MarkBroussard
Forum Replies Created
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About BulkActivesBulkActives are DIY skin care suppliers of skin actives, cosmetic ingredients, cosmeceuticals, active ingredients, and standardized botanical extracts for diy skin care products and homemade cosmetics.
Attention - please read:
BulkActives is a part-time business. Orders are processed on Saturdays and mailed on Mondays at the latest.
I wonder if their lawyer only works on Saturdays too!
Ten-to-one their profit margin on Nicainamide/Glucosamine is substantially higher than their profit margin on SLMW Hyaluronic.
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You forgot to add this paragraph from their website: LOL! Due to customer demand, we have decided to continue stocking SLMW Hyaluronic Acid but encourge you not to buy it! Note: This is an “observation” by Dr. Todorov, not based on any actual evidence he has AND you can’t find any studies to support his hypothesis. So, what does that tell you: Bulk Actives management appear to not be very smart.“Regrettably, customer demand for ultra low molecular weight Hyaluronic acid remained high, and as some other suppliers continued selling this product we were losing customers.
We have therefore restocked ultra low molecular weight Hyaluronic acid, but urge you to NOT buy it, and instead use regular weight Hyaluronic acid as an anti inflammatory and moisturizer (in suitable climates), and again ask you to focus on the excellent combination of Niacinamide and Glucosamine to increase natural synthesis of Hyaluronic acid in the skin.” -
Floramac 10 is an interesting looking ingredient! What are your thoughts on using it as a substitute for Alkyl Benzoate? Do you have information regarding its solubility in aqueous systems, specifically in a formula similar to the one in the link below:
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The only dumb question is generally the one not asked!
These are nice ingredients. What are you trying to achieve in making the change? -
Are you working with a water-based system? If so, you might try moving up the food chain and using a Laureth with more EO units which will have a higher HLB and better solubility in water.
Best you contact the tech service dept. of the manufacturer of the Laureth for help. I would be interested in what they tell you. -
While I have not used Laureth-4, I do use Laureth-23 in a couple of my products.Could you give a bit more detail about the formulation in which the Laureth-4 is separating?
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The best way to handle this is to NOT give anyone a price target if they ask you and you don’t have a reasonable idea of what the manufactured price should be. Or, only give them a price target if you already have a quoted manufactured price from another contract manufacturer and give them a price target 10% lower than that quote.
Simply give them your formula (and process if you have developed one) and ask them to give you a manufactured cost quote. If you know in advance what production run volume you want quoted, it is very easy to work-up your own estimate of the raw materials costs, packaging costs, etc. (ie: all of the physical inputs that you could purchase yourself if you so desired). The differential between the materials costs and the manufactured price given you by the contract manufacturer will be their overhead and profit margin.Get quotes from 3 separate contract manufacturers and see how they line up.If the consultant is referring you to another company, it is probably because the price target you are giving them in unreasonably low and they know they won’t be able to find a contract manufacturer at the price points you are expecting. But, if they are good consultants, they should be advising you of that to begin with. -
There are two different types of Hyaluronic Acid (1) “Regular” Molecular Weight, which is an occlusive, it forms a film barrier on the surface of the skin to seal-in hydration as the Hyaluronic Acid molecules are generally too large to penetrate the dermis; (2) SLMW Hyaluronic Acid (Super Low Molecular Weight) which can penetrate the dermis.
Not intending to be an ass, but there’s a big difference between “hearing” incorrect information and knowing the correct information. That’s why it’s important to do your research when considering an ingredient. -
Sodium Lactate is second only to Hyaluronic Acid as a moisturizer and it is significantly less expensive. I use it in my moisturizers and serums. I think it offers substantial skin benefits relative to Sodium PCA, but it all depends on what function you’re looking for the ingredient to perform in your product.Sodium Lactate will increase the pH of your formulation, so factor that into account when making your decision. Whether you use one or the other, it also depends on what other ingredients are in your formulation. But, if you’re targeting a moisturizer, Sodium Lactate can be an excellent choice.
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I am sorry, but I do not know anything about the optimal pH for hair products.
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The contract manufacturer should provide to you a unit price for production with various price break points based on the volume of the manufacturing run.
