[mikebavington]

Regarding consumers and that lack of understanding, I will share a funny story with everyone, if they dont mind.

In Japan, their is a big group of consumers who want all things ‘natural’. I was staying with a woman who asked me to go to the store and buy some Apple Juice for her. She was too weak to go for herself, for she felt sick from a night out with her girlfriends. I asked her what she had consumed the night before that might of made her sick and she said: 

‘Nothing. I only had dinner and some alcohol.’

Sidenote: In Japan, alcohol is consumed in heavy quantities and almost everyone of an adult age drinks on a regular basis - 2 or more drinks per week.

 

Anyways, I came back from the store after having bought her a bottle of Apple Juice, and when she took it from me to read the label of ingredients, she said:

‘I cant drink this. It has additives in it’. 

I said: 

‘Well, if you feel that alcohol is safe to consume, I dont think anything in this apple juice is worth worrying about.’

To make a long story short, I ended up having to consume all the Apple Juice myself as she refused to touch it.  She continued to drink alcohol during my stay, but would lecture me on the dangers of the additives in the Apple Juice.

Again, when I questioned the alcohol she was drinking over the Apple Juice I was drinking, she said that beer and wine were healthy, unlike the additives in the Apple Juice.

[mikebavington]

Wont Phenoxyehtanol be incompatible with my HEC?

[mikebavington]

I think you can incorporate an RSS feed by using Google’s Feed Burner.

In terms of suggestions, I would like to see an Advertisers Section on the website, consisting of ads from manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, packaging suppliers, fulfillment operators, formulators, labs that do testing etc.

 

[mikebavington]

My formula has mostly water - greater than 90% - with about 3% DL panthenol. I will dissolve the panthenol in the water first and then add the preservatives afterwards.

I will share some of my thoughts on preservatives for anyone who is reading this and might have similar questions to myself.

I was going to use Potassium Sorbate because I have read favourable testing conclusions regarding its low level of skin sensitization. Potassium Sorbate has even tested favourably on mucous membranes inside the nose in regards to maintaing proper cilia function, and therefore, has been suggested as an alternative to Benzalkimonium Chloride in nasal solutions.  So, if it tests well inside the nose, I surmize that it would also be suitable for sensitive skin on the body. However, Potassium Sorbate seems to lack broad spectrum preservative effectiveness.

I also considered Silver Citrate and Citric Acid - brand name Silveron 2400 - but was advised that it doesnt perform well when used with cellulose thickeners or other ingredients that carry a positive charge. I am using HEC as my emulsifier/thickener and because I am also using another ingredient which is cationic in nature, I ruled out the Silveron.

I dont worry about some consumers’ anti-parabens mindset because my product is not going to be marketed to the segment of end-users that routinely look for alternatives to parabens. Although, from what I understand, parabens are found in nature to preserve berries and other things. so I guess they would qualify as an all-natural ingredient, in fact.  

Preservatives are an important consideration for me because I want to avoid any costly contamination issues once my formula in sold throughout the market. Between liability issues and any recall that might happen from a contaminated product, I figure I would rather make 100% certain my product is safe from contamination. What I might lose in sales from using parabens will likely be less than what it would cost me to sell a contaminated product.

[mikebavington]

Sorry. I meant to ask whether these preservatives are soluble in an aqueous solution of panthenol, with the panthenol at about 2 - 3%. So, based upon your answer, these preservatives would be. Thanks

I know that formulators will often use propylene glycol to first dissolve the methyl and  propylparaben, but I thought that since I already have panthenol in my formula, I could avoid having to dissolve the preservatives in anything else, beforehand.

[mikebavington]

Just read up on different waxes used in cosmetics/Lipsticks.

http://www.makingcosmetics.com/articles/28-waxes-used-in-cosmetics.pdf

[mikebavington]

Beeswax is the best wax to use in cosmetic products, in my opinion. Performs very well and is cheaper than some other waxes, suprisingly. A cheaper wax is paraffin wax, and I think it is decent as well. Not as good as Beeswax in performance, but still good; and of course, cheaper.

Some lotion marketers - such as Cetaphil - use Macademia Nut Oil in their products. You might try that. 

You can also try looking for ingredients that are higher in stearic acid. Cocoa Butter has a high amount of stearic acid and that is why it performs well on the skin, in my opinion.

You can try using Orange Wax - the wax extracted from organe peels. It is very, very cheap and it has emollient properties. It has a dark colour, but I think you can find it in a ‘bleached’ hue in that the dark colour is removed and it is essentially clear, in colour. It has an orange scent, and if you use it in small amounts, it might be desireable in your lipsticks. It is suppose to act similar to the way that lanolin acts. You can also try actual lanolin if you wish. Lanolin is used extensively to ‘condition’ the skin and keep it soft and supple.

And if you have any avocado oil around, I think highly of that oil too.

Hope this helps. I am an amateur formulator, so take my adivce based upon that declaration.

If you use Jojoba Oil, I would put a preservative in their as I have experienced problems keeping 100% jojoba oil from producing microbes. 

[mikebavington]

If an antiseptic isnt any better than a common soap surfactant, then why do products use preservatives instead of surfactants to prolong shelf-life? 

[mikebavington]

Surfactants remove oil from the skin and can cause moisture loss very quickly. If I wash my hands, especially with liquid soap, more than 3 times within a 4 hour time period, my skin will start to crack and break. Sometimes, I will start to bleed from these cracks and breaks. In my opinion, too many people use surfactants in their formulas when they could be using suspending agents to make gels and serums.

An antiseptic, incorporated within a mild suspending agent, or even with a simple thickener, such as in hand sanitizer products, is often better for me when my hands are dirty because I can apply the hand sanitizer many, many times before my skin becomes dry.

I cant comment on the difference between soap only and saop with antiseptic, except to say that if I have compromised skin that is infected or could become infected, I would like the addition of the cfu reducing antiseptic ingredient.

[mikebavington]

Polyhexanide - PHMB.

[mikebavington]

Pemulen TR-2

[mikebavington]

$240 for 1.7 oz? That is brand power at its best!

I am trying to formulate and am worried about my expected price point in the teens ($11 - $20) as being too expensive.

 

[mikebavington]

I would contact Ben at Cosmetic Test Labs for guidance. He posts on this site under the name ‘The_Microbiologist’. You can also reach him at Cosmetic Test Labs Here is a link to thecompany’s website. They do all sorts of testing.

http://cosmetictestlabs.com