[ozgirl]

Can you substitute some of the French Green Clay with the lower pH Kaolin? This might reduce the irritancy.

[ozgirl]

I have only ever seen Zirconium in combination with Aluminium (Aluminium Zirconium Tetrachlorhydrex gly).

I have seen a couple of non Aluminium antiperspirant actives that were based on a sage extract. I did a quick test with one but didn’t get great results in terms of antiperspirant action. I think the one I used was from Greentech.

Where are you located because the only antiperspirant actives approved in the US all contain aluminium (Antiperspirants are considered OTC drugs in the US).

[ozgirl]

Beeswax and Castor Oil can be combined to create a Vaseline type product.

Here is an example

https://www.voyageursoapandcandle.com/Non_Petroleum_Baby_Jelly_Recipe_s/433.htm

[ozgirl]

I also agree with steering clear of PEG-150 distearate due to the difficulty incorporating it into the product.

We swapped to Versathix over a year ago and have found it to work very well in our shampoos (some with sulfate and some that are sulfate free).
 

[ozgirl]

Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Magnesium Chloride and Magnesium Nitrate are part of one preservative. This product is sold under various trade names but is commonly known as Kathon CG.

http://www.dow.com/assets/attachments/business/pcare/kathon_for_personal_care/kathon_cg/tds/kathon_cg.pdf

Kathon CG is usually on used in rinse off products such as shampoos, conditioners and body washes.

Phenoxyethanol and Ethylhexylglycerin are part of a preservative sold under the trade name Euxyl PE9010.

http://microsites.schuelke.com/wet-wipe-preservation/leaflets/euxyl-PE-9010-englisch.pdf

Citric acid is usually only used pH adjustment of a product and is not a preservative.

Disodium EDTA is usually added to boost preservative efficacy by complexing any metal ions in the sample that can interfere with preservative function.

Hope this helps.

[ozgirl]

I was actually referring to the carcinogenicity issues related to the Diethanolamine (DEA) content of the Lauramide DEA rather than the dioxane content but both are worth considering.

[ozgirl]

I am wondering about the Lauramide DEA content of the Plantaren APB blend. Is this subject to the same classification as Cocamide DEA with regards to it being a possible carcinogen (Lauramide DEA is the major component of Cocamide DEA).

It is probably worth checking with BASF, You don’t want to start using a blend and then run into regulatory or customer perception issues and then have to reformulate your product.

[ozgirl]

As others have mentioned you need to have a pH around 7.

Be careful about using fragrances especially for cats as many fragrance ingredients and essential oils that are ok for humans can be toxic for animals.

[ozgirl]

Talk to your distributor and see if another local company is buying the product that you want in bulk and would be willing to repackage a small amount for you. You will often pay a bit more for this but it would be cheaper than a reseller. We have been on both sides of this before and it works well.

For one product we only wanted a small amount (~15kg)  for a one off project and couldn’t get it in less than a 200kg drum. So we convinced the distributor to order us in 30 x 500gram samples and paid for the samples. It was a bit of hassle but meant that we weren’t left with 185kg of product that we didn’t want.

[ozgirl]

Have a look at the Lubrizol website. They have lots of formulations for skin care gels that might give you some good ideas.

[ozgirl]

Here are a couple of thinks to consider.

What type of products would you be formulating? If it is basic shampoo, conditioner, body wash and lotion type products it could probably be done as there are plenty of starting formulations out there that you can use and modify to suit your needs. You should definitely join up to the Prospector (formerly Innovadex) website.

I would also find out more about what they expect of a “natural” cosmetics line. If you need to avoid certain preservatives (e.g. parabens or formaldehyde donors) or classes of ingredients (e.g.sulphates, palm oil ingredients etc) it is going to make your job much more difficult as it can take weeks to research and test alternatives.

You also need to consider what types of ingredients you will have readily available in your area. Some ingredients can take up to 12-14 weeks to get to you after they are ordered. This is probably difficult to know without taking the job and talking to suppliers but it is definitely worth considering.

