[Perry44]

Mostly, that is just too much acid to be putting on a person’s face! Skin irritation could be a big issue. Also, Lactic acid works best below a pH of 4.0 whereas Azelaic acid works best at a pH of 4.9. So, adjusting the pH to a mid-point would just make both ingredients less effective.

I wouldn’t recommend doing this.

[Perry44]

This is a water-in-oil (w/o) emulsifier, which helps to mix oils and water in the formulation. It enhances the product’s spreadability and user experience by making the oil more comfortable to apply and less heavy or greasy on the skin. It also makes it easier to remove when you are washing your skin later.

As far as replacements go, you might try Sorbitan Oleate.

[Perry44]

The discoloration and inactivity of hair removal creams could be due to a variety of reasons such as oxidation, degradation of active ingredients, microbial contamination, or improper storage conditions. Though pH and texture might remain unchanged, other properties of the formula can shift over time. It’s important to thoroughly investigate to pinpoint the exact cause and formulate a solution.

To fix it you first need to figure out what is the exact cause. Stability testing or a knockout experiment could help. If oxidation is the issue, incorporating antioxidants into your formula could help. If degradation of the active ingredient is causing the problem, then adjusting its concentration or stabilizing it with appropriate compounds could be a potential solution.

[Perry44]

The issue you’re experiencing with cracking or crystallization might be related to the cooling process after your product is melted and combined, or it could be an issue with the formulation of the ingredients themselves.

Here are some suggestions to prevent cracks and crystallization:

1. Cooling Process: After melting and combining your ingredients, the rate at which they cool can affect the final texture of your product. Rapid cooling can sometimes cause a product to crack or become grainy. To prevent this, try allowing your product to cool slowly at room temperature.

2. Beeswax and other ingredients: The issue might be related to the composition of the beeswax you’re using. Not all beeswax is created equal, and impurities in the wax could potentially be causing issues. You could try sourcing your beeswax from a different supplier or use refined beeswax to see if it makes a difference.

3. Shea Butter or Cocoa Butter: Adding a butter like shea or cocoa could potentially help improve the texture of your product and prevent cracking. Butters are often used in balms and salves to give them a smooth, creamy texture.

4. Experiment with ratios: If none of the above solutions work, you might need to experiment with the ratios of your ingredients. Beeswax can sometimes cause a product to become hard and crack, particularly if it’s used in high amounts. Try reducing the amount of beeswax in your formulation to see if it helps.

Remember, creating the perfect formulation often requires a lot of trial and error. It might take several iterations before you find the perfect blend of ingredients for your product.

Finally, make sure you are storing your product in a cool, dry place, as heat and moisture can affect its texture and stability.

[Perry44]

Is there a scientifically proven ideal pH of the skin in order for it to most effectively accept products such as moisturizers and serums?

No.

There are lots of reasons but mainly

1. We don’t know what it means to be “most effective.”

2. Everyone’s skin is genetically different.

3. Everyone has a different microbiome which may or may not have an impact on product performance

Also, skin itself is a solid and has no pH. What people mean when they say skin pH is the pH of the solution made by scraping off the stuff on top of skin and mixing it in water.

For the most part, discussion of pH when it comes to skincare is just science washing. It’s meant to dazzle consumers but has very little impact on product performance.

[Perry44]

I’d guess it would be unlikely to succeed. There is not enough salt in the acid form at pH 5. Why not go lower than that?

[Perry44]

What formula are you asking about?

[Perry44]

Not that I’ve ever seen. What would you expect from such a calculator? What would the input/output be?

[Perry44]

You should list your ingredients if you want an answer

[Perry44]

To get answers to questions like these you’ll need to list all the ingredients in your formula. There are no single ingredients that can fix the problems you listed. It’s a formulation issue.

[Perry44]

This is more of a drug question than a cosmetic one.

[Perry44]

One thing that’s not mentioned is that there really isn’t any money in doing an expose like this.

Fearmongering is so prevalent because it is effective. Consumers are just more compelled by scary stories than they are by reassuring stories. Which story do you think the average consumer would read?

