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  • MarkBroussard

    Member
    April 2, 2015 at 12:54 am in reply to: Making Deodarant

    Here’s a very interesting patent using Kappa-Carageenan, Xanthan Gum and water soluble cellulose:

  • @Inspire78:

    Curious:  
    Did you contact client references for this consultant as part of your due diligence prior to signing a contract with him/her?
    Is the “chemist” resident in the same state in which you live or is this an interstate business transaction or even an out-of-country transaction?
    Not to pry, but is the amount of money involved greater than or less than $10,000?
  • MarkBroussard

    Member
    April 1, 2015 at 12:26 pm in reply to: Making Deodarant

    @BobZ … curious as to what other gelling agents you are referring to as alternatives to Sodium Stearate.

  • Thanks BobZ.  Perhaps the product is blended into a paste and and the paste is placed into the liquid agar growth medium and the plate is streaked with bacteria.  If there is no growth on the plate, the preservative is working.  Or perhaps the product is blended with the liquid agar and then plated.

    I am only familiar with the disc technique, but that is dated knowledge.
  • MarkBroussard

    Member
    March 29, 2015 at 1:36 am in reply to: Preservatives

    Yes, I recall reading some research wherein Phenoxyethanol was inactivated by Polysorbates in particular and somewhat less so by surfactsnts.

    The Marketer/Mommy Blogger issue with Phenoxyethanol stems from an FDA warning letter regarding a nipple cream … Mommy’s Bliss … that used Phenoxyethanol as a preservative in the nipple cream for women with nursing infants.  Phenoxyethanol can be toxic if ingested, particularly by infants.
    All it takes is one incident for an ingredient to develop a questionable rep by those who only read half the paper or don’t understand the implications.  I think Phenoxyethanol has been banned in cosmetics in Europe, if I am not mistaken.
  • MarkBroussard

    Member
    March 28, 2015 at 6:03 pm in reply to: Preservatives

    For those of you who are unaware, and this relates to the presentation referenced above by @Microformulation, if you use Schuelke & Mayr Preservatives or Preservative Boosters in your formulations, Schuelke will perform a 6 inoculation cycle (6 weeks) KOKO preservative challenge test.  All you need to do is pay for the shipping to Germany.  I recently sent 18 formulations to Scheulke, all were KOKO tested, all passed and the grand total was $200 in shipping charges.

    @IQNatha:  Schuelke have preservatives in their Euxyl and Sensiva product lines that are similar to the ones you have listed in your post.
  • MarkBroussard

    Member
    March 28, 2015 at 12:54 pm in reply to: Preservatives

    Here’s a post from a previous discussion that you might find helpful:

    Preservation is a very complex issue and those of us formulating in the
    “Natural” realm face challenges as the choice of preservatives are more
    limited and the preservative options are not as efficacious.
     Preservation is not as simple as adding 1% of a preservative to your
    formulation.  You best think of it from the perspective of a
    “preservation systems” approach:

    (1)  Follow strict
    GMP:  Simple things like always wearing gloves when formulating, wiping
    down all of your equipment and vessels with alcohol immediately before
    use.
    (2)  Make certain your are using a broad spectrum preservative blend that is effective against bacteria, yeast & mold.
    (3)
     An effective option is to use as a base, organic acid preservative
    blends that have a long history of use in the food industry (effective
    against Fungi - yeasts & molds):
    Potassium Sorbate/Sorbic Acid
    Sodium Benzoate/Benzoic Acid
    Dehydroacetic Acid
    Examples are:  Gluconolactone/Sodium Benzoate, Dehydroacetic Acid/Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Alcohol/Benzoic Acid/Sorbic Acid
    Other
    newer options include:  Sodium Levulinate, Sodium Anisate, Anisic Acid
    (Parfum), Salicylic Acid (Organic or Aspen Bark Extract), Citric Acid
    (4)
     Adjust the pH of your final formulation to 5.0 or below.  Since the
    natural acid mantle barrier of the skin is pH 4.7 to 5.1, formulating at
    pH <4.5 not only enhances your preservation efficacy, it also
    minimally disrupts the acid mantle barrier.
    (5)  Use preservative boosters:
    (a)
     Chelating Agents:  Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate (0.2%) + Citric
    Acid (.02%) is as effective as EDTA in boosting preservative efficacy
    (b)
     Glycols:  1,3-Propanediol, Glycerin, Caprylyl Glycol:  Help reduce
    bacterial growth by reducing free water activity.  Plus, these are good
    humectants/moisturizers.  Since Glycerin has a very sticky feel on the
    skin, you might consider using 1,3-Propanediol at 5% and Glycine at 2%
    in your formulations.
    (c)  Phenethyl Alcohol - found in many essential oils, it suppresses odor causing bacteria, and smells like Rose.
    (d)  Ethylhexylglycerin:  A nice emollient that inhibits bacterial growth.
    You
    will run across much information that natural preservatives include
    honey, essential oils, Radish Root Extract, Honeysuckle, etc., but these
    should not be relied upon as preservatives, but ingredients in your
    formulation, and, at best, preservative boosters.  Don’t fall into the
    trap of thinking that adding Radish Root Ferment and Honey is going to
    preserve your formulation … might as well just throw in some Kimchi 

  • MarkBroussard

    Member
    March 28, 2015 at 12:51 pm in reply to: Preservatives

    @Nathalia:

    The preservatives you are asking about would all have a broad pH activity range, particularly on the alkaline side, up to pH 12.  However, if your formulation has a final pH of 5 or less, there may be some better alternatives for you as @Microformulation points out, depending on your fomulation.