I personally think it is a pretty tight time frame but it could be done. I would ask what the outcome would be if you can’t meet that deadline. Is this an existing company that is introducing an additional product line that could push back the deadline by a couple of months or is it a new company that must have things done by a certain deadline?

Best wishes if you decide to take the job.

[ozgirl]

I have used Honeyquat 50 which is a quaternary conditioning derivative of honey.

http://www.lonza.com/products-services/consumer-care/personal-care/natural-plant-ingredients/honeyquat-50-pf.aspx

[ozgirl]

This is an ASTM International standard (ASTM D2330-02) and you should be able to purchase the standard which will contain the method.

You might also be able to find it in a library that has copies of the ASTM standards.

[ozgirl]

@Bismide. Your calculations are correct.

The 15% active matter formula in the article is just a suggestion for a medium quality dishwashing liquid. If you are making an economy formula you could go with a lower percentage of active surfactant matter.

Maybe try starting by making a sample with 15% ASM to see if this improves your foaming and then decrease the amount ASM until you get to a cost that is acceptable but foaming that is still ok.

[ozgirl]

Here is an old article from HAPPI that might give you some ideas.
http://www.happi.com/issues/2011-03/view_features/formulating-manual-dishwash-detergents/

As you have identifed your low foaming issue is probably due to low active surfactant material. What concentration of actives do the SLES and Cocamidopropyl betaine that you are using have?  The formula you have given is similar to one in the article (see link) but in the article it refers to 4% active SLES which would actually be 16% of a 25% active SLES in the formula or 5.7% of a 70% active SLES. Similarly Cocamidopropyl betaine is usually sold as a 30% or 45% active solution. Check you actual active levels of your surfactants and adjust your formula accordingly.

Once you have adjusted your formula (if necessary) to account for the different active levels of your surfactants and you find you still need to increase your active matter start by increasing the SLES and /or the sulphonic acid surfactants first as these are most likely to contribute to foaming and are probably also the cheapest.

I would also suggest not using Cocamide DEA because it is now classified as a possible carcinogen due to the DEA content. Try using Cocamide MEA instead as it has similar properties with no carcinogenicity issues.

Hope this helps

[ozgirl]

Not sure if you are interested in a blend but Evonik sell blends of Ceramides with cholesterol under the trade names Skinmimics and SK-influx-V.

[ozgirl]

The distearyldimonium chloride would be the emulsifier. It is sold under the trade name Varisoft TA 100 (Evonik).

[ozgirl]

The undeceth-11 and undeceth-5 are ethoxylated surfactants used to emulsify the silicones. They have different HLB values. The reason two undeceth surfactants are used is the same reason we use two different HLB emulsifers when making a cream or lotion.

Here is an article that might be of interest.

http://www.dowcorning.com/content/publishedlit/22-1746.pdf

Hope this helps

[ozgirl]

There may be some starting formulations of interest to you on the Lubrizol website

https://www.lubrizol.com/PersonalCare/Formulations/Sunscreens.html

[ozgirl]

Thanks chemicalmatt for the information .

[ozgirl]

Thanks for the suggestions! I will give them a try.

[ozgirl]

You could try a glycol ether solvent such as Dowanol DPM (INCI: PPG-2 Methyl Ether) if you want to stay away from alcohol. I have seen this used in an alcohol free perfume formulation with PEG-40 HCO to help solubilise the fragrance. From memory it was used at about 5%.

http://www.dow.com/oxysolvents/app/oth_cos.htm

[ozgirl]

Can you add some ethanol or other water soluble solvent to help solubilize your active?

[ozgirl]

These tables might be useful for you

http://lxsrv7.oru.edu/~alang/onsc/solubility/allsolvents.php?solute=salicylic%20acid

http://www.asiapharmaceutics.info/viewimage.asp?img=AsianJPharm_2010_4_1_60_63981_t2.jpg

Hope this helps

[ozgirl]

Have a look at Dow Cornings website. They have starting formulations for all sorts of automotive polishes.
http://www.dowcorning.com/content/formulations/formulations.asp

If you want a milky sprayable polish also have a look at stainless steel polish and furniture polish formulations for ideas.