Bobzchemist
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In no particular order:
Check out Zenitech products: http://www.zenitech.com/index.html
Also Ajinomoto GP-1 http://www.ajichem.com/en/products/gelling-agents.aspxAnd Siltech waxes: http://www.siltech.com/index.php/alkylated-silicones-silwax -
If I were you, I’d either use Croda’s Rejuvasoft and leave it at that.
Or you could also use a little Crodafos SG.If you can use silicone, then a little Arlasilk PLN will make it outstanding - but the Rejuvasoft is pretty good all by itself. -
I would strongly recommend talking to cosmetic chemists in a variety of places - LinkedIn for example - before moving ahead with this. I think that the demand for yet another new, green emollient is near zero, if it exists at all.
My opinion is that there is much more of a market for green, natural surfactants than there is for emollients. Look at the vast number of emollients that Croda offers, for example.Surfactants accepted/certified as natural are few and far between. Look at what’s available here, for instance: -
When requesting technical information, NEVER talk to the dealer, distributor, etc. You must always, always speak directly to the manufacturer. There is no other way to be sure that you are getting accurate, up-to-date information.Call BASF. Talk to their Technical Service Department. They are required to give you enough information for you to write an accurate ingredient label. This may mean that you get a range rather than an exact percentage, but you will get information. It is more likely that you will be able to get verbal, rather than written, information. It doesn’t matter where you get their ingredient from, BASF is responsible for giving the correct info on it.Personal Care North AmericaBASF CorporationFlorham Park, NJ 07932USAPhone: US and Canada:001 800 880 5768Telefax:001 973 245 6764Sales and Technical ServicePhone: 001 800 880 5768Fax: 001 973 245 6764
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At some point, I have to just throw my hands up and say “shampoo is weird”
Maybe @Perry can help… -
It happens - that’s why we do stability tests. Have you considered using a pH buffer?
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How much salt are you using?
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That’s easy - call the supplier, ask for technical service, and tell them that you are preparing an ingredient label, so you need percentages.
The EU reach question will need to be answered by a regulatory specialist, or a consultant.
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Some of us know quite a bit about ceramides. However, knowing the chemicals, how to formulate with them, and how they work or don’t work physiologically is a far cry from being able to talk knowledgeably about how to synthesize or extract them.
Chemical synthesis, extractions, purifications, etc. are not really functions usually/ever asked of cosmetic chemists. We understand how chemicals are put together generally, and most of us can follow along with a chemical process flowchart, but to get advice on how to produce chemicals and/or scale-up production, you will need to talk to organic chemists and chemical engineers. It’s like asking a dermatologist to do heart surgery…Unfortunately, this is information you’re most probably going to have to pay to find out, either with a consultant or by doing the research yourself. -
PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil / Lipocol HCO-40
caprylyl/capryl glucoside or Decyl Glucoside / PlantaSol CCG or Plantaren 2000RESASSOL VPF / Polyglyceryl-4 Caprylate (and) Decyl Glucoside (and) Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate (and)Diglycerin (and) WaterPolysorbate 20 / Tween® 20Polysorbate 80 / Tween® 80PEG - 60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil / Cremophor® RH 60PEG - 40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil / Cremophor® RH 40Steareth-100 / Jeecol SA-100Oleth-20 / Lipocol® O-20 -
Bill_Toge also makes a good point - you might want to look at using a grade of silica where the coating on the silica assists oil dispersion.
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In a kitchen blender, you might want to try starting with the dry Aerosil first, adding a few drops of liquid, COVER THE BLENDER, blending, and then repeat until the silica stops blending freely. Then, homogenize the mixture into the rest of your oil. (Trying to blend Aerosil or Cabosil without covering the blender, even on low speed, will get silica all over the lab. Don’t ask how I know this - I just do, OK. I am an experienced chemist - I would never make a mistake like that. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it)
If you had stronger dispersing equipment, I would suggest Aerosil 300 instead of 200, because it’s a stronger oil absorber. I’m not sure that you’ll be able to disperse it well enough to take advantage of that difference, though. -
Yes, but there will be nothing to hold the actives onto your skin, and nothing to keep them suspended.
