[natzam44]

Hi Gaby,

It would seem to me that the reason you are experiencing bacterial/fungal growth on your product is that your preservative is simply inadequate.

You have plenty of “natural” ingredients in your formula which are breeding grounds for bacteria and fungus. Preservatives like Microcare SB are often too weak to deal with these sorts of formulations (despite the fact that it is a preservative found in many “natural” high-risk formulas).

I would recommend using a more effective preservative such as parabens. If you don’t like using parabens then you could try one of the many phenoxyethanol blends available or other preservatives such as Germall Plus which are generally more effective.

P.S. It should be noted that no preservative is better than another and the most effective preservative will always vary from formula to formula. 

Hope this helps.

[natzam44]

Have you tried taking it out of the fridge and letting it warm back up to room temperature?

Personally, I have never seen something like this happen before. It may be wise to throw it out if you cant figure out what happened to it.

[natzam44]

@”Dr Catherine Pratt”

I believe the problem is just having too much kaolin. I have changed my formula around and will do a test today. 

I was hopeing to get away with a large amount of Kaolin but that just does not seem realistic when i look at the texture of my product.

[natzam44]

Thanks all for the replies.

I think I will try a cheap hotplate since I could afford to break it or dislike it.

I can’t seem to find any digital hotplates for anything under $200USD which translates to over $260CAD without taxes (I would need to buy two of them as well).

If I need to, then I will buy digital but for the meantime, I shall try my luck.

[natzam44]

I agree with @Fekher on the emulsion issue. 
Polysorbate 60 should be used in greater quantity to form a stable emulsion.

I would also like to mention that your preservative system may encounter some problems while trying to prevent bacterial growth. 

I would do some bacterial growth tests on the product and adjust as needed.

[natzam44]

It’s hard to say since we don’t know where your target market is.
Not to mention that we dont know the price of any of your products, your competition, etc.

If I were you, I would try to look for studies in your region which could give you some information such as which product people buy the most in your region, etc.

Developing a brand identity is also very important. Once you have a brand identity, one of these products may stand out as being a better fit to your brand.

Frankly, I would hire a marketing expert who can help you develop a brand or at least get basic marketing information for your region.

[natzam44]

@Perry
Thank you very much! 
This information is extremely useful.

[natzam44]

@Perry
Thanks for the useful information!
If freezing it has a higher chance of rendering it unstable, would refrigerating it do the same? Since it’s not freezing, will it still become unstable?

[natzam44]

@ngarayeva001 I currently have a lotion in the freezer which I will be taking out today to check on.

[natzam44]

@Daniel3359
I don’t mean to come off as harsh, but if you thought coconut oil was a preservative then that shows that you are not ready to formulate any kind of cosmetic product.

I suggest you do some research on preservatives and not focus on making things “natural”.

[natzam44]

If you could put the formula into percentages, people would be far more willing to help. 

When you formulate, instead of using grams, put your formula into percentages (which can then be translated into grams when you make your product).

[natzam44]

If you are a hobbyist in Canada and live near Vancouver then you could order from voyageursoapandcandle.com

At first it may seem like they don’t have all that much for anything but soap, but if you do a search in the search bar for what it is that your are looking for then you can find a lot of different things (emulsifiers, preservatives, emollients, surfactants. etc.)

Their prices are also quite reasonable with pretty quick shipping (although the current strike may cause some issues there). I have gotten some pretty good deals on a variety of things there.

[natzam44]

Thanks for the helpful responses @Perry @Microformulation

I might end up a oidi g the magnetic stick then although I was planning on having digital temperature control.

[natzam44]

I would mix the clays into the water and then add that to the oil phase (at the very least the bentonite). In my experience this has created far more stable emulsions.

[natzam44]

The only real way to find out would be to do a series of tests.

[natzam44]

From my knowledge, water based waxes are famous for drying out and losing shine quickly. This is something which is hard to avoid which is why pomade lovers prefer oil based waxes for shine. You could try reducing the water to between 25 to 30% and increasing the oil / wax %.

Alternatively if you want long lasting shine just make an oil based wax. It may be heavier and not wash out as easily but it will give you the results you are looking for.

[natzam44]

Thanks all for the replies. 

I have done and test batch and am excited to try it.

[natzam44]

Thanks all for the replies!

The replies have helped me a lot. Thanks again.

[natzam44]

Thanks for the response @ozgirl 

That could be possible but in most clays (this one is an exception) bentonite is the primary clay used. I might look into getting Kaolin or use a substitute like corn starch or arrowroot powder to get the finish I want.

[natzam44]

@DAS Thanks a lot for the advice! Seems like the best idea. 

[natzam44]

@MarkBroussard Thanks for the advice. I will look into buying the ingredients you mentioned.

[natzam44]

@Belassi @DRBOB@VERDIENT.BIZ Thanks for the help guys! It is appreciated!

[natzam44]

@Microformulation Thanks for listing that article it really helped clear up all of my questions about phenoxyethanol and it was very interesting.

[natzam44]

@David
Thanks for clearing that up it is really appreciated.

[natzam44]

@johnb I was able to get my hands on the list of ingredients for sheh●Voo (not sure if it is the right one) and as @Bobzchemist says, there are surfactants and not much oil.

I guess this product is not what it seems. The reason I was intrigued by it is because one of the Youtubers I watch made a video on it calling it an “oil cleanser”. 

I guess we can’t trust products these days.