Forum Replies Created

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  • Adamnfineman

    Professional Chemist / Formulator
    August 21, 2024 at 9:04 am in reply to: Is this Skatole?

    I don’t have an answer to your question, but I do have a question of my own. What is your intended application? Fragrance?

  • Adamnfineman

    Professional Chemist / Formulator
    August 14, 2024 at 8:34 am in reply to: NEED HELP!

    Based on the ingredients listed and the amount of information we have, I’d say the issue is a lack of water.

  • Adamnfineman

    Professional Chemist / Formulator
    July 19, 2024 at 7:54 am in reply to: Biotin in oils

    Use as little biotin as you possibly can, then filter your bulk before filling.

  • Adamnfineman

    Professional Chemist / Formulator
    June 12, 2024 at 8:44 am in reply to: Tower 28

    Hello,
    I’m part of the R&D team at a contract manufacturing company based in South Florida. My colleague is working on recreating this product right now. He’s been successful in the lab and is trying to find equipment to scale up his process as we speak. If you’d like to set up a meeting to discuss specifics, feel free to send me a private message.

  • Adamnfineman

    Professional Chemist / Formulator
    May 15, 2024 at 3:14 pm in reply to: Sodium hydroxide as a skin irritant

    In manufacturing, a batch needs to have its pH raised or lowered to meet specifications. Usually, the pH adjuster is included in the formula and we simply have to add a bit more at the end. However, it does happen that a formula doesn’t have one or it contains an acid but when we measure pH it comes out too low and we need to add an alkaline pH adjuster. We often use sodium hydroxide for this as it’s cheap and we have a lot of it on hand. This would be classified as an incidental ingredient and does not need to be disclosed on the label. So there is a good chance that other products you use also contain sodium hydroxide but don’t include it on the label.

    When you say salt water do you mean specifically sodium chloride? That may happen if there are other ionic ingredients in the formula that release a chloride ion when dissociating. Depending on the formula, there could many different sodium salts “formed” but the concentration would be incredibly low. I put that in parentheses because most sodium salts are soluble in water so the sodium would remain as a free floating ion unless all the water is removed.

    • Adamnfineman

      Professional Chemist / Formulator
      May 15, 2024 at 3:21 pm in reply to: Sodium hydroxide as a skin irritant

      To answer your question, I find it highly doubtful that there could be undissolved sodium hydroxide remaining in a product. Sodium hydroxide is not added as a solid. Generally, it is dissolved in water before being added to the product to ensure it disperses quickly and allow the compounders greater precision when weighing it.

  • Adamnfineman

    Professional Chemist / Formulator
    May 14, 2024 at 7:49 am in reply to: The shampoo does not increase in viscosity

    There are many other choices. @PhilGeis has listed some of them above. Do you have any other constraints when it comes to preservatives?

  • Adamnfineman

    Professional Chemist / Formulator
    May 10, 2024 at 10:22 am in reply to: Sedimentation problem (Problème de décantation)

    Bonjour!

    Peux-tu partager ta formule complète? Si non, peux-tu partager les autres ingrédients que t’utilize? Include les spécification de pH et viscosité stp.

    Ma première supposition est que tu n’as pas assez de viscosité pour suspendre ton opacifiant. Ma deuxième supposition est que ta formule a des électrolytes qui interfèrent avec la stabilité de votre opacifiant.

    English:

    Hello!

    Could you share your complete formula? If not, could you list the other ingredients used? Include the pH and viscosity please.

    My first guess is that you don’t have enough viscosity to suspend your opacifier. My second guess would be that your formula has electrolytes which interfere with your opacifier’s stability.

  • Adamnfineman

    Professional Chemist / Formulator
    May 6, 2024 at 10:26 am in reply to: The shampoo does not increase in viscosity

    Hello,

    Is that 0.1% EDTA the active matter added or the amount of solution added? If it’s the latter, I would increase it to have at least 0.1% active. Also, someone correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t think EHG and EDTA are enough on their own to form a robust preservative system.

    When adding up the % I got 92%. Depending on what they are, 8% of additives could greatly affect your viscosity and clarity.

  • Adamnfineman

    Professional Chemist / Formulator
    May 3, 2024 at 9:37 am in reply to: Formulating with hypochlorous acid

    I second this query. There are some interesting, borderline OTC, claims that I would love for the FDA to take a look at.

  • Adamnfineman

    Professional Chemist / Formulator
    April 29, 2024 at 11:01 am in reply to: Searching for a cosmetic formulator

    Hi @Nils,

    I work at a contract manufacturing company that has developed and produced OTCs for the US, EU, and Asia. We are based in the US and work out of an OTC approved facility following GMP guidelines. I’d love to get you in a meeting with our R&D department to discuss your product and goals.

  • Adamnfineman

    Professional Chemist / Formulator
    August 29, 2023 at 12:56 pm in reply to: Need help with formula! It BURNS

    We need formula to help with formula.

  • Adamnfineman

    Professional Chemist / Formulator
    August 22, 2023 at 2:26 pm in reply to: FDA Regulation Question

    Hi @Ron_93,

    If you’re in the market for a CM with an R&D lab to help develop this formula you can PM me and I’ll see if our company can be a good fit for you. We’re located in southern Florida and have experience formulating and manufacturing SPF products and other OTCs.

