[jemolian]

Where i am, there was no alcohol & no sanitizing products for about a few weeks, though right now there’s sufficient supply for consumers to purchase or for DIYing.

Feeling kind of lazy and also the price of ethanol isn’t very competitive, so i’ve also bought a 5 litre 70% ethanol & a 5 litre sanitizer gel since it’s cheaper.

[jemolian]

There shouldn’t be any issues with Tara Gum, though you will need to check if Siligel can take the Benzalkonium Chloride & Sodium Chloride.

[jemolian]

It’s the Carbomer with Triethanolamine as it’s neutralizer. 

[jemolian]

HEC will take certain conditions to hydrate. Either higher temperature or higher pH. 

For the Sodium Carbomer, not sure if you have tried the slurry method by mixing it with a water free liquid ingredient and mixing it in while blending.

You can also make 2% or 3% gel and add the percentage of gel as required if you are having issues. It’s something that i usually do if i make very small test batching like 30 to 50ml where i can’t use a overhead stirrer.  

[jemolian]

You can use an emulsifier that is suitable for oil cleansers and also add an oil based thickener. For cleansing balms, they can use thickeners like Synthetic Wax, so you can consider that. 

[jemolian]

@wannabe_chemist well, i hope you are not discouraged with formulating with Urea. Perhaps i only find that the issue would only be if you are selling it thus needing to maintain the pH. If not, there shouldn’t be any issues by making small batches if it with a suitable buffer for home use where you can monitor the changes with pH. I’ve made quite some Urea creams myself, usually 50ml batches. 

Regarding Humblebeeandme, i find that for Marie’s content, it has evolved from kitchen DIY to something more experienced, so i’d only recommend for reference for people that are either beginners or intermediate levels.  

[jemolian]

You will need the suitable neutralizer for the carbomer. 

[jemolian]

Sepimax Zen can be slightly tricky to use since it takes some time to hydrate. Normally i’d make 2% stock of prehydrated Sepimax Zen that would be added after combing the oil & water phase.

If you are making a one pot, no solids formulation, you can add it all together to let it hydrate then homogenize after a few hours.

[jemolian]

There are quite a lot of PEG free natural emulsifiers so which have you tried? 

[jemolian]

Use another thickener that can take the 70%. You can try Sepimax Zen. Assuming you are only using it for yourself and can take the cost of it. 

[jemolian]

TBH, the choice largely depends on the individual, if they need a really oil-free product, they would go for the gel. Some people choose to do that because the ingredients in the lotion or cream breaks them out, such as the emollients or silicones used. Quite some people i’ve seen at least on reddit, mix oils with gels, eg, Squalane + Sebamed Clear Face Care Gel.

For retaining skin moisture, it’s very likely that an emulsion is better due to the use of occlusives that the gel can’t contain. 

[jemolian]

No, usually i purchase my ingredients from repackers / resellers on taobao and forward the shipment to my country in Singapore. The sellers in China holds slightly different ingredients compared to the ones in the US or UK/EU. 

[jemolian]

I usually buy most of my ingredients from China but you can see if you can purchase from here https://shop.perfumersapprentice.com/p-7197-triacetin.aspx

[jemolian]

There shouldn’t be any issues if you mix and use it daily but making a 15ml solution daily can be rather tedious, though you can pre-measure the amount into small containers. 

[jemolian]

Well, if you want to use Sodium Lactate or Gluconolactone, that would be fine as well.

Though with the Sodium Lactate, you will need to use Sepimax Zen or no polymeric emulsifier at all as they won’t be able to take the electrolytes. You can consider your previous combination, Sepimax Zen + Gum, if not a normal emulsifier with fatty alcohol or acid should be fine as well.  

With Gluconolactone, the pH will go in 2 directions so the ultimate amount to add would vary. Not sure if it’s something that you want to try out but it’s this formulation would be one that you’d need to observe more closely. 

[jemolian]

From my experience with making a Urea creams, here’s what i’d recommend with the similar ingredients. 

Water Phase

• Distilled Water
• Glycerin (1.5% - 3%)
• Urea (5%)
• Buffer - Triacetin (0.25%) 

Oil Phase

• Caprylic/Capric Triglycerides (15% - 20%)
• Sepinov EMT 10 (1.2%)

Others

• pH Buffer - Lactic Acid (q.s)
• Preservative as required

Instructions:

1. Dissolve/add the ingredients into the distilled water 
2. Slurry the Sepinov EMT 10 in the CCT
3. Add the slurry into the water phase and mix till gel
4. Add the remaining ingredients 

— 

I’d recommend to make a fresh batch to retain the maximum effect of the Urea since it will break down in water over time. You can make one batch ever 2 months or so? You can observe the pH and for any bubbling.

The pH shouldn’t shoot up as much with the Triacetin, however you can choose to use other buffers, then you can opt for Sepimax Zen, if not the Sepinov EMT 10 should be easier to deal with as the Sepimax Zen requires some hydration duration. 

http://www.iscd.it/files/UREA-FROM-THE-CHEMIST-S-POINT-OF-VIEW.pdf

[jemolian]

Not sure if you have checked out the sample formulations from Lubrizol from UlProspector. 
https://www.ulprospector.com/en/asia/PersonalCare/Suppliers/849/Lubrizol/search?k=hand+sanitizer&st=1&so=k_0&sl=88396652

I’ve used IPA mixed with fragrance with Sepimax Zex or Aristoflex AVC and a humectant. I can’t use Ultrez as i don’t have the suitable neutralizer as it fails on me.  

[jemolian]

By “rub off” effect, it’s normally caused by the thickeners. I find that some polymeric thickeners do that for my formulation.  

[jemolian]

For me, the difference between milk, emulsion, lotion & creams would only be the viscosity which is changeable with suitable thickeners. The difference between face and body products would mainly be the choice of ingredients but not really the product category itself.  

[jemolian]

For Betaine, normally i’d only use a max of 5%, you can see the recommended range by Dupont, though they have test of about 4% or so mentioned in their marketing brochure. 

For Pentavitin, some people might find it tacky as well, so it’s best that you do a test on this ingredient by itself. 

[jemolian]

You can look into emulsifier blends that can make sprays. One of the common one would be Glyceryl Stearate (and) PEG-100 Stearate, it is produced by companies so it has quite a few trade names such as Arlacel 165 or Simulsol 165.

[jemolian]

Not sure if there’s actually a range for viscosity, though i believe i’ve seen sample formulations that range from 20,000+ cPS to 100,000+ cPs. 

[jemolian]

Betaine is edible and is a supplement. You can check if any supplement stores will provide the certs or documentation you require. 

[jemolian]

Normally i’d consider using a starch if i want to degrease or give it a drier / powdery skin feel.  

Maybe you can list the preservation system you want to use,the percentage of Hydroxypropyl starch phosphate you want to use and see what feedback others might give and 

[jemolian]

Then perhaps increase the percentage of the carbomer you want to use? 

Using a starch might challenge the preservation system more than you think and the cost may be higher than just increasing 0.1% to 0.3% of carbomer. 

The pH would still depends on what your requirements would be. If your intention is to make a cream that is “pH balanced” or if it’s meant to stabilize certain actives, then it’s best you stick to it. 

Choose a logical or cost effective option.