[ngarayeva001]

@Fekher, so you are suggesting that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is just a random website and everyone can write something there (as if it’s a wikipedia) but a screenshot from a book written in French that shows some chemical reactions is a 100% proof that the surfactant is a cancerogen? 

[ngarayeva001]

1) Are you referring to GelMaker by makingcosmetics here? 2) Formulas should be written in % not in grams. 
3) Water tends to evaporate. I wouldn’t recommend to leave it overnight for no obvious reason.

[ngarayeva001]

@AVisotsky sodium coco-SULFATE. Effectives yes, “mild” not so sure. Sulfates are great detergents but they are not very mild. I haven’t worked with this one, but don’t think it is an exeption. As microformulation pointed out have a look at amphoteric surfactants (Cocamidopropyl betaine). Coco-Glucoside together with Cocamidopropyl Betaine is used a lot in baby products and face products.

[ngarayeva001]

@Rebbecaxock 1) Define what is “large” 2) Why would you even want to do this? Oil reduces efficacy of surfactants (aka less foam). Surfactants have a hydrophilic head and a hydrophobic tail. They “surround” oil to create a micelles (they “connect to the oil” via their tails). How do shampoos and shower gels work? They connect their hydrophobic tails to the sebum (oils on your skin) and help to rinse it off. Add more oil and all tails are “busy forming micelles” instead of cleaning your skin. It’s a simplified explanation, but my point is, you just don’t want to add too much oil to your shampoo, or it will not do the job. Regarding plant extracts, need to know what exactly you are using to provide any comments.

[ngarayeva001]

@DAS it is not surprising that people say it. I have never used it (just because I have my favorite four surfactants that work and I can’t bother discovering new ones) so when I run google search it took me 15 minutes to find a legit source. It was hidden among tons of chemophobic articles that provide no other proof but emotions.

https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/productsingredients/ingredients/ucm109655.htm

@Fekher I hope you are not going to argue with the FDA?

[ngarayeva001]

It’s impossible to tell like that. Too many variables such as type of container, ingredients used, production conditions etc. Also are you talking about stability of the emulsion or stability of active ingredients? Emulsions can stay stable for more than two years. It’s doesn’t mean you should use it.

[ngarayeva001]

@ZivBA it’s N-Acetyl Glucosamine http://www.lotioncrafter.com/n-acetyl-glucosamine-nag.html

[ngarayeva001]

Emulsions are not stable. They separate eventually, and creams are not supposed to have shelf life of 3 years.

[ngarayeva001]

Oh wow! I think you are right @”Dr Catherine Pratt” . It didn’t even came to my mind, I thought it’s just a weird formulation. Now I noticed that other ingredients are also not in descending order! It’s very unlikely that they added more hyaluronic acid than dimethicone and emulsifiers.

[ngarayeva001]

I might be missing something but tocopherol acetate is a second ingredient. Is there any reason to use it at a concentration higher than 0.5%?

[ngarayeva001]

@O12, please make sure it is High Molecular Weight, because low/super low/ultra low (there are many variations) re good humectants but would not form a gel.

[ngarayeva001]

Agree, there are pH meters on Amazon with 2 decimal points starting from $15

[ngarayeva001]

Thank you very much for the article @Sibech

[ngarayeva001]

@Dtdang, those are great ingredients but they sometimes cause allergies, I would recommend doing a patch test when using them.

[ngarayeva001]

@Fekher, if you want to say that the presicion is not important for your soap/shampoo it’s your right, but saying that there is no “perfect true” when you are talking about best practices and standards of the industry is an overconfidence. 

[ngarayeva001]

@Fekher, if you formulate with acids, say glycolic acid, you would need to adjust it to a pH of 3.83 (for it to be effective). You can’t do it with paper.

[ngarayeva001]

Also, regarding “completely pure jojoba but then you would yourself need to mix it with some carrier oil”, I might be missing something but jojoba oil IS a carrier oil. And, as I said oil can be somehow beneficial for a dry skin, but pretty much useless for a dehydrated skin. 

[ngarayeva001]

I would advice to buy a ready mix. I use Paraben DU (Propylparaben, methylparaben, diazolidinyl urea, propylene glycol) by makingcosmetics. I like it because it doesn’t change viscosity of the product, easy to use, effective at a low % and has less strong odour than preservatives with phenoxyethanol. Regarding percentages, follow recommendations of the supplier (0.3-1%). A product pacakged in an airless pump requires less preservative than a product in a jar. I don’t have a lot of experience with clays, but I heard it’s difficult to preserve them, pkus you have a lot of other food for bacteria in your formula, so maybe you should use close to the max recommended amount. Do some research on preserving products with clays.

[ngarayeva001]

@Sibech thank you. You are right I can’t be sure what it was, and agree, it takes time to develop an allergy. It just looked similar to allergy to me: rash, swelling under eyes etc.

[ngarayeva001]

@Majman one the best way of learning is to copy someone’s existing formula. Try to make it perfect and after that modify it as you want. You can make great serums without L-Ascorbic acid.

[ngarayeva001]

@Majman, I don’t want to discourage you from learning and trying new things. It comes with practice and we all make mistakes. The more you read and practice the better it gets. I have some experience already and for example I know how formulate with acids, but I am still not comfortable to give my products with acids to someone else. I only use them myself.

[ngarayeva001]

I am not arguing that the function of the product should be properly determined and defined when it’s being formulated. I am saying you will not see many products marketed as “whitening” on the Western market, even if they are whitening by substance. If it says “whitening” on the label, it is either Asian product or a product made for Asian market (like Dior Snow line)

[ngarayeva001]

@Perry thank you very much. I don’t use so much thickeners and polymers when I create my own formula. This one was an attempt to copy an existing product (with minor changes). Took me countless number of attempts (probably more than 40) to achieve the benchark product’s texture and application. Sodium Carbomer was the deal breaker. But I will exclude xantham, it’s not required, they just had it, so I added it.

[ngarayeva001]

Thak you @BCBull. It’s actually very close to the benchmark product. Mine is even a bit lighter. I think I will exclude xantham gum though. It never adds elegance to the application.

[ngarayeva001]

As I mentioned previously there are just a couple ingredients that are backed by some scientific evidence. I can list: hydraquinone (that is not allowed to be used in many countries because it’s very powerful and dangerous in high concentrations), retinol, alpha-arbutine, combination of Niacinamide and N-Acetyl Glucosamine, a derivative of Vitamin C that is called Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (I am not sure if the result is in both vivo and vitro or only in vitro). Also, AHAs contribute to skin brightening (mostly due to the peeling effect). I don’t recommend you working with AHAs and retinol until you become very experienced.