[Margaret2]

I think possibly the reason the vast majority of scientists are not speaking out about the B.S. on-line is that as a group, scientists are introverted. They are interested in finding answers to things, not spewing lies to people with the goal of becoming rich. 

Well, that’s MY opinion anyhow.

Perry did a swell  job. How did he manage to NOT kick Oz in the ‘nads for the crap he (Oz) often spews on his show??? We all want to know!

[Margaret2]

Propylene Glycol as a diluent! Good idea!
The other reason why I diluted my Germall + is that it is so thick, it’s frustrating to get a small amount out of the bottle. It just glops out of the bottle. GRRRRR.
I also dilute my vitamin E and soy lecithin ( liquid) because both are frustratingly thick, so diluting the E & lecithin in apricot kernel oil to yield a 25% solution of both, works a whole lot better for pouring & weighing. Yes, I take into account the extra oil I’ve used as the diluent in my creams/lotions when calculating the amount of emulsifier I need.

[Margaret2]

Thanks to everyone responsible for this site and those spending time answering my & other peoples’ questions (from which I also learn).

[Margaret2]

Thanks folks. I think I shan’t bother with trying to make a sunblock/sunscreen after all. After reading of zinc’s clumping properties, I’ll try to find another use for 800 or so grams of zinc oxide I have in a foil pouch.

[Margaret2]

This is going to drive you crazy but:

how about if I use 5% of  Z-cote oil soluble micronized zinc oxide & 7.5% regular oil soluble titanium dioxide in a prepared lotion? 

I CANNOT get the micronized titanium dioxide here in Canada, easily, it seems. I thought I could.  

Is the above % of minerals something you’d used commercially? (sorry if this is rude to ask)

Thanks so much for the help. 

[Margaret2]

Aloha,

 I am trying to achieve an SPF of 30.

 I looked on the label of a sunblock product, and they used 22% zinc by mass, THUS my adding the zinc to lotion I had prepared at 22%.  

I find purchased sunblock/sunscreen keeps me from sweating freely.  I’m a sweater……. though some people say I’m actually more like a cardigan (insert laugh track here). 

I have no lab. I  am the lab . 

Mark Broussard: Did you mean titanium dioxide 7.5% and regular zinc oxide 5%? 

I can get MICRONIZED titanium dioxide (15 nanometers) or oil dispersible titanium dioxide. Which one is more effective for a lotion? 

 Sorry for all the questions, people. I am a home formulator, not a professional cosmetic chemist, thus my ignorance. 

[Margaret2]

Thanks so much for all the help, people!

Instead of propanediol in the serum recipe that Mark Broussard has so generously given, could I successfully use any of these?:

sorbitol
propylene glycol
dipropylene glycol

Some cosmetic ingredients are VERY hard to get up here in Canada for “regular people”, thus my asking about substitutions for propanediol.

I had thought a cream or lotion would work because the article in The Beauty Brains indicated that so long as the pH is 3.5 or less, the vitamin C would be stable, but, what do I know?

I only have the following with which to mix my concoctions. Which would be better for Mark’s serum recipe?:

hand mixer
stick blender (an older model that actually has variable speeds vs. the newer, stupider ones with fixed speeds. Can an inanimate object be stupid? Yes! )

[Margaret2]

I made a mistake in typing when wrote I made/wanted to make a 30% L ascorbic acid concoction. I meant a 20% concoction. I used 30 grams for making a 150 gram batch, thus the 30 number sticking in my head. Sorry for the confusion & wasted discussion time!

My reason for trying to make a 20% L ascorbic acid concoction is that it was reported on The Beauty Brains that only L ascorbic acid has proven effect in decreasing sun-related spots on the skin. The vitamin C will remain stable only if it’s in an anhydrous mix OR if the pH is 3.5 or less.

I am not going to repeat the concoction because it was really VERY greasy anyhow. It might work if I used the proper % of eWax, but now I thought I’d instead make a version of my skin lotion with 20% L ascorbic acid, so long as the pH is 3.5 or less.

