Home Cosmetic Science Talk Formulating Cosmetic Industry Resources Please critique my equipment for home lab.

  • Please critique my equipment for home lab.

    Posted by DeedeeUkulele on May 16, 2019 at 5:02 am

    I plan to make skincare at home to sell. (I live in the Philippines and, while I strive to be as sanitary/lab-grade as possible, it’s not a requirement for small, home-based cosmetics businesses here, so no need to worry about that.) I will be making everything from balms to serums to creams. Currently, I use a double boiler, microwave, stick blender, and good ol’ elbow grease to mix. 

    After scouring this forum for information on all things equipment, I’ve whittled everything down to the following:

    1. Microwave (water phase) 
    2. Hot plate (oil phase) 
    3. 1 pc. Overhead stirrer 
    4. KitchenAid mixer

    I initially thought I would need a magnetic stirrer, but several people have pointed out that this would be useless for higher viscosity solutions. I also planned to get a commercial grade stick blender but I read it wouldn’t be as good as an overhead stirrer. For low shear mixing, I figured a KitchenAid would do the trick, as I have an extra one lying around.

    Would these 4 equipment be a good starting point?

    ngarayeva001 replied 4 years, 10 months ago 2 Members · 4 Replies
  • 4 Replies
  • DeedeeUkulele

    Member
    May 16, 2019 at 6:32 am

    Note: As much as I’d like to get a brand name overhead stirrer, I’m going to have to buy from China because:

    1. Ordering from the US and forwarding to the Philippines would essentially double the price of the equipment; and
    2. Even if cost was not an issue, there’s the problem of 110V (US) vs 220V (Philippines). 

  • ngarayeva001

    Member
    May 16, 2019 at 8:01 am

    Good stick blender would be more useful than kitchen aid mixer. It creates high shear and doesn’t introduce as much air as a mixer, which is crucial for lotions.
    You need thermometers, precise scale (0.01), glass beakers, and hot plates for both water and oil phase (miscowave is a bad idea).

  • DeedeeUkulele

    Member
    May 17, 2019 at 12:03 am

    Good stick blender would be more useful than kitchen aid mixer. It creates high shear and doesn’t introduce as much air as a mixer, which is crucial for lotions.
    You need thermometers, precise scale (0.01), glass beakers, and hot plates for both water and oil phase (miscowave is a bad idea).

    Thank you! 

    Yes, the scales and thermometer were a given. I currently use 2 scales and a candy thermometer.

    Okay, microwave bad idea. 

    For the kitchenaid, I was thinking it would be good for low shear mixing? 

  • ngarayeva001

    Member
    May 17, 2019 at 5:28 am

    You listed an overhead stirrer, so you have low shear already, you need high now.

Log in to reply.