[MarkBroussard]

What is the pH of your concoction?

(1)  Try adjusting the pH to 3.5 … I would suspect that your solution’s unadjusted pH is probably around 2.5.  Too low of a pH can cause salicylic acid to precipitate from solution.

(2)  Try adding some sodium citrate to your formulation

(3)  You can also try using Methyl Gluceth-20 Benzoate as a solvent

[MarkBroussard]

Fundamentally … Hair is hair … The difference between straight hair and curly, kinky hair is that curly, kinky hair has numerous disulfide bonds that create the curls.  As your hair is part of nature’s air conditioning system for your body, humans living in hot, humid climates tend to have kinkier, curlier hair.  The curlier the hair, the closer it stays to the scalp, the more cooling you get from the evaporation of sweat.  The only way to break the disulfide bonds is through relatively harsh chemical and heat treatment.

As we are all genetic “mutts” anyone who has these genes in their lineage can have curly, kinky hair regardless of our perception of their “ethnicity”

[MarkBroussard]

@luiscuevasil:

Potassium Alum dissolved in water has a native pH of 2.5 or so.  It is effective as a deodorant because of the low pH.  If you add alkali to the formulation, you are defeating the purpose of using Potassium Alum to begin with.

Use Potassium Alum at 8% to 10%.

[MarkBroussard]

@swabu:

“Why aren’t you chemists taught about other races?” … Are you serious?  Chemists are taught about chemistry.  If you want to blame someone, I suggest you look within and ask the proper question:  Why are there not numerous African descent cosmetic chemists, who would have an innate understanding of African skin and hair care issues, developing products for that particular niche market?

It sounds like you’re looking for someone to bear the brunt of your frustration, yet you’re missing a market opportunity while you’re busy complaining that someone else isn’t doing it.

[MarkBroussard]

With AHA’s for consumer home use products, the regulations are a minimum pH of 3.5 and, assuming you may try to sell this product, must contain the AHA Sunburn Alert language on the label.

As BobZ pointed out … what you are proposing is not a very good idea.  AHA’s and BHA’s are best not mixed together.

[MarkBroussard]

This actually sounds like more of a poor packaging decision than a preservation issue.  If you are using a product designed for application in the shower … why is it that you are using a container that would allow any, yet that much, water to get introduced into the product during use?  

[MarkBroussard]

Here’s the concern I have with people with no scientific background trying to learn cosmetic chemistry over the Internet:

Without the requisite grounding in science and more specifically the science of chemistry … You don’t know what you don’t know.  And, that is where someone can get in trouble.  

 Not to imply that you cannot learn a lot about cosmetic chemistry, it’s just that without the professional guidance of someone trained and experienced in the field, I don’t think you’re ever really going to elevate your craft to the level of a trained professional.

[MarkBroussard]

@BartJ

Why don’t you make your life simple and try making a simple aqueous peel/serum.  If you can’t get 0.1% Retinol to solubilize using the Polysorbate 20, just eliminate it from the formulation.  You can thicken this up with HEC or Xanthan Gum.  It is essentially a Lactic/Salicylic Acid peel with skin lightening ingredients.

Aqua, Lactic Acid, Propylene Glycol, Salicylic Acid, Arbutin, Kojic Acid, Retinol, Polysorbate 20, Phytic Acid, Sodium Citrate, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Sodium Ascorbate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phyllantus Emblica, Fruit Extract.2.

[MarkBroussard]

Just throw a little Lavender Oil in it and you’ve got Alcohol Denatured 38B Lavender.  They are all the same, the only difference is the denaturing agent used … this is to ensure that the alcohol is unpalatable to drink.  That is the only difference, really.

[MarkBroussard]

Look at it this way … the whole idea of a deodorant is to kill the bacteria that break down sweat and cause the odor … any ingredients that kills bacteria is good is an deodorant.

[MarkBroussard]

B3 has good moisturizing properties and helps even out skin tone.

[MarkBroussard]

Personally, I’d stick with SAP and Niacinamide … why take the chance as potential liability issue.

[MarkBroussard]

SAP is most stable at pH 6.0 as is Niacinamide.  The issue in mixing Niacinamide with Ascorbic Acid is related to the pH differential.

[MarkBroussard]

I really get a kick out of Glossier’s “Polymer X” super secret ingredient!  That is just too funny!  Take a look at the LOI … these are standard ingredients.

And LUSH is claiming some of their ingredients are “Safe Synthetics” … 

[MarkBroussard]

Please Note:  These formulations have been out-licensed and are no longer available for private label purchase.

I am only working on custom liquid-to-matte formulations at present.

[MarkBroussard]

@Belassi:

Completely different situation.  Yogurts are fermented products that contain a source of nutrients and they are kept refrigerated.  

 Far different from a water-based cosmetic product containing no nutrients that is sitting on the shelf at room temperature.

[MarkBroussard]

This whole concept of “Probiotics” in cosmetic products is shear, utter nonsense.  You simply cannot, under any circumstances, keep microbial cultures alive in an aqueous product for more than 72 hours.  After that, it becomes a contaminated mess of dead bacterial cells.  With no source of energy, the bacteria will simply die off.