Before I try this, I thought I should experiment. I added citric acid to a lotion of mine to bring the pH down below 3.5, to see if it would bother my skin. So far, (3 or 4 days) I have not felt anything different in using this lotion, nor is there reddening of my skin or bulging of the eyes . I only have pH strips, but the pH looks to be either 3 or 3.5, but definitely not pH 4, so I think this is acidic enough according to the research discussed on The Beauty Brains.

I have concluded that I should be able to make a cream (that is, it will contain water, thus NOT anhydrous) & after adding the 20 grams of L ascorbic acid, I’ll check the pH & bring it down to 3.5 or less with a 50% citric acid solution.

I will divide up the cream into smaller glass jars, put what I am not using in a paper bag into the fridge, and keep the jar I would be using at the time in a black drawstring bag, in a drawer (unless it’s application time ! )

Any thoughts as to whether this would be a workable 20% L ascorbic acid cream?

In case anyone’s wondering, I am NOT a cosmetic chemist. I just make lotions & soaps etc. for my own evil purposes. I hope I won’t be asked to kindly (or rudely) leave the forum?

[Margaret2]

Looks like I shan’t be spending money anytime soon on ferulic acid & hyaluronic acid then….I’ll pin my hopes on the 30% L-ascorbic acid “lotion” I made this afternoon instead.

Thanks again for all the input(s).

[Margaret2]

I made a mistake with the price of the ferulic acid at Lotion Crafter, not that it’s overly important. It’s $2.95 for one gram.
I will not make the serum to sell, it’ll just be for me! Me! Me! I hadn’t even heard of this Skinceuticals company till I “googled” it after reading the serum recipe at Lotion Crafter.

Peace out, or something like that…

[Margaret2]

Hello people,

Thanks so much for all the info. re hyaluronic acid & ferulic acids!

You can buy these ingredients at …..

http://www.lotioncrafter.com. They are in Washington state.

In the search window of Lotion Crafter, enter: Ferulic acid. Then choose the option ‘C & E with Ferulic Acid Kit’. (The kit is $60 OR you can buy the ingredients separately, which is what I plan on doing). When you get to the page with the above-mentioned kit, click on FORMULARY and they have a do-it-yourself recipe, the knock-off for Skinceuticals’ C & E serum.

The cost of ONE GRAM of ferulic acid is $4.95, enough for 200 grams of the above-mentioned concoction. It is used at 0.5% in this recipe.

Because I am here in Canada, I don’t want to buy unnecessary ingredients from the U.S., if I can make substitutions, SO my other questions are:

1) The recipe calls for ethoxydiglycol. Would I be able to get away with merely using more propylene glycol?
2) Recipe calls for Laureth-23. Could I just use emulsifying wax NF?
3) Could I use Germall plus liquid instead of Phenoxyethanol to preserve?

Ferulic acid is naturally found in rice bran oil and flax seeds (Wikipedia). This ferulic acid from Lotion Crafter comes from Japan, so they’re getting it from rice bran.

Thanks so much for the messages!

[Margaret2]

Hi all,

  My name is Margaret.

 I have been making cold process soap since around 2003. About 2 years ago I became interested in making skin creams & lotions.  I have also made toothpaste (ordered the calcium carbonate from the local pharmacy. $70 for 1 pound. OUCH!), liquid shampoo, hot process soap, deodorant (using propylene glycol  and sodium stearate vs. the coconut oil recipes found on-line which stain shirts), scrubbing soap for sinks etc., balms, salves, body powder, air freshener spray, and I  distill the volatile compounds (a.k.a. “essential oils”) out of the lavender growing in our yard (got a 1.5% yield this July. I must be crazy, BUT the previous year it was only a  0.5% yield). 

I make a sunblock with zinc, 22% zinc by mass.  I use the  type of zinc that makes the skin white, it just sits on the skin. I have made it the last 2 summers, but I would like to get opinions about its efficacy, if I may, from people who are REAL cosmetic chemists versus myself. 

Thanks a heap for having this great site to discuss these things!