Have you an idea of the number of units you would like to have produced in each manufacturing run? If so, then you can calculate the volume of each ingredient required for the production run and break that down to price per unit. But, beyond that, the contract manufacturer should be providing YOU with the price per unit for them to manufacture for you. You can’t possibly know what their overhead and manufacturing margins are that they need to cover to manufacture for you at a profit.They could be asking for any number of reasons and exactly what “price target” are you (they) referring to. Is it your target price at retail to the consumer? Is it your manufactured target price (production cost)? First, clarify what ‘price target’ you are referring to.Has the contract manufacturer priced-out the manufacturing run for you and told you what the manufactured unit price is? Or, are you at the beginning stages of the discussion? Perhaps, if their manufactured cost to you is say $3.00 per unit and your “price target” was $2.00 per unit, then you have a “disconnect”If the contract manufacturer is trying to get you to throw out a number as your “price target” for them to manufacture for you and they have not yet given you a unit price to manufacture based on your formula, I would be cautious. It should work the other way around. You give them a formula, they come back with a unit price for manufacturing. You consider that unit price relative to your target retail and wholesale prices. If the unit manufacturing cost is too high, you consult with them on ways to reduce the cost … look for ingredient substitutes or lower percentages of expensive ingredients in the formula to achieve materials cost savings.And, always get quotes from more than one contract manufacturer. -
Here you go @Sarah:
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Yes, the optimum pH for cosmetic products for application on the face is 4.7 to 5.1.The Acid Mantle on the skin forms a protective barrier and products should be formulated at pH levels that do not significantly disrupt the Acid Mantle Barrier. You will find studies indicating that the range of pH on human skin is 4.7 to 5.5. There was a recent study … sorry, I cannot find the reference … indicating that the median was closer to 4.7.It looks like all of your products are formulated at pH levels above 5.5.
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Rahma:
(1) Are you a chemist?(2) Do you have any experience in product development and/or manufacturing of hair care products?If not, hire a chemist to help you develop your formula and as pointed out, stick to traditional preservation systems, packaging, etc. If you look around, you can find some small manufacturers who will make initial runs of as low as 200 units to give you some stock to approach retailers. The per unit cost will be high, but you won’t be sitting on 10,000 units of product that you don’t have any customers for. You can then transition to larger scale contract manufacturers as your market requirements dictate.Or, do you plan on retailing yourself through the Internet and/or approaching salons that cater to clients that fit your target market profile?The approach you take all depends on your business/marketing model and whether or not you have a technical background. -
Thank BobZ! LOL! Now you know why I don’t have a photo next to my name! … Thanks for the Lanolin tip … I always patch test on my forearm before putting anything on my face, of course.
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Good point, BobZ. I was thinking of using the citrus oils in an acne cleanser as a “degreaser” and fragrance, but even at 0.1% each (for a total of 0.3% essential citrus oils), I found the concoction to be too irritating to the skin. I did not do the precursor research exactly because, as you point out, all-natural, so I assumed innocuous. Smells great! … but, burns like hell! (I am my own Animal Testing)
All-Natural is not necessarily All-Good. -
“d-Limonene is for example a common industrial degreaser” … LOL! I got the idea for including citrus oils in the face wash while I was shopping at Home Depot!Thanks for the suggesions!
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Thanks, Irina.
After your question as to why these oil, I did some research and completely concur with you … no point in using the citrus oils on a facial product.You know, this always gets back to core principle … always thoroughly research an ingredient before trying to incorporate it into a product! -
I don’t have any specific research to guide you to regarding Coconut Oil and Comedogenicity, but it is widely known that Coconut Oil is highly comedogenic. If they are sleeping with coconut oil in their hair, then it is getting onto their face (skin) from the pillows, etc. as you pointed out earlier.I do not have any expertise in hair styling products, but possible non-comedogenic substitutes worth considering are:Grape Seed OilHemp Seed Oil (Refined)Argan OilOf these, Grape Seed Oil will be the least expensive. Hemp Seed Oil and Argan Oil are going to be considerably more expensive.
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Thanks BobZ! Very useful information …
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Actually, Coconut Oil is one of the worst actors regarding comedogenicity. Most anyone who has acne-prone skin will breakout when they put Coconut Oil on their skin.If you are looking for a substitute for Coconut Oil, try Grape Seed Oil, Hemp Seed Oil (Refined) or Argan Oil … these are non-comedogenic and provide good benefits to the skin and would perform similarly to Coconut Oil.
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I see, Rahma.
I specialize in treating acne and developing acne topicals, so I have lots of experience with ingredients that can contribute to acne breakouts. But, I have also not come across people who put large amounts of Coconut Oil in their hair, much less leave it in their hair when they are sleeping. If the product is primarily Coconut Oil and they are going to sleep with large amount of oil in their hair, then, Yes, Absolutely, it’s the Coconut Oil that is contributing to the breakouts if they have acne-prone skin. There are other factors in play, but putting Coconut Oil on your skin if you are acne-prone is not a good idea. -
I see! Well, if your product is 90%+ Coconut Oil, then absolutely Yes, it’s probably the Coconut Oil. Why on Earth would anyone want to put nearly pure Coconut Oil in their hair? Is this a men’s product, like a pomade?
Rahma, could you be a bit more specific on the product, it’s composition and end use?