This is nothing more that Certified Organic bullshit.

[MarkBroussard]

I would be cautious with Zinc Ricinoleate … lots of people report allergic and/or irritation reactions with deodorants containing ZnR.

[MarkBroussard]

@Perry:

That is a very informative post.  The skin biome is the natural collection of bacteria that grow on the skin and the bacterial populations maintain a relative balance and in normal skin keep each others’ population in check.  There really isn’t a good way to differentiate, with a cosmetic topical product, between the “good” and the “bad” bacteria.  All bacteria in the biome perform some vital function.  It is when the balance of bacteria get out of whack that problems occur.

While the claim may not be a lie because of clever wording …. these marketers KNOW they are indeed misleading.  In my book, if you know you’re misleading … you’re just plain lying.

[MarkBroussard]

@TLNCJM:

Just a bit of advice, if you have an issue with a scalp condition and sensitivity to most surfactants … follow a minamilist approach.  I would take a close look at your formulation and ask yourself this question about each and every ingredient:  Why is this ingredient in my formulation and do I really need it?

For instance, the Glycine Betaine Extract at 5% is going to make your shampoo a sticky mess.  Why include it?  Does your personal use shampoo really need to be green? 

There’s a reason that the Tom’s Of Maine is the only commercial shampoo you can tolerate … It is designed on a minimalist philosophy:

The only commercial shampoo I’ve been able to tolerate so far is Tom’s of Maine Baby Shampoo and Wash Fragrance Free. When I look at the ingredients, I don’t see a preservative, though. Here they are:

Toms Of Maine Ingredients:  Water, Decyl Glucoside, Glycerin, Sodium Chloride, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Gluconate, Sodium Lactate, Lactic Acid, Citric Acid

The “preservative” in this formulation is the combination of Lactic Acid, Citric Acid and Sodium Gluconate … in effect, they’re using low pH as the preservative.  A bit risky, but apparently it works.

In your formulation, you’ve included 1,3-Propanediol which is a good preservative booster.  Since you’re adding Gluconolacctone, why not just use Gluconolactone/Sodium Benzoate as your preservative instead of then separately adding Potassium Sorbate?  You could simplify your formulation some and achieve your objectives at the same time.

[MarkBroussard]

@Peter,

It is very simple.  All percentages are based on weight, in grams, of ingredients in the mixture:

When you are just learning, it is best to stick to making batches that are units of 100.  Let’s assume you make a 100 gram batch …

Water 73.0 grams  (72%)

Aloe Vera Powder   0.5 grams (0,5%)

Propanediol                               6.0 grams (6.0%)

Glycol Acid                           10.0 grams (10.0%

Active Ingredient X                    4.0 grams (4.0%)

Active Ingredient Y                    6.5 grams (6.5%)

Preservative                              1.5 grams (1.5%)

Fragrance                                  0.5 grams (0.5%)

Total                                         100.0 grams

[MarkBroussard]

Or maybe the cosmetics industry needs consumers who have the good common sense to not leave their cosmetic products in a car with all the windows closed in tropical countries.

[MarkBroussard]

@BobZ:

Understood.  Your point is well taken.  We all have our methods of doing business and our methods of evaluating whether a client is a viable prospect or a dreamer without the financial resources to finance a development project.  I prefer to just tell the prospect the project cost once I feel I understand the project and leave it up to the client if they want to proceed to an NDA/Contract.  Most of the time, I can decipher this without anyone revealing any proprietary information.  And, oftentimes, there really is nothing really proprietary about what the client is looking for.

If someone refuses to disclose any specifics about what they would like for me to develop, I just punt, since I won’t sign an NDA that may cause me future problems unless I am quite confident the client will move forward with a contract.  But, if you have not received any compensation in exchange for entering into an NDA, it is easy enough to take the position that the contract was never valid … For a contract to be a valid, binding contract, both parties must receive some sort of consideration.  Your signature on a piece of paper, in and of itself, is not consideration.  Regardless, I am very, very cautious about entering into NDA’s. 

[MarkBroussard]

I would find it highly suspect if a consultant wanted to charge me for the preparation of an NDA, which any consultant should have on hand as a standard document.  I have a canned NDA, which is the only one that I will sign, unless it is a corporate client, that can be filled and signed digitally.  Takes me all of 2 minutes to prepare an NDA.

No problem with letting a client know what your minimum fee is for any particular project.  I usually ask the client to provide in writing enough information for me to scope out the project before I would even consider signing an NDA and I give them the cost estimate upfront, but after I have an understanding of what they want developed.  If they have an issue with my fee then there is no need to sign an NDA and no need for me to spend hours on the phone with the prospect.

[MarkBroussard]

Hmmm … that is a highly unusual business practice.  I’m wondering how is it possible that a consultant could even quote a $2,200 base fee prior to the signing of an NDA as you certainly would not have divulged enough detailed information pre-NDA for the consultant to even know how to price out the development of your product.

There was a situation about a year ago with a few people complaining that they had paid a consultant on here who failed to deliver prototypes/product.

Always a good idea to check references prior to signing a contract. But, never, ever is it a good idea to pay someone prior to executing an NDA and that consultant having a clear understanding of your product development requirements.