Forum Replies Created

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  • Perry44

    Administrator
    June 6, 2023 at 7:19 am in reply to: Fine line between cosmetic and “drug” claims

    Yes, anti microbial claims are not allowed for cosmetics in the US.

    Microbiome claims are not likely to be considered drug claims. But I could envision a lawsuit in the future against microbiome claims, so if you’re going to make the claim you should have some way to prove what you’re saying is true. I don’t think these would be considered “puffery”.

  • Perry44

    Administrator
    June 6, 2023 at 7:15 am in reply to: Buyer preference: fragrance free vs fragrance

    It’s a difficult question to get useful answers to because I don’t think people actually know why they prefer one odor over another. Sure, they’ll come up with explanations, but those probably aren’t true.

    People have been told that fragrance is bad for skin & should be avoided so that belief gets put into their head. But the body generates positive feelings when encountering certain odors & beliefs are thrown out the window.

    Any brand can launch fragrance free products. If the majority of consumers wanted them, that would be the standard way products are made & sold.

    That most products have fragrance says a lot.

  • Perry44

    Administrator
    June 5, 2023 at 6:06 pm in reply to: Buyer preference: fragrance free vs fragrance

    People may say they want “fragrance free” but they still buy products that have fragrance in them. If you have a niche market and looking to only appeal to a specific group of consumers that actually do buy fragrance free, then it’s fine.

    If you want to sell a lot more product and build a brand, use fragrance.

  • Perry44

    Administrator
    June 1, 2023 at 3:37 pm in reply to: How to create a perfumed body mist

    Well, Polysorbate 80 might work to solubilize castor oil. Then you would need water and your fragrance materials to make the formula. And a preservative too.

  • Perry44

    Administrator
    June 1, 2023 at 8:22 am in reply to: Should Polysorbate 80 solve my separation issue?

    Sure, there are lots of instances when Polysorbate 80 doesn’t solve a separation issue. Why formulas separate and the solution to that problem depends on many factors. The HLB of the oils for one. You can certainly try it but it may not work. Some sort of polymeric associative thickener/emulsifier may be more reliable if the system is appropriate for it.

  • Perry44

    Administrator
    May 22, 2023 at 8:51 am in reply to: Cooling and tingling effect in sexual wellness cosmetics

    Yes, where you apply matters. Some areas of the body have a higher density of nerve endings and will experience a greater sensation.

  • Perry44

    Administrator
    May 12, 2023 at 10:16 am in reply to: Formula Costs

    To add to what others have said, it does seem high. Reading between the lines what it really means is that they don’t really want your business. A small run is not worth it to a contract manufacturer when they know more than 90% of brands will never do a second run. Now they have all this packaging and ingredients that they may (or may not) use again. From their standpoint, it makes business sense to charge a very high amount to customers who want only small runs.

  • Perry44

    Administrator
    May 10, 2023 at 9:38 am in reply to: PLZ HELP ME - FIX THIS SHAMPOO

    You’ve asked a lot of questions. Some easy ones.

    1. You don’t need a substitute. Just don’t use it. Cationic surfactants generally shouldn’t be in shampoos.

    2. Don’t use squalane in a shampoo. Oils do not belong in shampoos

    3. For thickenings options, search the forum for sulfate free thickening discussions

    As to the other questions you’ll need to be more specific.

    What specifically do you want to improve about the formula.

    In truth, if you want to make a superior shampoo the first step is to use sulfates. By choosing to make a sulfate free formula, you are choosing to make something that is inferior in performance & more expensive.

  • Perry44

    Administrator
    May 3, 2023 at 11:29 am in reply to: Why Does This Burn My Eyes

    It could be caused by the sodium methyl taurate or trihydroxystearin

  • Yeah, I’ve not seen anything that specifically mentions penetration in terms of a definition of cosmetics. Just because something penetrates does not automatically make it a drug or problematic. The FDA does not really weigh in on the general concept of ingredient penetration. Cosmetics are just not allowed to have biological effects.

  • Perry44

    Administrator
    April 30, 2023 at 9:05 am in reply to: Help with PCF Course?

    Sure I’ll fix it for you. We did a site update in 2021 & we had to make new accounts for everyone.

  • Perry44

    Administrator
    April 27, 2023 at 11:54 pm in reply to: Help!

