MarkBroussard
Forum Replies Created
-
Just make sure that all of your ingredients appear as Illustrative Acceptable Ingredients on Natural Products Association, ECOCert, NSF Ansi305.
What specific emulsifier are you using?
If you are confident, and it should not take too much research to confirm that all of your ingredients are Natural as defined by one of these standards, or just use common sense, then use Natural as opposed to 100% Natural in your marketing/labeling language.
This is not really as confusing as some here would make it out to be.
-
Why don’t you just switch to a natural preservative … there are a variety of options, but not knowing if your product is a cream, lotion, etc. is not possible to offer you any specific options.
-
You can make a nice oily gel with Sucragel and you don’t need a homogenizer if you are a DIY making small batches for your personal use.
For Professionals developing commercial products the issue is that it is very difficult to scale it up oil gels made with Sucragel on a commercial basis.
-
They are stable at normal room temperature, but do not stand up well to excessive heat … they melt. And, the stability is a function of the particular oils you are trying to gel. You’ll get a more stable product with a Glycerin emulsion. I don’t find Sucragel to be worth the effort unless you are working in small batches. Most contract manufacturers have problems trying to scale them up, so I’d punt on Sucragel unless you are making products for your own personal use.
I have made stable creams with Sucragel as a co-emulsifier … that is not a problem.
-
The lighter coconut alkanes are like a dry oil that are not very viscous … thinner than most vegetable oils. Nope, not drying to the skin at all with a non-greasy feel. They would be comparable to Isododecane.
-
Yes, Coconut Alkanes are very nice indeed. Nice, soft skin feel without being greasy in the least.
-
Yes, you can make some interesting products with it, but generally it is way too finicky, requires special process so is difficult for contract manufacturers to scale up. I do you use it, but only in certain circumstances.
-
It’s so popular that there is a 9-month backlog to purchase bulk volumes. They can’t make enough of it fast enough to keep up with demand.
-
Yes, Ascorbic Acid is soluble in 1,3-Propanediol at up to 17%. Much more than that would be pushing the solubility limit and you’ll get some precipitate.
-
Thanks for clarifying that … I was only able to scan through the article. I’ll review it in greater detail.
-
Exactly on the Squalene.
I wonder if the various strains are all present on the skin of all individuals or if acneic individuals have a disproportionately higher population of porphyrin producing P Acne strains on their skin than non-acneic individuals.
The singlet oxygen issue may contribute to inflammation which is also a precursor to development of acne as opposed to comedogenicity. The “comedogenicity” of acneic skin is primarily from dead skin cells not shedding properly. But, certainly possible that the oxidation of squalene is what is causing the dead skin cells to form a sticky mass in the first place.
-
Good articles … many thanks. The sebum of acneic individuals is also different in composition from the sebum of non-acneic individuals. Perhaps that also has something to do with the increased porphyrin synthesis of certain strains of P Acnes since the bacteria use sebum as a food source.
-
There are quite a few ingredients that function as DHT-blockers and/or alpha-5 reductase inhibitors … and plenty of research papers you can review. Same with bacteriostatic agents that are effective against P Acnes bacteria. Just research and you’ll find lots of options.
-
PCOS is associated with overactive androgen activity in women.
Yes, acne is a bacterial condition, but that is only one half of the equation since P Acnes is a normal flora bacteria on the skin … all humans have P Acnes on their skin, yet only a specific set of individuals actually develop acne. So, there is a cascade of imbalances that contribute to the development of acne beyond the presence of P Acne bacteria.
-
You’ll want to add a DHT-blocker or alpha-5 reductase inhibitor. Yes, acneic sebum has an imbalance of Omega9/Omega6, so you can try to address that in your choice of oils. As for killing the acne bacteria, there are several ingredients that are bacteriostatic against P Acnes … as @Belassi noted in another post, monolaurin, tea tree oil and several other ingredients are effective against P Acnes.
