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What is a basic question about beauty products you want to know the answer to?
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really my basic question i cant find answer is hydroquinoneis it safe? -
@Svemirska_baklava - I’d suggest you start a new discussion for this question. But the preservative system you use depends on the other ingredients in your formulas. In general, parabens are the best performing preservatives for creams & lotions. Geogard is not a robust preservative in my opinion.
There is no good natural preservative. That’s why companies use synthetic ones. In fact, most of the “natural” ones are actually synthetic too.
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@Perry I definetly would be starting a new discussion as this question tends to be asked a lot.
In summary, I have seen a lot of clinical studies (found on PubMed mostly) declaring parabens as totally safe, even after prolonged use. They are the most effective preservative system indeed, but also kinda of a scapegoat of cosmetic industry. Sadly. In most of my formulation I use phenoxyethanol in mix with caprylyl glycol, EHG, sorbic acid and such. Turns out that phenoxyethanol is indeed effective in most cases, which makes me think that this would be the nest ingredients to blame in the future. We’ll see. There are some ”natural” alternative however such as Biopein, Neopein, Suprapein, Leucidal, etc. but are mostly to expensive, can adjust the smell of the formula in many unwanted ways or are prone to discoloration. -
@Svemirska_baklava - Phenoxyethanol already has been tagged as a bad ingredient in some circles. https://www.orgaid.com/blogs/news/82910919-top-8-harmful-chemicals-to-avoid-in-skin-care
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@Perry Well, I called it. The thing is that people who write these kind of stuff are mostly low key bloggers with no education on the topic whatsoever. God help us all, hahaha.
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ngarayeva001 said:@em88 there’s a couple of tricks: if you don’t need more than 10% go for water in oil. Then pH doesn’t matter. If you need it be be oil and water and or at high concentration, keep pH at 6, add lactic acid buffer and predissolve urea in propylene glycol (60c). Arlacel 165 is a good choice of an emulsifier.
Indeed in W/O emulsion pH doesn’t matter, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to stabilize urea. It is even harder to see if urea is stable in W/O emulsion for that reason. While in O/W emulsions, the buffer will maintain the pH stable, but from my experience, the appearance of the cream changes over time. It will get bubbly. My guess is due to CO2 being formed. The only solution I see in higher concentrations is to remove water completely and formulate anhydrous emulsions.
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Q. Is it possible to have an SPF 50 sunscreen without Palm Oil?
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@SugarHouse - palm oil doesn’t have an SPF value and is not necessary to make a sunscreen.
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@Perry I know that, but it’s in the ingredients used. These are the main culprits:
- Coco-Caprylate/Caprate- Glycerin- Dodecane- Isostearic acid- Ethylhexylglycerin.Finding a formulator who can develop a POF sunscreen is like the holy grail.
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Geogard 221 is not natural and as you found is not that great of a preservative system in any context. The best preservative systems is prob. a formaldehyde releaser, parabens and EDTA.
Natural in the literal sense - there is nothing to recommend.
“Natural” in the COSMOS/Ecocert marketing sense - you formula dependent. -
@SugarHouse - ah, but none of those ingredients are required to make a sunscreen either. For example, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZTRQ6W3
Any raw material made from palm oil could easily be made from petroleum.Perhaps I’m missing something?
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1- Preservatives are usually considered safe if you stick to their recommended usage limits. But how does this rule apply to the whole product? Let’s think about it: If I’m slathering on a moisturizer sparingly on my face but going all out on my body—like, ten times more—then I’m basically soaking up those preservatives tenfold!
Also, that particular product is only one of the many preservative-containing cosmetics/detergents we use everyday. So, what really backs up these limits? How can we guarantee safety regarding their potential genotoxicity with such high levels of use? Not obsessed with that “preservative-free, super organic, ultra natural” lifestyle but I’m simply curious about this topic.
2- The skin tends to be slightly acidic, which is why products are typically formulated within the pH range of 5 to 6. Why isn’t a neutral pH, like 7 or even 8, as favored? Do we compromise the pH balance of our skin by showering, which involves rinsing with tap water at pH 7? And what about swimming in those thermal waters or seawater, which can have pH levels reaching up to 8.2?
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