    Are you familiar with the “hurdle” approach to preservation that @Microformulation referenced?  Your approach to preservation will be somewhat different if your final formulation is below pH 6 as opposed to above pH 6.

  • No way to help you without knowing what the actives are and what concentrations you are using in the exiting formulation.  Skin lightening actives inhibit melanin synthesis by different mechanisms of action, so a combination makes sense.

  • MarkBroussard

    Member
    March 25, 2015 at 11:44 pm in reply to: Inexpensive Overhead Stirrer, Homogenizer Recommendations

    Yes, the Biospec works for batches up to 2 liters.

  • MarkBroussard

    Member
    March 25, 2015 at 6:51 pm in reply to: Moisturizer leaving a waxy residue - Lecithin to blame?

    Do a knockout experiment first eliminating the Lanolin, then the fish oil, etc.  You’ll find the culprit quick enough.

  • MarkBroussard

    Member
    March 25, 2015 at 6:26 pm in reply to: Inexpensive Overhead Stirrer, Homogenizer Recommendations

    This is a handy little workhorse homogenizer that works great for lab-scale formulation development:

    I had a machinist build a custom head for it that works just like the Silverson Emulsor Screen … works beautifully!
  • MarkBroussard

    Member
    March 25, 2015 at 6:10 pm in reply to: Advice on selling your products

    You can purchase barcodes from GS1 … http://www.gs1.org … the national registry for barcodes.

    Cosmetics do not need approval from any regulatory agency for marketing, but you do need to make sure you follow the FDA labeling requirements.
    If you desire, you can register your manufacturing facility and products with the FDA VCRP (Voluntary Cosmetics Registration Program).  You will be given an FDA VCRP registration number for your facility.  But, this is entirely a voluntary program.  It does help when approaching distributors and retailers if your facility and products are registered with the FDA VCRP.
    You will also need to present the results of your preservative efficacy testing for any distributor to be interested in carrying your product.
  • MarkBroussard

    Member
    March 25, 2015 at 4:37 pm in reply to: Making Deodarant

    @bortopa:

    With Sodium Stearate you must first bring your solvent up to the desired temperature … 95C.  Once your solvent is at 95C, with very vigorous stirring, slowly sprinkle the Sodium Stearate onto the surface of the solvent.  If you add too much, too fast, it will clump.  If you sprinkle it in, it will dissolve quite quickly.
    So, to do this, you will need a hot plate with a stirrer.  Without the vigorous stirring, it can get messy to work with.
    The absolute easiest way to work with it is to place a container of near-boiling water on top of your hot plate so the water is near the top of your beaker containing your solvent … this creates a “heating jacket” to keep your solvent at 95C throughout.  If you do not have a stirring hot plate, use a homogenizer or mixer while you add the Sodium Stearate and once dissolved, add your actives and fragrances.  Take care to not introduce bubbles into your concoction.
    As @erindlea pointed out, it is easier to work with a 1,3-Propanediol/Water mixture than Alcohol.  Just follow the Dupont, Tate & Lyle formulation that @Margreat referenced.  Very easy.
  • MarkBroussard

    Member
    March 24, 2015 at 11:58 am in reply to: why urea?

    @Belassi:

    I use Urea in one of my formulations … it has excellent moisturizing properties and is part of the skin’s Natural Moisturizing Factor.  I have seen formulations where it was used as high as 15%, but it can be an irritant at high concentrations.  I haven’t noticed anything unpleasant about using it (but then, I pee in my pants, so maybe I don’t notice the smell)
    I can only surmise that the Urea in formulation you are considering may be as a penetration enhancer for the GL Acid?  Perhaps that level of GL Acid is irritating and/or drying to the skin and the Urea is included to balance it out?
    Curious if the authors of the study specified the mechanism of action of the GL Acid on the hair follicles or hair growth?
  • MarkBroussard

    Member
    March 24, 2015 at 3:40 am in reply to: Tricks to minimize necessary equipment

    I would recommend that your set-up include:

