[Doreen]

@chemicalmatt
package it aseptically 

In this case you do need a laminar flow hood!

[Doreen]

@luiscuevasii
bleaching was only achived ussing sodium hypochlorite with acid 

I hope you have a fume hood!

[Doreen]

You don’t want to go higher than 3% or you will have dough as a result. It’s ok for a mask, but in a cream you’d better stick to lower levels.
There are several oat ingredients, the extract of the oat kernel (which should contain avenanthramides), the oil and (colloidal) oatmeal. Like @Belassi mentioned oat can be hydrolized. Hydrolized oat (just as hydrolized wheat) to me has an unacceptable odour that is hard to mask. Oat oil has a distinctive smell.

I’m curious about the same as @Perry. What is your reason to add it? I like to use it if I have eczemic outbreaks, it works great as an anti-irritant!

Tip: if you make small batches you can use a (rough surfaced) mortar and pestle. Put the oatmeal in it along with some emulsion (in same quantities). Disperse until homogeneous: no lumps!

[Doreen]

@Sissi99
You have to add a solubilizer if you use caprylyl glycol in an aqueous system.
Instead of using Optiphen Plus you can also look for the single ingredients.

[Doreen]

I agree with Belassi and Dr. Bob: skip all oils, no matter the fatty acid profile.

[Doreen]

@Belassi
I can understand why one would prefer ascorbic acid over stabilized forms:
http://thebeautybrains.com/2014/05/which-kind-of-vitamin-c-is-best-for-skin-the-beauty-brains-show-episode-31/
And it is stable in anhydrous systems (the brand CSI has 12% LAA + 98% butylene glycol).

[Doreen]

I use at least 1% DL-panthenol. Pure dexpanthenol (only the D-isomer) less, but at least 0,5%. (source) (source) Both isomers have a moisturizing effect, but only the D-isomer can be metabolized in the skin.

[Doreen]

@halrac
Have you made progression so far?

Re: organic acids and pH.
Today I made a 2% BHA toner (benchmark Paula’s Choice 2% BHA liquid pH 3.2-3.. PC doesn’t use additional preservatives in this formula besides the polyols and salicylic acid, but I wanted to incorporate at least something against yeast/mold, so I tried benzoic and sorbic acid on a selected part of the batch.
The native pH was well below 3, I raised it with NaOH to 3.76. This seems to be too acidic for the acids (except for SA). As soon as I added the acids to the crystal clear solution, it started to precipitate and the insoluble matter floated on top of te liquid. So even a pH of 3.76 is too acidic for them. I thought I’ll let you know, maybe it’s helpful for you or someone else on here.

[Doreen]

Fat burning gel. LOL 

[Doreen]

@Perry
Somehow I don’t mind it so much coming from marketers, but our brightest scientists?  sigh.

Word 
  

[Doreen]

@Chemist5000
I have no experience with cinnamon in lipbalms. Maybe others can help?

[Doreen]

@Bill_Toge
Ok, thanks for the information!

[Doreen]

I forgot to mention, now that I read Bob’s reply: occlusivity indeed can cause irritation, I also experience this now and then. A brand here called Eucerin® has products for ultrasensitive skin.

INCI for normal-mixed skin (they state that sensitivity is a skin disorder, not a skin type):

• Water
• Squalane
• Glycerine
• Pentylene Glycol
• Methylpropanediol  
• Arginine HCL  
• Cetearyl Alcohol 
• 4-t-Butylcyclohexanol (Trans-Isomer)
• Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer 
• Sodium Carbomer 
• Caprylyl Glycol

INCI for dry skin:

• Water
• Glycerine
• Butyrospermum Parkii Butter 
• Panthenol
• Cetyl Palmitate
• Methyl Palmitate 
• Olus Oil 
• Pentylene Glycol  
• Metylpropanediol  
• Sodium Polyacrylate  
• Arginine HCL 
• 4-t-Butylcyclohexanol (Trans-Isomer)
• Caprylyl Glycol 

As you can see no classic emulsifiers, it has a lot of 0% claims, 0% emulsifier as well as 0% preservative (only some polyols). I think the % of glycerin is quite high, because it is rather sticky (I tried the one for dry skin). It comes in a special airless dispenser with extra sealing around the opening to prevent contamination and the recommended shelf life is short (6 months).
The ‘4-t-butylcyclohexanol’ is a patented ingredient (Symsitive®), for marketing purposes only I guess.
There is also an anti-redness product, similar to above, it has licorice root extract (Glycyrrhiza Inflata) added to it. Although it has the extract, not a salt like potassium glycyrrhizate, the colour is white. @Belassi, do you know how that is possible?

