[Dr Catherine Pratt]

very interesting perspective, how long have you been using cosmetics for? my husband was a brander with an advertising firm making TV commercials etc. The stuff that they come up with is really sad and a little short of total lies. The marketing department are good ones too. Allegedly in perfumery the perfumer will make a new perfume and when it gets to the marketing conference table, they are told to make it sweeter and that happens all the time.

Defeats the purpose hey!

I do have to say that parabens are not the bad guys they make out. In fact that is where the whole natural/organic thing really started and where I started to become specific. Everyone said it was just a phase but I took a gamble and yes the natural game is as strong as ever and the customers are as clueless as ever. Although I must say customers do want to read the label now and make their own choices. Is this good or bad???

[Dr Catherine Pratt]

Perry a client said she wanted the product to have A,B,C and transparent but obviously that did not happen for me and I think I stared at it so long wishing it would go clear….

[Dr Catherine Pratt]

Oh I get it, although that site said ‘mented’ did they mean ‘demented’?that’s how I feel after working with surfactants all day. Hostapon paste did something that was not expected, it was a frustrating day indeed!

[Dr Catherine Pratt]

Sorry the only thing is once again, the instructions are in chinese and it was in about 40 parts. That was the only downfall. Who needs instructions anyway! my dad didn’t…

[Dr Catherine Pratt]

OMG I just got one, again from China. They always deliver something that works at least. However, I just bought a high shear mixer (no label of course) and its a beauty. This was from ebay, I got it for about $250 Aussie

[Dr Catherine Pratt]

Tin free, oh that would make him a New-Zealander!

[Dr Catherine Pratt]

Haaaaaahaaaaa!  #Pharma I don’t know if he gets it??

I know what you are saying, but petrolatum has been around for a lot longer than anything we use today.

I think the thing you were thinking of was arsenic. Ladies used to put Arsenic on their faces to make them whiter as that was the fashion. And yes they became so white they ended up in the morgue!

Its a pity its so traceable, I have wanted to put it into my exes salt container a few times LOL.

This may be a bad analogy, but if you use too many laxatives, your digestive tract becomes lazy and it will not work properly as its had something working far more efficiently for it for many years. So I think your question has a lot of merit.

However,#Zink don’t worry after 50 yrs old no-one notices you anymore anyway so who cares what you look like.  Can’t wait!!

[Dr Catherine Pratt]

I have not been here for a while, are you saying you want free formulation?

[Dr Catherine Pratt]

#pharma are you saying that Tretenoin is a ‘live fast and dye young drug’ giving you not only amazing skin but the feeling of an ephadrine compound with high arousal?? I need some right now!!! LOL

Sometimes, just sometimes acne can go away on its own if you leave your face alone and go swimming in the sea. We touch are faces hundreds of times a day and no cosmetic regime is going to help the crap that we are actually doing to our own skin every few minutes a day!! Hope this makes sense!

[Dr Catherine Pratt]

There is an ingredient called ‘captisol’ if you go to the magazine, Perfumers and Flavours’ you will find it there. They are even giving away a free sample.

Hope this helps!

[Dr Catherine Pratt]

So in your work are you using high molecular weight? Or not at all just the catalyst? What is the work you do sounds interesting?

[Dr Catherine Pratt]

I am sure you can still use the Jojoba, it would be better if they were Jojoba esters but I don’t think it is. Jojoba is a good natural UV filter but I think the Jojoba dispersion is not great making high SPF obviously as you have to use so much. For the other emollients use only silicone alternatives. Try that and you may have a better outcome. I think I used Heptyl Undecyclenate at quite a high amount. Maybe you could try Isostearyl Isostearate instead or isoamyl Laurate?

Let us know how you go? Hope this helps

[Dr Catherine Pratt]

The jojoba is really greasy & I was making an eye cream! Go with the coco!

[Dr Catherine Pratt]

Wow thank you so much I will definitely pass that on. Yes I was thinking of Zemea 1,3 propanediol. I did ask them and one said he was using a pure blueberry glycerin extraction?? Hear of that?

So you are saying there are two systems in the process, but I think they are getting the flavour from the PG?? They are right into mixing up various flavours and one has become so good I asked him to come work with me in perfumery. I also heard them being very chesty when they have a couple of sessions, like more than a cigarette smoker, does that make sense?

[Dr Catherine Pratt]

I would say as Perry, do a pilot study first. Depending on what you are making, sometimes you can get quite a big number of products made by paying for an upscale batch quite cheaply and doing a pilot study with even hundreds rather than thousands and make sure you can sell it!! I always say to clients that you have to be prepared to walk the streets as well or fill up the boot of the car and get out there.

[Dr Catherine Pratt]

Actually they do have stock blends at ‘Antaria’ from Australia but I am sure they are international as well. I have used their jojoba and coco-caprylate, don’t even think of going with Jojoba, coco is the best so far and very easy to use.

They have been very good suppliers I would try them!

[Dr Catherine Pratt]

I love this, maybe the two are also grouped differently i.e. use Glycerin in cosmetic preparations and HA in cosmeceutic preparations. Clients are now asking for a natural cosmeceutical over a natural cosmetic and that is when you suggest HA?? if that makes sense.

The car analogy I think is a good one. I only drive Mercedes now, my kids would not get into anything else LOL I had one when my first child was born and its a running joke that the children only ever have Mercs!

Although, the Rolls Royce engine would outdo the Merc since Rolls Royce is made by ‘PRATT & Whitney’ Haha!

What does everyone think about the e-cigarettes that are flavoured but using glycerin as the solvent?? I have friends that do this and I thought it would be very heavy to suck glycerin into your lungs? I know it is heated but I thought maybe I could find them a different solvent maybe like Propanediol ?? Any suggestions?

[Dr Catherine Pratt]

Has anyone spoken about the fact that you can get Tocopherol naturally or synthetic? Did you ask for a natural one or synthetic? The natural is certainly brown liquid quite viscous and synthetic should be clear.

[Dr Catherine Pratt]

You could use almost any of these:
Cera Alba
Cera Flava
ozokerite, hydrogenated vegetable oil,
stearyl stearate, stearic acid
ozokerite, hydrogenated vegetable oil, cera alba, hydrogenated palm acid, stearyl stearate
Cetyl alcohol
Cetyl palmitate
Cetearyl alcohol
Cetearyl alcohol
Castor Oil hydrogenated
Candelilla cera
Copernicia Cerifera wax
Glyceryl stearate
Montan Cera
Paraffin
Stearyl alcohol
Cetyl esters wax

[Dr Catherine Pratt]

Like Perry said maybe your concentration is too high, can you tell us???

[Dr Catherine Pratt]

Excellent good to know!

[Dr Catherine Pratt]

Ha that is because with match sticks in eyes I am struggling to still be of some use at 2am. Probably time to say night night!

[Dr Catherine Pratt]

Mark were you taking to me?

[Dr Catherine Pratt]

That happens all the time depending on where you are in the world like mark said, what your Diurnal Range is? Like in a desert it will be super hot in the day & freezing at night. So you need better equipment & vacuums! Such is life…

[Dr Catherine Pratt]

Back to the preservatives I’ve been doing pretty well just using The sodium instead of the potassium & I always really like Euxyl9010 a fav!