NGOs are lying to you, cosmetics really are safe

or

The cosmetics you’re using are filled with carcinogens & the government is doing nothing about it

Fear is motivating. Truth is not. Especially when the truth is mundane.

And we really can’t expect big companies to try to educate consumers. They are motivated to sell products! Selling products to an uneducated consumer base is just a much easier task.

[Perry44]

What type of “scrub” are you asking about?

[Perry44]

The term “active ingredients” when applied to cosmetics is just a marketing thing. It is used to trick consumers into thinking their cosmetic product will have some drug effect it is not legally allowed to have. The term “cosmeceutical” is used similarly.

Now, I’m a bit more skeptical than the average cosmetic chemist, but I am of the opinion that none of the vitamins you’ve listed will have any noticeable impact on skin. The things you’ve read about what they do are exaggerations of suggestive lab results. Evidence of a real, noticeable effect is lacking.

Even a prescription level of Retinoic Acid (vit A) is only noticed by less than 20% of users.

So, when you are making your hero product, use whatever actives support the story you want to tell. The only noticeable thing your product will do is moisturize skin.

[Perry44]

I fixed it.

[Perry44]

I agree academic background doesn’t matter much in terms of being able to successfully create formulas. However, where it matters a whole lot is when you’re trying to get a job. Being a great formulator without a degree won’t help you getting a job at P&G, L’Oreal, Unilever, or most any other big company in the cosmetic industry.

[Perry44]

Which active ingredient?

[Perry44]

Are you referring to this discussion? https://chemistscorner.com/cosmeticsciencetalk/discussion/natrosol-hec-not-working-well/

I’m not sure anyone suggested weird, expensive stuff. But of course whenever you have a thickening issue, “let it sit for awhile” is pretty standard advice. We assume here that you already tried that.

chemistscorner.com

Natrosol/HEC not working well - Chemists Corner

I am trying to thicken a body wash with HEC and it is not forming a gel. It goes from white powder to clear grainy…

[Perry44]

What software was it?

I personally think these AI formulators are a long ways from having a big impact on the job of a cosmetic chemist. For a few reasons

1. There isn’t enough data for them to collect.
2. Systems are too complicated for a tool like this to be really accurate.
3. There is no simple way to determine if something is stable or not.
4. You still need a chemist/technician to actually make & test the formula.

I don’t see how the AI really adds much to what a chemist with a book of starting formulas can already do.

[Perry44]

No specific tips except to use it you have to just use the search function to find what you want. They don’t have a great website layout.

[Perry44]

I think the biggest hurdle for something like Chat GPT when it comes to formulating is that much of the knowledge of the industry has not been written down in books or published online. We have traditionally been a secretive industry and most knowledge is locked up in companies or in the brains of veteran formulators who don’t write about it online. Thus GPT will mostly get trained on DIY / Hobbiest info which isn’t always exactly accurate.

[Perry44]

To be fair, cosmetic marketers are in a difficult position. They are trying to sell a product that everyone wants but all companies can produce products that work just as well as everyone else’s. You really can’t differentiate your product based on performance because the technology has barely improved in the last 30 - 40 years AND any improvements that have been made are not noticed by consumers.

This means that your product’s success or failure depends almost entirely on your marketing story. And there are only so many compelling marketing stories. You are competing with every other marketing storyteller out there. It’s like trying to predict the next video that will go viral. No one knows why one product is successful and another isn’t.

[Perry44]

It’s also possible that I used ChatGPT 3.5. When I ran the same query with ChatGPT 4.0, I got a better response. Although, they still didn’t mention formaldehyde donors as good options, but they did mention Parabens.

[Perry44]

Yeah, the problem with using it in formulating is that it has been trained on the Internet info which is heavily filled with DIY & ingredient marketing BS.

For example, I asked it for a suggestion for the best cosmetic preservative. It said phenoxyethanol & “natural” acceptable options. It didn’t suggest parabens or formaldehyde donors.

These are the most commonly used ones in industry but not the most common on the internet.

When asked further about parabens, ChatGPT propagated the same chemical fearmongering about them as any clean beauty inspired blogger.

If looking for starting formulas, places like ULProspector & Happi are still superior

[Perry44]

AI art can be done through Midjourney or Dall-E.