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  • Graillotion

    Member
    April 25, 2025 at 3:31 pm in reply to: Is ethylhexylglycerin the only emulsifier in this formula?

    And thirdly…. I’m not sure why you would consider it an emulsifier, even if it was included.

    Overall …. looks like something a beginner tossed together to try and ring as many ‘claim’ bells as possible. A plethora of irritants and allergens. Look for something efficacious to model!

    Appears to be one of those brands…. that only list…. what they think you want to see. 🙁

    • This reply was modified 1 week, 2 days ago by  Graillotion.
    • This reply was modified 1 week, 2 days ago by  Graillotion.
  • Graillotion

    Member
    April 23, 2025 at 4:03 pm in reply to: Want to exchange between Mg(OH)₂ and TEC in deodorant

    I have sensitive skin… Mag or BS would likely send me to the ER.

    TEC is NOT low pH…it has NO pH.

    TEC is used IN a low pH system. These systems are MUCH MORE difficult to make well….hence the indie brands have dropped back to beginner level concepts without regard to the users skin.

    If you simply drop high pH items and sub in TEC….you will be sorely disappointed. It is a tiny piece to a big puzzle.

    If you think the Indie brands have the best and brightest and most experienced cosmetic chemists on the payroll….maybe think again.

    Good Luck.

    • Graillotion

      Member
      April 23, 2025 at 4:13 pm in reply to: Want to exchange between Mg(OH)₂ and TEC in deodorant

      The mag used it deo…is traditionally a higher pH than the BS used. Scratch your head for a minute…its allowed. So why is BS exponentially more irritating than the mag? Solubility. BS creates a very rapid….for lack of a better term…. explosion of high pH. Mag has poor solubility in water (water is introduced by skin and sweat). Hence, for lack of a better term…. it is more like a ‘timed release’ elevation and maintenance of high pH. See the difference?

      If you look at where microbes (the source of odor) thrive….in general, the range is 5-8 (of course there are outliers). Hence it is easiest to make a deo….either above or below that range. That is why you see the two systems on the market.

      When we use soap on our skin….it is high pH. Hence we ‘wash it off’ after use. So, leaving something in place, that is high pH…is profoundly different….than using soap.

  • As mentioned,…it is below the 1% line. I suspect it came along for the ride with another ingredient…and was not directly added as an ingredient. Might even have come with the aloe….but there are other possibilities as well.

  • Search the contents of your skin’s NMF (Natural Moisturizing Factor). This is what YOUR SKIN MAKES…to keep itself moisturized. The list you search should come back something like this:

    1) Free amino acid ≈ 40%

    2) Various ions (chloride, sodium, calcium) ≈ 18.5%

    3) PCA ≈ 12%

    4) Lactic Acid/Lactates ≈ 12%

    5) Sugars, Inorganic acid, peptides ≈ 8.5%

    6) Urea ≈ 7%

    7) Ammonia, Uric acid, glucosamines, creatinine ≈ 1.5%

    8 ) Citrate ≈ .5%

    Look at line #4. Ingredients off this list….are generally well tolerated by skin….as they are things it naturally makes. Hence…I would throw my hat in the ring with adjusting pH with lactic acid.

    • This reply was modified 1 week, 6 days ago by  Graillotion.
  • Graillotion

    Member
    April 21, 2025 at 6:11 pm in reply to: does anyone make cosmetic supplements for internal use?

    First I would remove the word ‘cosmetic’. That is one of the lower standards in industry. I would elevate to ‘food grade’ if I were going to ingest it.

    A number of us take supplements that we hope for a positive outcome on our exteriors. The brilliant George Deckner once wrote a piece on this….let me get you the link.

    I take: lutein & zeaxanthin and astaxanthin and Hyaluronic acid with collagen orally every day, with my skin in mind.

    Oral Skin Care, Inner Outer Beauty - Prospector Knowledge Center

  • Graillotion

    Member
    April 20, 2025 at 1:28 am in reply to: Most well tolerated fragrances

    Humans are like snowflakes (in fact, some are SNOWFLAKES! 😅). What that means….is there are no two alike. What bothers you…might not bother me…and Vise versa. So, you have asked a question that is difficult to answer, one that maybe you can only answer for and about yourself.

