Bobzchemist
Forum Replies Created
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It’s about to be banned in the US for use in antibacterial soap (as are all the other antibacterials).
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I can give you some advice - I’ll have to be mostly general, since this is an area I consult in.
Processing: I would add an extra step - use a kitchen blender to blend your pigment grind and the boron nitride, magnesium myristate, magnesium stearate and nylon 12 together. Then you can use a bag to blend in the mica (which is the only ingredient that could be harmed by a blender.)Baking: Yes, it would be safe to add your jars to an oven - it won’t hurt the eyeshadow, and probably won’t hurt the jars, either. But… baking the powder won’t actually do anything for your formula/process. It certainly won’t eliminate the need for pressing. (pressing warm powder might be somewhat easier than pressing cold powder, though)Now, if you bake an eyeshadow powder for long enough at a high enough temperature, you will sterilize it, which is a Good Thing(tm), but not the real reason folks are baking powder. I know why and how it’s being done, but it’s not something I’ll discuss publicly. I can tell you that powders are only being baked to eliminate water, and also that it’s not a process that can be accessed without spending $10 - $20,000 on equipment.I’d be happy to discuss how to speed up your pressing process, but bakiing won’t be an answer, sorry. -
I need a whole lot more detail before I can help. Please post all the formula details that you can
First, let me clarify something. By definition, a pigment is a dry, colored powder that is insoluble in a particular solvent. It sounds like you are talking about a material that is composed of a pigment dispersed in water, which you then thicken by adding xanthan gum.So, the first question that comes to my mind is - have you tried using more xanthan gum? -
In my professional opinion, unless you are able to have in-vivo safety testing run on your product, penetration enhancers are never safe to use.
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The percentages, some of the ingredients, and all of the procedure.
If you are new to this, your best bet is to start by taking one of Perry’s courses. Alternatively, buy a pre-made base, some pre-dispersed pigments, and experiment.Please don’t forget to follow cGMP and do all of the needed testing before offering anything for sale in the US.Cosmetic Chemistry/formulation is extremely difficult to learn if you’re trying to teach yourself. Most professional cosmetic chemists have put in at least 6-8 years learning how and why to formulate. -
You’re looking for a level of information that will require you to either hire a regulatory consultant or take one of Perry’s courses - or both.
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Be aware that this is a real grey area in the US due to FDA regulations. Technically, anything that imparts color to the human body (including the nails) must be a FDA approved colorant.
This is enforced far more by fear of product litigation lawyers than by the FDA, though. -
If Ganex V-220 works, Ganex WP-660 will usually work better:also, try looking at some of the fast-absorbing esters:Diisopropyl adipatePEG-4 Diheptanoate (Liponate 2-DH)PPG-3 Benzyl Ether Ethylhexanoate (Crodamol SFX)Isodecyl Neopentanoate (Ceraphyl SLK)Isononyl Isononanoate (and) Isononyl 3,5,5-Trimethyl Ester (Wickenol 151)Actually, Alzo has several other nice ones:
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You’re suspicions are correct, using a high-shear homogenizer with foaming surfactants is NOT recommended, due to the foam you will generate. Unless…you can get a hold of a homogenizer that runs in a vacuum kettle. (expensive, but very cool equipment) http://www.ika.com/Products-Lab-Eq/Laboratory-Reactors-csp-232/
You can make the formula more stable by making the emulsion first with a homogenizer, and then adding it to your surfactant mix with an overhead mixer, but this isn’t critically necessary if you design the formula properly.You should be able to get your formula stable - this type of system isn’t unheard of, it’s just not common, because that much oil will inhibit 80 - 90% of the foaming. Keep in mind that foaming surfactants are Very Bad Emulsifiers(tm), which may be the cause of your instability - try making the emulsion first with a strong emulsifier, then adding the other surfactants. -
That’s way too much oil for a face cleanser. What are you trying to achieve?
And, why don’t you try both production methods and see which works best? -
There’s plenty of info on the web. Croda makes Polawax.
