[belassi]

I hate to tell you this, but I will. Melt and pour soap is inherently inferior to cold process or hot process natural soap and also inferior to syndet bars such as Dove. And expensive. It is a craft market thing for the inexperienced.

[belassi]

Tea tree oil has antibacterial properties. Your question is outside my area of expertise I’m afraid.

[belassi]

one or two are anti-bacterial but there is no antiperspirant.

[belassi]

Can anyone tell me, would PEG-150 work as a gelling agent with 15% ethanol?

[belassi]

No, it’s not the same. The closest sub would be glycerol monostearate.

[belassi]

I’d also like to point out that it’s not possible for us to really have an idea of what’s required without seeing a typical item that’s already been through the process. When I looked at the request, I saw:

1. freelance editor. Well, I happen to be a published author and have edited several novels and quite a lot of thesis, Google specs for Google, and whatnot. So, OK.

2. create descriptions of each product and its ingredient list. This isn’t an editing job per se, it is a marketing job and I’d probably expect an advertising agency’s input.

3. product formulation and product consultant/reviewer. I didn’t really understand this. If you are launching 48 products surely they are already finished designs? And “reviewer”? For that, you will need a public relations person prepared to send samples to possible p.r. prospects such as beauty bloggers, newspapers, magazines, social marketing networks…

So to my eye, it appears you’re looking for several different people!

[belassi]

There is a key item known as the salt curve. Check it out!

[belassi]

(Guestimate)

Water (Aqua), q/s

Cetyl Alcohol, (maybe 4%)

Sambucus Nigra Flower Extract (Elder), (marketing ingredient - maybe 2% max?)

Wheat Germ Glycerides, (marketing ingredient - 2%?)

Panthenol (Vitamin B5), - expensive! Usually not found at more than 0.5%

Cetearyl Alcohol, - emulsifier for the cetyl, maybe 5%?

Cetrimonium Bromide, - detangler, usually 2%

PEG 100 Stearate, - someone else take a guess

Behentrimonium Methosulfate, - detangler?

Lactamide - acidifier, conditioning agent
MEA, - refattener, foam

Propylene Glycol, - solvent

Citric Acid, -pH adjuster maybe 0.5%?

Tetrasodium EDTA, - 0.2%?

Methylparaben, - 0.2%?

Polymethoxy Bicyclic Oxazolidine, ??

Propylparaben, - 0.15%?

Fragrance (Parfum) - 1%?

[belassi]

LOI doesn’t look to me as if it is properly ordered.

[belassi]

Probably is the polysorbate.

[belassi]

If you really want additional conditioning you could add say 1% Polyquart H81. It is a film forming psuedo quat.

[belassi]

Absolutely what Bob said. Prepare versions and try them yourself, use a standard sheet to record results. Remember sensorials are also important (the hand feel as you use the product)

[belassi]

I hate to disagree with Bob, who is much more experienced than I, but I think I would reduce the glycerin to 3%; my own tests with sulphate-free formulae show no effect on foam.

It is well known that surfactant combinations generally work better than single surfactants. If you have sodium cocoamphoacetate by all means experiment, try for instance 15% d/g and 10% s/c/a and compare foaming.

You might also add 5% CAPB (cocoamidopropyl betaine) which provides some conditioning due to its cationic ion. It is very cheap and a good foam booster. You might also try adding 1% MEA which will improve viscosity and foam and perhaps allow you to decrease the thickener a little.

I see you’re making a pearled shampoo. The pearling agent will reduce foaming unfortunately.

[belassi]

What counts is the sensorials. Viscosity by itself is a primitive measure.

[belassi]

I like the idea of a cream too. The active doesn’t seem to dissolve in lipids though, and alcohol + emulsions, I don’t want to go there.

[belassi]

http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/japanslim/item/100001043/?s-id=borderless_recommend_item_en

Something like that?

“Dry heels, it got sore with the bubbles!

horny potassium hydroxide in the foam caked on to demarcate!”

[belassi]

Good, thanks. The first trial formulations into gel have failed completely, I think I’m getting reaction chemistry going on between the active and the carbopol neutraliser. I’m going to try again using Glucamate VLT to thicken it.

[belassi]

Will 30% ethanol be self-preserving or do I need to add a secondary preservative?

[belassi]

Probably it is already at pH = 7 near as dammit.

[belassi]

Thanks. I’ll try it.

[belassi]

Yes, sure, 0.25% is noticeable. 

[belassi]

See pages 49 on, (the PDF; the other link is not useful)

The quoted usage for face cream was 93% cyclo, and for hand cream 82%, well, for heaven’s sake who would use that much?

I checked and I have in our hand cream 0.25% cyclopentasiloxane. Big deal!

[belassi]

98% and dark brown? I doubt it. The 12% is a light brown. The 95% is white powder.

The initial prep didn’t quite work out; after cooling to 10C and maintaining that for a while, a precipitate formed (a thin, clear plastic-like sheet) of similar density to the remaining liquid. Perhaps too much of the gl acid to remain in solution.

[belassi]

Got the samples. Wow this stuff is potent. Incredibly sweet. The slightest trace and I taste licorice for hours.

I made up the test solution very easily, the 95% gl acid dissolved easily in 70% ethanol then I added the 5% urea in hot water, the result a clear, straw-coloured liquid of intense sweetness.

It didn’t gel like the published paper said. Probably because I am using the acid rather than its ammonium salt? I’ll add a thickener, glucamate VLT.

[belassi]

The question you have to ask, is, whether it is settling out or separating. My bet is the latter.