    That being said, the EU has delineated the most common of the allergens contained in essential oils and fragrance ingredients, and even preservatives. With essential oils…it is rather simple to find a GC-MS…and determine how much of these allergens are contained in a specific EO. The only value that will have… is it will give you some insight on the increased or decreased likelihood of the entire population, having any type of sensitivity.

    As we like to say….the poison is in the dosing. You can use some of these type ingredients….if you use it at low enough rates (EO’s / fragrances). Some people will not react…if you use many times too much….others will be intolerant to even the smallest amount. Typically, it is pretty difficult to make a cosmetic that the ENTIRE population will find suitable. Hence….you guessed it…. why there is more than one brand. 😉 And why ‘unscented’ products are offered. This field extends well past fragrance…and can include about any possible ingredient in a formula.

    Good Luck.

    The attached link has the EU allergen list in the article. Just use that list…when you study the GC-MS of an essential oil. New allergen list - Cosmacon

    • This reply was modified 2 weeks, 1 day ago by  Graillotion.
  • Graillotion

    Member
    April 19, 2025 at 7:40 pm in reply to: Combining preservatives, how to mix, qty

    Maybe consider a slightly different approach. What I read into your comments is…. “Two things are better than one.” Granted there can be some truth in that statement, but more likely that will lead to having redundant strengths, and redundant weaknesses. You have on the line (Dr Phil Geis) one of the world’s foremost experts in cosmetic preservation. Utilize this opportunity to garner the information you actually need. (Please know…there is nothing wrong with redundance! It should be strived for.)

    Approach your questioning to Dr Geis more like this. I will start with a base of PE9010, which I know is proficient against Gram negative bacteria. Dr Geis…. What would you add (if anything) to shore up Gram positive? What would you add for the well-known weakness in the aspect of YMF?

    Asking the right questions in life….is always what got me to the desired outcomes and results. 😉

    And please lose the ‘L’ brand. That is just embarrassing to see that mentioned on this forum.

    I came across this nice little piece I had saved a while back from some book I have….forget which one (who know…might even be from Dr Geis’s book) :

    • This reply was modified 2 weeks, 1 day ago by  Graillotion.
    • This reply was modified 2 weeks, 1 day ago by  Graillotion.
  • Graillotion

    Member
    April 8, 2025 at 3:34 pm in reply to: Natural and Organic Beauty

    Pure lies…. you forgot to mention preservation. 😂

    How many emulsions of small brand have you not seen, that did not even include an emulsifier.

    They believe the FDA only has time to fry the big fish. 😉

    As they are selling to a ‘special’ clientele, they provide a special LOI. 😂

  • Graillotion

    Member
    April 5, 2025 at 3:26 pm in reply to: Best humectant for lip balm

    Hyaluronic Acid, Oleo-HA | Lotioncrafter

  • Graillotion

    Member
    March 27, 2025 at 3:27 pm in reply to: Dark and Moody

    You love your Benzyl benzoate? 😉

    • This reply was modified 1 month, 1 week ago by  Graillotion.
  • Graillotion

    Member
    March 25, 2025 at 3:09 am in reply to: Vegan NAG

    GlucoBright™ (Acetyl Glucosamine)

  • Graillotion

    Member
    March 21, 2025 at 4:05 pm in reply to: Ceramides are incredibly expensive

    Pseudo-Ceramides

  • Graillotion

    Member
    March 20, 2025 at 4:23 am in reply to: Natural oils and hair growth

    If they had discovered an oil that grew hair….think about it just for a moment… they would not be pedaling their wares online. They would be billionaires, living in Hawaii near me. Nuff said. 😂

  • Graillotion

    Member
    April 24, 2025 at 7:13 pm in reply to: Want to exchange between Mg(OH)₂ and TEC in deodorant

    TEC and pH are just parts of a big puzzle. Hence, in and of themselves…you won’t achieve a product with more than a few hours of efficacy (akin to splashing lemon juice, vinegar etc…on your pits in the shower). (Your skin is trying to alter the pH, from the moment you apply.) You need antimicrobials. You have mentioned some. They will be the backbone of the project.

    It is very difficult to make an anhydrous, low pH product. How are you as a laymen…gonna measure pH??? The pH can only be measured on the skin in that format…..after it combines with sweat and skin moisture. Lume has both a hydrous and anhydrous package….I suspect the anhydrous option took up 96% of their development time. How to take an acid in a dry format…and make it come out to just the right target pH….when applied to skin! Think about it.

