fine?)
Thank you for your comments! The viscosity works for this as it is a spray application. I understand my preservation is insufficient however and the cloudiness could be due to contamination.
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ngarayeva001 said:It could be bacterial contamination. Your product isn’t sufficiently preserved. Phenoxyethanol is not a broad spectrum preservative, it doesn’t cover mold. You also don’t have enough of it provided presence of bug food extracts.
Would supplementing the Phenox with 2% of Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate provide broad spectrum preservation? I also have Optiphen plus here however have never used it.
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Can you use formaldehyde releasers? Germall Plus is a great option. It will not cause cloudiness unlike many other preservatives. Re hydrosol, ideally you want none of it and as little aloe and cucumber as possible. Flower waters are source of contamination. It’s hard to preserve them (as well as plant extracts). So if you want your product to last and be safe you either need to rethink how you will achieve the right smell or add a strong preservative (formaldehyde releasers or parabens or both)
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Optiphen plus is much better option than phenoxyethanol alone. It might impact transparency though. You also need to pay attention to ph as sorbic acid needs to be below 6.
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ngarayeva001 said:Can you use formaldehyde releasers? Germall Plus is a great option. It will not cause cloudiness unlike many other preservatives. Re hydrosol, ideally you want none of it and as little aloe and cucumber as possible. Flower waters are source of contamination. It’s hard to preserve them (as well as plant extracts). So if you want your product to last and be safe you either need to rethink how you will achieve the right smell or add a strong preservative (formaldehyde releasers or parabens or both)
Ok thank you I will re-think the preservation. Id rather not use formaldehyde releaser though.
UPDATE:
Experiment 1: 100% distilled water (different water) = clear
Experiment 2: 100% distilled water (same water I was using before) = cloudy
Experiment 3: 100% rose hydrosol (same I was using before) = cloudy
Experiment 4: lowered formula to 20% Hydrosol and used new distilled water = clear -
Certainly sounds like it could be a contamination problem.
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As above - if it’s appearing over time it’s likely microbial growth. Bear in mind that whenever you use “natural” ingredients, they are likely to contain a higher concentration of microorganisms than traditional, synthetic materials and therefore need higher preservation. However, if you can find a way to sterilise before use this may also help.
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klangridge said:As above - if it’s appearing over time it’s likely microbial growth. Bear in mind that whenever you use “natural” ingredients, they are likely to contain a higher concentration of microorganisms than traditional, synthetic materials and therefore need higher preservation. However, if you can find a way to sterilise before use this may also help.
Thank you! I would like to try the Euxyl® PE 9010 (Phenoxyethanol (and) Ethylhexylglycerin) from Lotioncrafter to preserve this formula. Can anyone let me know if this seems appropriate? I understand it will provide broad spectrum preservation up to 12 PH. However it may be mild. Will it result in clear formula? Thanks
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You’ll have to try it. If your rose water or fruit extracts have high microbial loads, then it may not work for you.
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Try %0.1 caprylhydroxamic acid. It cover fungi and boosts phenoxyethanol by working as chelating agent
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Re PE9010, I wouldn’t use it in a formula where transparency is important. In theory, if you premix it in propylene glycol it should be clear but I don’t think it performs well in transparent formulas. Also, yes, the supplier claims it’s broad-spectrum, maybe it is, but it’s a weak preservative. It might work in a commercial set up with good quality water, clean ingredients and access to a lab to run all necessary tests but it’s a bad option for products made at home. Especially in a challenging formula with hydrosols and plant extracts.
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