  • Adamnfineman

    Professional Chemist / Formulator
    June 16, 2023 at 11:10 am in reply to: Raising pH with L-Arginine

    Have you tried replicating this with other bases? I’d say make a larger batch then split it and try raising the pH with TEA, NaOH, or whatever else you might have on hand.

  • Adamnfineman

    Professional Chemist / Formulator
    June 16, 2023 at 7:20 am in reply to: Oil thickener

    <div>Hello,</div>

    This oil thickener is pretty decent. We’re able to make a clear oil gel with 3.0% in vegetable oils or in mineral oil. It’s a bit pricey at about $130/kg but it gets the job done better than anything we’ve tried so far.


    https://www.ulprospector.com/en/na/PersonalCare/Detail/76/1005367/Oilkemia-5S-polymer?st=1&sl=153741014&crit=a2V5d29yZDpbb2lsa2VtaWFd&ss=2&k=oilkemia&t=oilkemia

  • Adamnfineman

    Professional Chemist / Formulator
    May 15, 2023 at 2:31 pm in reply to: Soap Foaming On Serum Issue With Essential Oil

    Hello,

    What percent of essential oil and solubilizer are you trying to use?

    Have you tried using a mix of Polysorbate 20 and PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil? We use a ratio of 1:1:1, Polysorbate 20 : PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil : Oil phase. This gives us a clear product without soaping.

  • Adamnfineman

    Professional Chemist / Formulator
    July 15, 2024 at 12:50 pm in reply to: Xanthan Gum Mixture

    It can be dispersed in polyols such as propylene/hexylene glycol, propanediol, or a blend of these and glycerin.

  • Adamnfineman

    Professional Chemist / Formulator
    May 16, 2024 at 8:47 am in reply to: Sodium hydroxide as a skin irritant

    Replace all instances of cationic here with anionic. I replied a bit too early for my brain to be working properly.

  • Adamnfineman

    Professional Chemist / Formulator
    May 16, 2024 at 7:20 am in reply to: Sodium hydroxide as a skin irritant

    What I’m saying is there are no byproducts unless all the water is removed or there is a molecule that makes an insoluble salt with sodium. The latter is very unlikely because sodium salts are soluble in water with exceptions that wouldn’t generally be seen in cosmetics such as sodium bismuthate. All that will happen is the sodium will hover near cationic molecules or water. If the water is removed, the sodium will then form salts with the cationic molecules it is most attracted to.

  • Adamnfineman

    Professional Chemist / Formulator
    May 14, 2024 at 7:46 am in reply to: Sedimentation problem (Problème de décantation)

    Je suis d’accord avec @ketchito. Essaie sans le sel fin marin pour voir si c’est le problème.

    I agree with @ketchito. Try without the sel fin marin to see if it’s the problem.

  • Adamnfineman

    Professional Chemist / Formulator
    May 9, 2024 at 7:55 am in reply to: The shampoo does not increase in viscosity

    I can’t say definitively whether that would be enough because I haven’t tried and tested that combination. Maybe @PhilGeis can shed some more light on this.

    I don’t know whether it’s too much as I don’t know what it is exactly. I do know that (most) extracts and peptides have little to no effect in leave-on products and even less in a rinse-off products like shampoos. What exactly are your additives? Are they being added for claims or efficacy? If efficacy, what do you expect them to do?

  • Adamnfineman

    Professional Chemist / Formulator
    May 8, 2024 at 8:47 am in reply to: The shampoo does not increase in viscosity

    I would recommend adding a preservative such as phenoxyethanol in a 1:9 EHG:PE ratio. We generally use 1% of this ratio along with 0.1% EDTA for our hair care products without issue. It’s sold as a blend by suppliers, my go to is Euxyl PE 9010.

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5082626/

    I do find it weird that you’re omitting 8% of the formula. Especially when based on your other comment part of that includes salicylic acid, which is notoriously finnicky.

  • Adamnfineman

    Professional Chemist / Formulator
    December 22, 2023 at 9:27 am in reply to: critique my moisturizer

    I think they’re referring to adding the xanthan gum slurry (assuming you’re mixing it with the glycerin) after your emulsion has been made.

    Also, did you mean dimethicone? Or are you adding herbicide to your moisturizer?

  • Adamnfineman

    Professional Chemist / Formulator
    June 16, 2023 at 12:43 pm in reply to: Microemulsion serum preservatives

    Thank you very much. It looks like I have some weekend reading to do : )

  • Adamnfineman

    Professional Chemist / Formulator
    June 16, 2023 at 11:26 am in reply to: Microemulsion serum preservatives

    Hi Phil,

    Do you happen to know where I can read up on some of this data? A few of our products use phenoxyethanol and polysorbate-80. I was able to find another forum post when looking online but I don’t have access to any of the studies I found except the one sent by the original poster there.

    Thank you for your time,

    https://chemistscorner.com/cosmeticsciencetalk/discussion/inactivation-of-preservatives/

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