[Dr_Sara]

  

[Dr_Sara]

@Perry I do love the idea of “supernatural” cosmetics. What a fantastic buzzword!

[Dr_Sara]

Hi @filiz
I think you misunderstood my comment. Natural is impossible to define concretely and everyone has their own definition of what is “natural”. 

All of the elements are natural and everything in the universe is made with these ingredients. So at one extreme, everything is natural because it is made with these elements. 

Of course, you can say contains natural extracts. 

My point is that unless there is a legal definition, natural is open to interpretation

[Dr_Sara]

Natural = anything made with the ingredients on Mother Nature’s table; the periodic table

[Dr_Sara]

@Pattsi Thanks for providing the references. I have been away for the filming of my National Honey Show Demonstration.

Also, for any of you who eat or use manuka honey in some way, Peter Molan is the scientist that discovered the secondary anti-bacterial effect of honey. 
https://www.principelle.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/The-evidence-and-the-rationale-for-the-use-of-honey-as-a-wound-dressing-Peter-Molan-2011.pdf

If you eat manuka honey, it is because of the work Peter Molan did.

Another scientist looking at honey is Rose Cooper in Wales. https://www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/health/staff/Pages/Prof%20Rose%20Cooper.aspx  

[Dr_Sara]

@Pharma one of the reasons I love honey as an ingredient is because there are so many varieties of honey depending on what the bees forage on.

Rapeseed is a unique tasting honey but not my first choice in cosmetics- it doesn’t have much aroma and is low in antioxidants. One of my favourites is buckwheat honey. It has such a rustic smell and taste and to my knowledge has the highest antioxidant level measured in honey varieties. 

Heather and ivy honey are British honeys that are thixotropic. 

When you add honey to soap, you never know what colour you will get because it depends on the sugars present in the honey and the Maillard reaction. Additionally, the exothermic nature of saponification leads to a delightful caramel smell. 

[Dr_Sara]

@Perry Honey is only antibiotic at 35% plus. There are a number of mechanisms: low pH, osmolarity, hydrogen peroxide generation and in manuka methylglyoxal add a non-peroxide mediated antibacterial activity.

If you use a lower concentration of honey in cosmetics, you are not adding it for its antibacterial activity. More for the humectant, moisturizing and emollient properties.

It is unclear what concentration is needed for wound healing but many studies use around 40% in a cerate type preparation. 

[Dr_Sara]

@Ktlo Even a set honey (Rapeseed) or a thixotropic honey (Heather) will drip with body heat. It might be solid in the jar but it will not be on your face. 

I met someone who used neat honey on their face daily and she had beautiful skin. I personally cannot get beyond the drippy stickiness. You can still yield the benefits of honey at lower concentrations. 

@ketchito interesting that you worked on honey wound dressings. I imagine you used manuka honey. 

All honey has antibiotic activity for a number of reasons. And studies have shown the variety of honey used is not important to wound healing. 

Honey is a very strange thing. As @ketchito mentioned, it does not make sense that honey is a humectant but it is. 
I am currently formulating honey masks for an apiary. You do not need to have mostly honey in your mask for the mask to be good. Think of honey as an active ingredient. 

[Dr_Sara]

Honey “liquifies” and becomes very runny when you put it on your skin (even set honey @Pharma! Honey needs to be added to a vehicle before applying to the skin. Historically, cerates were used. Ask me about Thomas Marigold.

My recommendation is to formulate a mask and add honey to the preparation. 

@smok, honey is so much more than sugar and water. Honey is an emollient, antibiotic and that has healing properties that are poorly understood.

Additionally, each honey variety adds different qualities to cosmetics- colour, aroma and even anti-oxidants. Indeed, the antioxidant level in honey correlates with colour. The darker the honey the more the antioxidants. 

[Dr_Sara]

Hi @Leo I have used phenoxyethanol in liquid soap.

[Dr_Sara]

also, take a look at the fragrance allergens

[Dr_Sara]

for true soap- a pH of 9 is good. I would add a preservative. 

[Dr_Sara]

Pharma said:

Seriously, I’ve tried and gave up! I usually don’t give up unless it’s looking real bad.

@Pharma if you gave up then I do not think it is worth pursuing these calculations for my own edification!

Bill_Toge said:

 the simplest way to gauge it by far is to measure it directly

Thanks, @Bill_Toge. I think I am getting the message!

Maybe I should buy a hygrometer?

[Dr_Sara]

Yes, sodium chloride in crystal form. Not to scale.

[Dr_Sara]

According to The Professor, bar soap can be eaten to neutralise radioactive vegetables- in case you find a box of radioactive seeds floating in the lagoon!

[Dr_Sara]

I am unsure if it is just vegetarians and vegans that should not drink soap. I am confused by the punctuation!

[Dr_Sara]

Yes. But seriously? 

[Dr_Sara]

Here is an ingredient list. No preservative but an antioxidant. Look at the advisory information.????

INGREDIENTS (INCI): Aqua, Potassium Cocoate (Saponified Coconut Oil*‡), Potassium Palm Kernelate (Saponified Palm Kernel Oil*‡), Potassium Olivate (Saponified Olive Oil*‡), Glycerin*, Potassium Hempseedate (Saponified Hemp Oil*), Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba seed oil*), Citric Acid, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil (Sunflower Oil) *Certified Organic Ingredients/ ‡Certified Fair Trade Ingredients

Advisory information:

Vegetarians and Vegans. Don’t drink soap. If cap clogs, poke it clear, do not squeeze the bottle. Soap can clog and spurt with pump dispensers. Keep out of eyes. Flush eyes well with water for 15 minutes. Consult a physician if irritation persists.

[Dr_Sara]

If you lower the pH you will loose the bubbles. 

[Dr_Sara]

Hi @Pattsi

That is a very appropriate guess.

I should have mentioned that each ball represents an atom!

Hint 2 atoms

[Dr_Sara]

Such a small world. Sorry for your friend. I hope she is ok. I don’t know if our tornado was associated with a dericho, but it was an F4 and got us out of school for a while!

[Dr_Sara]

Sorry, you are from Catskill. I misread.

[Dr_Sara]

I spent my favourite summer in Windham NY with my grandparents. Our house in Iowa was hit by a tornado and I went to NY while it was being rebuilt. Absolutely beautiful area. What town are you from?

[Dr_Sara]

Thanks @Microformulation
I have seen the Cosmetics and Toiletries article. Looking for something more detailed.

PS I see Albany College of Pharmacy in your signature. Are you from upstate NY?

[Dr_Sara]

Where are you located? In the EU it is not the % of EO that is restricted but some components of the EO are limited, for example, eugenol.