-
Acne is caused by overactive androgen hormones stimulating an increase in DHT and increased sebum production. The excess sebum in acneic skin causes the normal shedding of dead skin cells in the hair follicles to form a solid mass of dead skin cell that plugs the hair follicle. The P. Acne bacteria feed on the sebum resulting in an exponential growth of bacteria trapped in the plugged hair follicle. Acne is genetic, but can be exacerbated by other factors that include diet.
-
It depends on your jurisdiction:
In the US, the approved Actives for acne OTC topicals are: Salicylic Acid, Resorcinol, Sulfur and Benzoyl Peroxide and it is regulated as an OTC drug product.
Retinol would put you in the acne drug category in the US.
If you are formulating for a non-US market, check your in-country regulations.
-
Most extracts are prepared with 8% to 10% pure extract in a Glycerin or Glycerin/Water base.
If you have doubts, you can always as the manufacturer for a compositional analysis … most will be happy to provide one to you as this is also often necessary for properly preparing your Ingredient label that contains multi-component ingredients.
-
Dark circles under the eyes are actually due to a couple of issues:
(1) The skin under the eyes is thinner than the skin on the rest of the face
(2) There are a large number of tiny blood vessels under the eyes in a contoured orbital.Combine thin skin with a large number of blood vessels: Dark circles under the eyes.
Various approaches include ingredients that are considered vasodilators to enhance blood circulation under the eyes to reduce the dark rings plus a color foundation. In reality, nothing really works that well as the problem is not the dermis per se, but the vessels carrying blood in a thin skin area. It is virtually impossible to “correct” this problem with a topical cosmetic product.
-
Yes, it will hydrate … just add at the cool down phase at about 45C once the emulsion has formed while stirring. It is not necessary to cover with plastic wrap to hold in moisture as your not going to get an significant evaporation. But, if you are concerned about something falling in … try using a small, clear plastic disposable plate … much easier to work with.
-
All you need to do, if you are making a cream, is make your emulsion (combine the heated water and oil phases, then homogenize). As your emulsion is cooling down, you can then add the HA, by sifting-in the powder and mix/stir … it will hydrate in the cooling emulsion.
If you add the HA in the water phase and thicken, oftentimes the HA will prevent the emulsion from forming, unless you are using Super Low Molecular Weight HA. If you are using a higher molecular weight HA in the heated water phase before forming the emulsion, the homogenizer may also “shread” the HA.
-
That article sounds like a irrelevant hit job on Sunday Riley. Rubbish!
One does not need a degree to be a formulator/formulation chemist/cosmetic chemist. Riley does have some scientific educational background. And, let’s face it … all learning is self-learning. While a degree can be valuable … in reality most people learn their skills through job experience and/or trial and error.
What makes a cosmetic chemist? Someone who has learned, be it through self-study or formal education … to make excellent cosmetic products.
Bill Gates does not have a degree … does that disqualify him from being a computer scientist or a business executive?
-
Probably not Alex if the oils are not solubilized and are primarily sitting in a separate layer from the Aloe Vera base. Try incorporating a solubilizer and some Xylitol (antibacterial and helps prevent cavities). Lower the pH to 6.0 and as @Duncan mentioned … Potassium Sorbate & Sodium Benzoate are commonly used in mouthwash products.
-
The only way you’re going to get this work is to add more water, less honey and more surfactant.
Set up a series of “serial dilutions” … I would increase the Sodium Cocoamphoacetate to 20%.
Then add 20% water plus quantity sufficient Honey to total up to 100%.
Then add 30% water …
Then add 40% water …
You should find some optimal ratio of Water:Honey that gives you good results.
For Honey to be your “Hero Ingredient” (God, I hate that term), it does not have to be exclusive, but just predominantly featured in your formula.
-
@chemistryconfusion:
Yes, Epsom Salt is a hexahydrate (ie: bound water molecules) with the Oxygen having a weak electrostatic attraction to the Mg in the Magnesium Sulfate = Epsom Salts that are dissolving the MgCl.