Avick
Forum Replies Created
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Hi Graillotion!
Here is the IFRA standard for benzyl benzoate: https://ifrafragrance.org/standards/IFRA_STD48_0161.pdf
It sounds like you are making a product in category 4-I believe this website describes them correctly but not 100% sure: https://plushfolly.com/Information/Page-/-Category
So, you have a pretty high max percentage that you can use-26.7%, I believe, which is way more than you would need.
I’m also a fan of coumarin, which has a subtle, sweet hay scent and can be found as a natural isolate in powder form. When mixed with the essential oils, it does linger longer and also repels mosquitoes.
It’s what was responsible for the surprise off-label success of Avon Skin So Soft as a mosquito repellent.
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Wow, great! Would you recommend a particular supplier for either the sodium lactate or the konjac root? Both are very interesting, and I appreciate so much your sharing this information. ^
^ And ah, you’re right-EcoGel does look like it should have higher electrolyte tolerance! Just when I thought I had the formulas finalized… what changing one ingredient can do.
:-<
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Wow, thanks for the great information, Mark.
Yes, by stabilizing, I mean stabilizing the emulsion. I’m using this same low-pH botanical in several products.
The emulsions use lucas-meyer phospholipid emulsifiers: amisol soft, lecigel, heliofeel.
The other two are serums, one using a carbomer (Carbopol Ultrez 10) and one using HE cellulose.
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Well, both.
I have one formula w/ a carbomer and another where I’m just using it to adjust pH and stabilize. I have had a colleague suggest AMP (aminomethyl propanol) as an alternative… I don’t know much about the make-up of the low-pH botanical, so I am a little wary b/c I don’t want to create some weird derivative, but I need some way to adjust the pH and I think buffering it will create too much electrolyte load.
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Hi hishine,
If you are interested in novel cellulosic gels, we could definitely help you. We have the co-inventor of HPMC and co-author of 20 patents involving cellulose derivatives on staff here.
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Thank you so much for this thread! We are doing formulation work as a not-for-profit and I always have some clients that haggle over $1200 production of formulas and prototypes to which they have full ownership! Nice to have this perspective.
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Did you hydrate it in pure H2O first? If not, you may be using too much and it’s not getting properly hydrated.
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Yes, thanks Bob. I just saw this post. Lucas-Meyer has a great selection of phospholipid emulsifiers with great skin feel.
@Perry, would you have any recommendations for a secondary broad-spectrum preservative? We haven’t subjected it to challenge testing yet so I can neither confirm nor deny your allegations.
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Haha, thanks you guys!
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Yeah, I have seen cetyl alcohol crystallize and separate from oil phases… It is pretty polar. The product page for Arlacel 165 suggests that it is for “nonpolar oil phases”. That could just be vague or sloppy language, but maybe it also points to part of the problem? Just supposing…
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Hi again and thanks to everyone who commented on this. Just wanted to update that the Spectra 11 stone melanger from Santha has turned out to be a really great microdispersion tool for getting botanical materials into very smooth buttery pastes for stick applications. I recommend!
Cheers,
Amanda -
Thanks, Bob. I am in trial-by-fire training here. Appreciate your suggestions so much!
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Am I asking the wrong type of questions?
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Okay, now I’m just nagging… Wondering if anyone can at least comment on using cetearyl alcohol to counter the emulsion-disrupting effects of lysine. I think I read somewhere on these pages (BobZ?) that this could work. Thanks for any insight!
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If I remember correctly, cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine would also be a good amphoteric to work with the disodium laureth sulfosuccinate and it is Whole-Foods-acceptable, whereas they have weird and inconsistent opinions about coco betaine… if that matters to you.
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Stirplates work great for small batch surfactant blending.
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Hi achokshi,
Not sure of your location, but here in Western North Carolina (US), we have a manufacturing facility that is geared towards start-ups and bridging this gap in volume. Let me know if you want more info or check out their website: https://www.advantagewest.com/food-and-natural-products!Depending on your formula and your location, I may be able to help you get it made there. -
Greetings, we are US Botanical Safety Laboratory in beautiful Asheville, NC. We a relatively new lab founded by Bent Creek Institute, Inc. to assist in fostering integrity in the natural products industry and anchoring our region as a “Napa Valley” of medicinal plants. We offer a full sweet of analytical services for medicinal and functional botanicals geared towards dietary supplements and topical applications, including custom formulations and product development, potency, purity and compositional analyses, market assessment, and custom research services.
Please feel free to contact us with any questions!
Website: http://www.usbsl.org
Email: support@usbsl.org -
Thanks so much, Bob! Qosmedix provided a good workable solution! I owe ya one.
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Awesome, thank you chemicalmatt!
So, I do use some other plant oils in skin care products for their natural uv absorption (raspberry seed oil is one). Thanks for giving me a start!
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Bobzchemist, are you suggesting using lanolin to solubilize the actives or stabilize the W/O?
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Thanks, herbnerd! Yeah, I think I’ll do that-go with stevia. I’m not a huge fan of the bitter aftertaste, but perhaps just a touch.
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Perhaps they are referring to DHAA: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dehydroascorbic_acid
We run an assay that requires reaction with DL homocysteine to reduce the DHAA to ascorbic acid.
Free ascorbic acid and “total Vitamin C” can be two different measures, especially if the source is a plant extract.