Try adding some of this:or this: -
I honestly don’t know why the fonts get weird as I type
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@Jon_R, consulting cosmetic chemists typically do not/can not test for efficacy of skin care actives for two reasons:
1) Accurate, reliable testing equipment is very, very expensive - and even the best tests are not that repeatable.2) 99.8% of all skin care ingredients do absolutely nothing at any concentration, despite exaggerated claims made by suppliers.Here’s how I’d suggest proceeding:1) Think about possible claims from a marketing standpoint. Examine all of the high-end products, the claims they make, and the ingredients that (theoretically) allow them to make those claims.2) Make a short list, between 5-10, of the claims you might want your new wonderproduct to make, with an eye towards which claims will allow you to charge the highest price for your product.3) Sit down with Mark, or David, or someone else to go over those claims and determine which actives are available, and which actives have the most/best clinical data to back up their claims. Trust me, you will not be able to afford to do that testing on your own. In particular, look at claims/actives that might be synergistic with each other.4) Narrow your claims down to two or three. Keep an eye open to stay on the safe, cosmetic side of the FDA.5) Start roughly pricing out the formula and packaging, plus manufacturing and filling costs6) Do some market research (If I made a cream that did x, y, and z, how much would you pay for it?)You can proceed from there on your own.One thing many entrepreneurs discover is that a mediocre, somewhat effective cream that costs $1.50 to manufacture sells exactly as well as an excellent, incredibly effective cream that costs $15 to manufacture, if you put exactly the same marketing and sales effort and dollars behind each of them, particularly if they are both in the same, expensive-looking package.This is why there are so many mediocre products out there.Why spend the money developing an amazing product if it doesn’t sell any better than a mediocre one does?(Please pardon my cynicism - it’s been a long day.) -
Also take note of pH. Bringing the pH of hair above 5.5 will cause the hair shaft to swell, in turn causing the hair cuticle to open, which makes hair feel rough and static-y, and makes it more difficult to de-tangle. Bringing the pH level of the hair below 4.5 will cause each shaft hair to contract, causing the cuticle to close, making it feel and act smoother, easier to de-tangle.
Do not ever go below pH 3, however. -
Lower pH to about 4
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@Jon_R, good luck with that. Word of Mouth marketing is over-rated. OTOH, I have seen it work. Once.
As Mark said, raw materials that actually have real effects on skin are extremely expensive. Very few companies can afford to use them at the levels that produce effects. If you are going to go that route, it’s best to determine your finished goods selling price point first, so that you have an idea of what budget is available for raw materials and manufacturing costs, before formulating a cream that you’d have to sell for $500/ounce.The vast majority of companies make creams and lotions that are standard moisturizers, with tiny little bits of exotic ingredients in them, and rely on marketing to sell the product - but all of the effect comes from the moisturizer, and little to nothing from the exotic ingredient(s).Be aware that there’s a double-edged sword of regulations out there. FTC makes you have solid proof of every effect you claim for your product, but FDA will shut you down if you make drug claims for a cosmetic product. -
You have fallen into the trap of thinking that you need an “insanely great” formula in order to sell a product. Truth is, anyone can formulate an average product, and if the marketing/advertising is done right, it will fly off the shelves.
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“Synthesize” and “green” are two concepts that do not work together at all. Nothing synthetically produced will ever be considered “green”
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Much, much better dispersion is required. Kitchen blender might work. Homogenizer may work, ball mill or 3-roll mill will definitely work.
On a small scale, a muller or a flexible spatula against a glass plate will eventually work.The general rule is to start with as stiff/thick a dispersion as you can get to move through your grinding/milling system, and to slowly add liquid as needed. As the dispersion improves, the batch will get thicker - eventually, you will reach the limits of what your grinding/milling system can disperse, and the thickness will stop increasing.Oil-based products thickened only with silica have a tendency to separate over time, particularly if the oil is thin - can you increase the oil/surfactant viscosity? -
Depends. Consultants charge different rates, depending on the job, the customer, the intensity, and the duration. I’ve done work (for friends) for a home-cooked meal and home-made cookies - on the other hand, I was able to charge one client $200/hr for a one-time, ten-hour job. There are also other ways to get paid - royalties, percentages, sometimes even stock.
Full-time corporate cosmetic chemists make between 60 - 100k/yr. Most full-time consultants need to make at least that much. -
It’s possible that the stainless steel wasn’t passivated properly.
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Ecological Surfactants http://www.ecologicalsurfactants.com/ would be my first choice. They sell a variety of different grades with different preservative systems, depending on just how natural/organic you need to be.NaturOli also makes a concentrate called Extreme 18X. http://www.naturoli.com/, but they just have the one grade, as far as I know.There are other suppliers out there as well.