Home Cosmetic Science Talk Formulating Advanced Questions URGENT- Lip Balm too soft

  • URGENT- Lip Balm too soft

    Posted by Cosmetic_Chemist on September 21, 2023 at 4:31 pm

    Hi,

    I am working on a vegan lip balm that is being poured hot into a mold and once cool, transferred to a stick like a lipstick.

    The formula that has worked so far is -

    Oil - 73.8% (Carrier is Sweet Almond Oil)

    Candelilla wax - 15%

    Flavor - 5%

    Shea Butter - 1%

    Cocoa Butter - 5%

    Vit E- 0.2%

    It has worked in the smaller mold trays that I have (5-10 at a time) but once I tried it in the larger trays (75 at a time) I noticed it was breaking a lot more during the molding process and also once someone tried using it on the lips.

    I am very confused because the smaller runs are all good with very few that are breaking during demolding.

    Any advice on what needs to be done? Does the formula need to be reworked? Or is there a process mistake I am making?

    ngarayeva001 replied 5 months, 3 weeks ago 6 Members · 6 Replies
  • 6 Replies
  • mikethair

    Member
    September 21, 2023 at 4:51 pm

    <div>You may need to do a bit more work on the formulation. If any number, even if only very small, are breaking during demolding, then this is a warning sign that the formulation needs more work.
    </div><div>

    At the same time, look at your process. When scaling up to larger numbers, all variables need to be constant. And you need to identify these variables. For example, the type of surface where the filled trays are placed. This should be a constant. We liked to use a wooden surface for cooling. If some trays are cooled on a wooden bench top and others on a granite bench top, you will see differences.

    Also, record the ambient temperature of the room when molding.

    I use an Excel template to record all parameters for every batch.

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    </div>

  • Richard

    Member
    September 21, 2023 at 10:13 pm

    For this type of product I think you need to consider a high melting point wax (Rice, Sunflower, Carnauba etc) also and not rely on just the one wax. I think you will get a better and more stable product.

  • mikethair

    Member
    September 22, 2023 at 4:40 pm

    We were successful in producing a balm using Candelila Wax, Coconut Oil, and Black Seed Oil. To these oils, we added high-quality essential oils.

    In our factory, we made and sold these balms to brands globally under their own labels.

    We experimented with oil/wax ratios of between 10-30 %.

    </div>

    • This reply was modified 7 months, 1 week ago by  mikethair.
  • dkg92

    Member
    September 22, 2023 at 5:20 pm

    maybe try adding Hydrogenated Castor Wax, Rice Bran Wax or Beeswax to your formula for more of a structure and hold .

  • remakeanddump

    Member
    November 7, 2023 at 12:18 pm

    one of the big challenges you face as a formulator is scale up. you’ll run into issues you didn’t see in lab or smaller scale. for this formula, i suggest you change the wax structure of your lip balm. it’s good to have 3 waxes with different properties that you can tweak to get the desired result. for example, if you want something natural, i would do 3 waxes: carnauba wax or rice bran wax, candelilla wax, beeswax (if you don’t have to be vegan). you need a plasticizing wax like beeswax so it’s not too brittle. since you’re making a vegan lip balm, i would try the kester wax k-60p. fine tune the ratio to get the desired texture.

    • This reply was modified 5 months, 3 weeks ago by  remakeanddump.
  • ngarayeva001

    Member
    November 7, 2023 at 2:29 pm

    <div>Helpful links:</div><div>
    </div>https://www.personalcaremagazine.com/story/13929/lipstick-formulation-not-as-easy-as-you-might-think<div&gt;
    </div><div>https://www.personalcaremagazine.com/story/11016/natural-wax-a-problem-solver-in-lipstick
    <div>
    </div><div>
    </div></div>

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