    If you don’t have extensive knowledge in the field, I’d probably stick with the very simplistic magnesium version. Essentially all Indie brands lack the knowledge, therefore flood that approach.

    • This reply was modified 1 week, 3 days ago by  Graillotion.
  • Graillotion

    Member
    April 24, 2025 at 3:52 pm in reply to: Want to exchange between Mg(OH)₂ and TEC in deodorant

    From someone that spent a couple of years working on a project in this space…. I have a hunch the LOI might be a little light. 😉

    Pretty fascinating what you can come up with under the ‘fragrance’ banner. 😅

    Or there is always the ‘Indie’ brand Modus operandi …. just leave some things off. If you start as an Indie brand…sometimes that baggage sticks around…as you advance.

  • Graillotion

    Member
    April 23, 2025 at 9:56 pm in reply to: Want to exchange between Mg(OH)₂ and TEC in deodorant

    Cute that you called the ‘blogger’ a scientist. 😉 If they actually were….then they would have known the reason!

    Baking soda does only one thing. It raises pH. The irritation…is essentially a pH burn.

    • This reply was modified 1 week, 4 days ago by  Graillotion.
  • Depending on your start point… you might be surprised to find that sodium lactate will often raise pH. It is what I use as part of my pH up system, when formulating with salicylic acid.

  • Graillotion

    Member
    April 21, 2025 at 6:02 pm in reply to: Most well tolerated fragrances

    Do you ever get the feeling, the group is getting ‘pranked’? I suspect so.

    Just a couple of weeks ago…the subject said ” Lavender ” never causes issues! I find it entertaining….but to a point.

    • This reply was modified 1 week, 6 days ago by  Graillotion.
    • This reply was modified 1 week, 6 days ago by  Graillotion.
  • Graillotion

    Member
    April 11, 2025 at 8:47 pm in reply to: One of my favourite essential oils

    They are the most skin hostile ingredients in all of cosmetics. And just AWFUL for those with any skin maladies. Just a cacophony of irritants and allergens.

    If you sell a product with these ingredients…. the least you can do is put the number for poison control on the product.

    It is the only group of things put into cosmetics, that require being run through a toxicity screen before using. I think beginners don’t like that kind of language…so they have gotten creative with the name of the toxicity screen….and call it something laughable like…. EO Calculator. 😅

    Tea Tree Oil: Remedy and Poison | Poison Control

  • Graillotion

    Member
    April 11, 2025 at 1:00 am in reply to: One of my favourite essential oils

    How are 196 random, unvetted chemicals….on anyone’s ‘must have list’. No thanx!

    I’m a little dull…which of those 196 should I consider….a must have?

    GC_VetiverEO

    • This reply was modified 3 weeks, 3 days ago by  Graillotion.
  • Graillotion

    Member
    March 31, 2025 at 3:21 pm in reply to: Structure XL: Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate

    Means they are different in every regard. Different does not mean better or worse….just means different.

    Haptics are 98% subjective. Test it.

    I use Hydroxypropyl starch phosphate almost exclusively now, and I consider myself pretty picky. I was actually pushed into it…with my affinity to cationic co-emulsifiers and use of electrolytes.

  • Graillotion

    Member
    March 27, 2025 at 3:40 pm in reply to: Thickener for body lotion

    GMS SE is just GMS that they already turned into a soap. So, if you use at lower pH’s it functions as GMS. If you use at elevated pH’s, it remains an anionic emulsifier.

    So yes… you can ‘un-make’ the soap with the use of low pH.

    Inolex is one of the few companies…that will actually tell the truth in their marketing blurbs (sometimes).

    • This reply was modified 1 month, 1 week ago by  Graillotion.
  • Graillotion

    Member
    March 26, 2025 at 2:21 pm in reply to: My Deodorant Stick is sticky and doesn’t glide easily

    Of course TEC will not work at ALL for you. It is an ester of citric acid. You have a VERY high pH product. TEC won’t do what it is supposed to do above a pH of 5.5. The only purpose it has in a deo, is to maintain a low pH. You can laugh for the rest of the day now.

    You cannot mix and match…. concepts you find across the internet. You must pick a theme….and stick with it.

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