    (1)  Microwave (I’m with Belassi on that one … I use the microwave to get my water phase (and oil phase for that matter) close to final temperature.  If you do some simple experimentation, you will determine the right power setting and time that gets a particular volume of a particular liquid up to the desired temperature.  Undershoot just a tad and then bring it up to your target temperature in a water bath (double boiler) … I find this saves a considerable amount of time.
    (2)  Water bath or double boiler … preferrably large enough to hold two beakers side by side
    (3)  1 10″ X 10″ hot plate with magnetic stirrer (and stir bars)
    (4)  1 10″ X 10″ magnetic stirrer
    (5)  1 homogenizer
    (6)  1 overhead stirrer
    (7)  1 digital scale (500 to 1000 gram capacity, accurate to at least 0.1 gram) and calibration kit.
    (8)  1 pH meter
    (9)  A good set of beakers of various sizes
    (10)  a viscometer
    (11)  If you plan on doing your own stability testing, your going to need an incubator or oven that heats to 50C.  You’ll also need a freezer (or access to one) for freeze/thaw cycle testing.
    When you’re making an emulsion, no, you don’t necessarily need to stir continuously through the entire cool down period.  Generally, you slowly add the oil phase to the water phase while homogenizing for 3 to 5 minutes, let it cool down a bit, homogenize some more … let it cool down a bit.  When you reach the “set” temperature, you’ll notice that your emulsion does not separate and begins thickening to a homogeneous consistency.  But, you certainly can homogenize the entire time if you like.
  • I think the major issue is that they use Triclosan as the antimicrobial in the formulation which is completely synthetic.  But, they also use diglycol, propylene glycol, EDTA, colorants, etc.

    I suspect that the class action lawsuit was settled because Dwight & Church did not want the negative PR from a full-blown suit and betting that very few consumers are going to actually apply for the refund.
  • MarkBroussard

    Member
    March 22, 2015 at 1:55 am in reply to: Making a stock mix of the oils phase for later lotion-making

    Nothing wrong with this approach at all @Margreat.

    I do it all the time.  With oil blends, best if you add 1% Vitamin E (tocopherol acetate is just fine) and/or 1% Rosemary CO2 Extract to your oil blend to prevent rancidity and extend your overall shelf life to 1 year or so.  Like @Belassi siad, I would not include the emulsifiers.
    I also make stock solutions of various base ingredients that I use in all of my formulations.  Just make sure you add preservative to any aqueous stock solutions you make.
  • MarkBroussard

    Member
    March 21, 2015 at 8:21 pm in reply to: Making Deodarant

    @Margreat:

    If you do not include an antimicrobial, essentially what you are doing is a masking the body odor with the fragrance of the essential oils (unless you are using essential oils that have some antibacterial properties such as Tea Tree Oil, Sage, Rosemary, etc.).
  • MarkBroussard

    Member
    March 19, 2015 at 1:54 pm in reply to: Green or safer preservative

    @Bill_Toge

    The glycols are recommended to be included as preservative boosters, not a preservatives themselves, so the levels I recommended are appropriate.
  • MarkBroussard

    Member
    March 19, 2015 at 1:49 pm in reply to: How to use this forum - rules and advice

    @NVaughn

    It is easy to establish that you have done background work.  Simply state the problem you are trying to solve, post your formula, and describe what happened.  And don’t be sensitive.  As scientists, we are in the business of educated trial-and-error, so we know all too well that a formula might work perfectly on paper, but when you actually try to make it, you will encounter problems.
    I think what you are encountering is more an issue with not providing the proper information for someone to even begin to have an idea of what might be causing the problem, much less how to solve it.
  • MarkBroussard

    Member
    March 19, 2015 at 1:39 pm in reply to: Green or safer preservative

    Ok, if your final pH is above 6.0, then you can use Benzyl Alcohol/Ethylhexylglycerin at 1.0%  (it’s in the Euxyl series from Schuelke & Mayr).

    If you are buying the Benzoyl Alcohol and Ethylhexylglycerin separately, try 0.5% to 0.8% Benzoyl Alcohol and 1.0% EHG.  Even better, use an EHG/Caprylyl Glycol blend.

    Are you also using any glycols to bind free-water?  If not, add 6% 1,3-propanediol or 2% glycerin.
  • MarkBroussard

    Member
    March 18, 2015 at 10:12 pm in reply to: Green or safer preservative

    The preservative that will meet your criteria will first depend on whether your final formulation is above or below pH 6.0. You will have more green options at pH below 6.0 than above. If above pH 6.0, phenoxyethanol/ethylhexylglycerin or benzyl alcohol/ethylhexylglycerin would be feasible options.

    What is your final pH?

  • MarkBroussard

    Member
    March 18, 2015 at 2:57 am in reply to: How to use this forum - rules and advice

    Well, I agree that the community growing is a laudable goal and I am more than happy to help anyone where I think I have some sound advice to offer.  Likewise, I am very appreciative of the contributions other members have made in answering any questions I may have.

    But, here’s where we differ in viewpoint.  I do not have time, nor am I willing to share my expertise and diligent research with someone who is simply looking for someone else to put together a formulation for them, or solve a problem for them, when there is no evidence that they have first tried to solve that problem on their own.  
    You cited the perfect example in your first post. The “culprit” joined the community and immediately was looking for someone here in the community to put a formulation together for them.  But, if you have time and the inclination, by all means, point them to the proper protocols.
    I don’t know if Perry has promoted the site to the members of the various chapters of the Cosmetic Chemists Societies, but certainly, we can all benefit from each others’ experience.  Oftentimes, a question from a homecrafter raises some interesting issues. 
  • MarkBroussard

    Member
    March 17, 2015 at 4:12 pm in reply to: Product drying out, clogging nozzle

    You need to add an antievaporant.

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