Maybe you can try emulate something likewise?
From a microbiological point of view I don’t think it is possible to create this at home, not even with a special dispenser. I would definitely add extra preservatives.

[Doreen]

Petrolatum and parabens irritate your skin? Weird.
Potassium sorbate has vasodilating properties, I experience the same.
I agree with Perry, there are no essential substances that your skin can’t do without.
If your skin reacts good to CCT, there is nothing wrong with using only that. I think it’s even better than submitting your skin to testing all kinds of supposedly essential ingredients.
I use allantoin and bisabolol for their supposed calming effects, but to be honest? I don’t notice a difference if I add those or if I don’t.

[Doreen]

@Perry
True. It seems like customers want to be deceived…
Like La Mer for example, astronomical prices for products that are mediocre at best. Yet they are extremely popular here, even by teenagers. The customers that do use their common sense seem scarce…

[Doreen]

@em88
You’re very welcome.  

[Doreen]

@sven
Sliced cheese for ladies hair?  :#
  

[Doreen]

@em88
No it isn’t stable. Intentions aren’t for selling, it will be used within a month.

[Doreen]

The only formulators who use them at higher levels are those who have been mislead by the marketing departments of the raw material companies.

And the only formulators who use levels below 1% are those who need to do so because the seller wants to mislead the customers by ‘spectacular Argan benefits’ claims, while customers are only paying for marketing, not the Argan.

@em88
Why would you incorporate an expensive ingredient like Argan and/or panthenol only at low levels because they are expensive? Isn’t that deceiving? 

[Doreen]

@Perry
In truth, Panthenol and Argan oil are claims ingredients. Whether you use 1%, 0.5% or 0.01% will not matter. 

Couldn’t agree more. I don’t understand the whole run on different kinds of (expensive) oils (like Argan, Prickly Pear etc), if you  compare the oil profiles, there is nothing exceptional about it apart from some fatty acid content differences. It must be the idea of luxury I guess… 
And I’m really tired of seeing vitamin claims on oils, lots of sellers (not only the Etsy/Amazon kind) claim their oils are containing water soluble vitamins naturally, like several B vitamins and especially vitamin C. I sometimes wonder if they are just plain stupid, or do they know they are selling lies?

[Doreen]

I forgot about the organic acids becoming less water soluble in their acidic form, sorry! Maybe pH 3.5 is indeed too low as they might give precipitation and become useless. Parabens would be a great choice for you as they are effective, safe and less pH sensitive.

@Bill_Toge
Thank you for adding the information about iron as catalyst in the reaction. It also makes al lot of sense why they did worry about it in the softdrink industry as 1. the benzene will be ingested and 2. I reckon they don’t use demineralized water for soda, so catalyst(s) are present. Do all transition metals act as reducing agents in this reaction, or is it only iron?

[Doreen]

You’re very welcome!

Dehydroacetic acid works on fungi, but I remember Geogard 221 not being very strong on it and should be paired up with something like sodium benzoate, here is the link where I got the information about Geogard 221.

Good luck!  

[Doreen]

@chemicalmatt
You’re right, I’ll get C12-15 alkyl benzoate with my next order. Thanks!
And I will try testing its multifunctional properties in other formulas.  

[Doreen]

pH 5.5 is also too high for potassium sorbate, as it is the potassium salt of sorbic acid and it needs an acidic pH to convert to the acid form to be active.
Geogard 221 does work at pH 5.5, but you do need something extra on fungi.
I think pH 5.5 is also too high for benzoic acid.
Maybe phenoxethanol + ethylhexylglycerin is an idea.
There are more organic acids (Dermosoft 1388 (sodium anisate/sodium levulinate + glycerin) by dr. Straetmans, but your pH is also too high for that, pH 5 is recommended, below 5 will give precipitation). Dermosoft 1388 on its own also isn’t strong enough, pair it up with glyceryl caprylate or caprylyl glycol (use a solubilizer in an aqueous system)
I don’t think adding a small % of ethyl alcohol is gonna help much preservative-wise.

Too bad you can’t use parabens. I’m so glad I’ve found a supplier that sells Phenonip. Finally no more trouble with my pH not being acidic enough for benzoic and sorbic (salts). Long live parabens.
Why don’t you want to use formaldehyde releasers? They’re very effective. And not such a royal pain in the b*tt to work with (pH too high or too low etc etc), I wish I could get them here…

[Doreen]

@chemicalmatt
Thanks! Would caprylic/capric triglycerides also do if it has to be a polar oil?
The rest of the ingredients are: Jojoba Oil, Argan Oil, Beeswax, Candelilla Wax, Shea Butter, Tocopherol, Bisabolol (and coloured mica’s).