Most cosmetic chemists prefer to use single ingredients rather than mixtures, but the self-emulsifying wax mixtures do get used occasionally. -
This is not something that I can help with, sorry.
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You need to consult with a professional toxicologist, and then with a chemist who specializes in nail polish. Good luck with your project.
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Formulating or using?
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Please start a new discussion.
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Also, It’s much better to mix an emulsion with enough energy and worry about getting the air out later than it is to mix too slowly and have to worry about emulsion stability.
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@Magreat,Sometimes, a failed batch can be a gift. Why? It’s already failed, so you have nothing to lose by playing/experimenting with it. This gives you the freedom to try formulating concepts that you’re not sure of, ones that you wouldn’t have wasted time/energy/money on to make a regular batch. The failed batch can become a screening tool to evaluate new concepts or ingredients.So - definitely reheat the batch to emulsification temperature and use your stick mixer to re-emulsify it.Split the re-emulsified batch into 2 or 3 parts - leave one part as-is, and try adding co-emulsifiers to the other portions. Remember, Polawax is a self-emulsifying wax, NOT an emulsifier - it has just enough emulsifier added to it to make an emulsion by itself - there’s not really enough emulsifier to carry additional oils into the emulsion and remain stable.Croda recomends adding INCROQUAT BEHENYL TMS (Behentrimonium Methosulfate (and)Cetearyl Alcohol) at about 1/2 of the amount of the Polawax for a stable formula.Personally, I’d try a little bit of a low HLB emulsifier like Glyceryl Oleate (http://www.makingcosmetics.com/Glyceryl-Oleate_p_1013.html) since you seem to be determined to go the more natural route. (Otherwise, I’d suggest using one of the Pemulens)Another option would be to use 2% of Structure XL instead of or in addition to the Dry Flo.
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There’s too much wrong with that formula to fix it.
Use pre-made powder dispersions, unless you have a 3-roll or ball mill.Start with formulas that are known to be good, and adjust/customize from there. Wait to start formulating from scratch until you have several years of experience. -
Actually, both statements are true. If, and only if, you are in a position where you’ve encountered non-public domain formulas (patents and formulas on the web don’t count), having a patent or even just a patent application will shield you from most lawsuits.
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I don’t think that there’s one single ingredient that can do this - there might be a combination of ingredients that can - BUT…there are two problems:
1) Any formula that does this will cost at least 5x - 10x the cost of a petrolatum formula, and maybe more.2) There’s a reason that pomades are either oil-based, or not water soluble when they’re dry - sweat (and humidity). A water-soluble pomade will go all over the place exactly when your customer doesn’t want it to.You may actually have a different problem than trying to formulate a water-soluble petrolatum. -
Which Ganex?
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It isn’t uncommon for powders to absorb liquid over several days, either.
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To increase coverage, increase your ZnO and TiO2.
To increase wear resistance and staying power, you have to improve the adhesion and strength of the film that you put on skin.The easiest way to do this is to add some of the Ganex or other oil-based film formers on the market.The second, harder way to do this is to use a volatile ingredient instead of some or all of your vegetable oils. By using a volatile, you get good initial spreadability and skin feel. After the volatile evaporates, it leaves behind a film that (if you’ve formulated right) has good adhesion to the skin and good wear resistance. (Most of the time, water evaporates too slowly to work well in this kind of product)Some of the effect of using a volatile ingredient can be mimicked by using a non-volatile oil that is strongly absorbed into the skin. This produces the same results on the product film - it usually doesn’t matter to performance if a volatile evaporates outward or an oil is absorbed inwards. -
Some people consider $1,000 too high - and I’m not sure if the homogenizer will provide enough shear. Ideally, you’d use a 3-roll mill, or a ball mill, or a colloid mill. A ball milling set up can be put together for $1,000 - $2,000. Used colloid or 3-roll mills can be about the same price.
Look at these two starting formulas for ideas:Note that the pour temperature for each is ~70C/160F. This is typical, because much lower than these temps and you start getting sticks melting in sun-heated cars or beach bags, etc. You’ll find that most contract manufacturers are already set up for that temp range, also. -
Something like this is really useful on a small scale.