    Agree with what is written thus far.

    3. Ingredients that are water soluble will show little to no benefit in a cleanser as they simply wash away. Oils wash away also. Perhaps a polymer like polyquaternium 10 might help but the best answer is to use a less drying surfactant or reduce the levels of what you are currently using.

  • Perry44

    Administrator
    June 3, 2023 at 9:31 am in reply to: Hurdle Technology Approach

    Here are the relevant reports. Lots to read.

    CIR - original paraben opinion
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/oyq0dw1grjxi60i/paraben-report-original.pdf?dl=0

    CIR - re-review of latest data
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/5zwi9k5arwujzij/paraben-report-latest.pdf?dl=0

    SCCS - Opinion on parabens
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/v7a6px5w7nuyx02/SCCS-opinion%20on%20parabens.pdf?dl=0

    While the CIR relies of the cosmetic industry for funding, the group is made up of independent scientists, the FDA, and consumer advocates. They also follow an open process where all meeting minutes, reports and supporting research are available for anyone to inspect.

    But even if you remain skeptical of CIR, the SCCS performs the same service in the EU (reviewing ingredient safety data). They are NOT industry funded but rather supported by the government. They have no conflict of interest. Interestingly, they came to the same conclusions as the CIR. Parabens are safe as used in cosmetics.

  • Perry44

    Administrator
    June 3, 2023 at 7:11 am in reply to: PETROLATUM AS AN OCCLUSIVE

    Interesting. It must be related to the method of purifying the petrolatum in production.

    However, this says nothing about whether petrolatum changes skin color. I haven’t seen direct evidence that it does.

  • Perry44

    Administrator
    June 2, 2023 at 7:43 am in reply to: PETROLATUM AS AN OCCLUSIVE

    While I can understand that if people are in the sun that their skin turns darker, I don’t think petrolatum has anything to do with it. At least there is no biochemical explanation for why that would happen with petrolatum vs mineral oil or any other oil for that matter.

  • Perry44

    Administrator
    June 1, 2023 at 8:23 am in reply to: PETROLATUM AS AN OCCLUSIVE

    Makes your skin darker? I had never heard the petrolatum had any impact on melanin production. Is that what you mean or something else?

  • Perry44

    Administrator
    May 31, 2023 at 8:29 am in reply to: Hurdle Technology Approach

    I appreciate your response also.

    Text is really an inefficient way to communicate as it’s easy to misunderstand. Just to clarify…

    I don’t doubt the safety of your products (or Dr Bronner’s). I also don’t think companies are willfully trying to make unsafe products.

    Products like Dr. Bronner’s are based on old technology & quite frankly don’t meet the performance expectations of the vast majority of consumers. While they are beloved by a niche consumer group, at about $200 million in yearly sales they are a tiny sliver of the market. https://www.sdbj.com/retail/dr-bronners-hits-188m-revenue-2020/

    Most companies want to make products that appeal to the greatest number of consumers. You can’t do that with saponification technology. They just don’t perform as well.

    And when a naive entrepreneur or marketer looks at brands that claim to avoid preservatives, they start demanding products that perform like modern technologies without preservatives.

    I think we could both agree, in general, that can’t be done. Unfortunately, this hasn’t stopped some companies from making and selling unsafe products like these.

    As the endocrine disruption goes, I’m not a doctor so won’t comment on anyone’s health conditions. But what I will point out is that Dr Bronner’s sells products with Tea Tree and Soy based ingredients both of which have been implicated in endocrine disruption. A strange thing to do for a company who markets themselves as safer-than-others.

  • Perry44

    Administrator
    May 30, 2023 at 12:17 pm in reply to: Why carbomers aren't used with pigments?

    I believe I moved it to formulating.

  • Perry44

    Administrator
    May 30, 2023 at 9:18 am in reply to: Hurdle Technology Approach

    I can’t speak for @PhilGeis, but I think the objection would be that your experience would encourage other manufacturers to stop using proven preservatives & start using (normally inadequate) hurdle strategies instead. It also encourages preservative-phobia, validating unreasonable fears of ingredients that have been proven safe. Additionally, it undermines the message that formulas need to be preserved.

    While your experience demonstrates that it is possible, for the vast majority of product makers, using a preservative is the safer option.

  • Perry44

    Administrator
    May 30, 2023 at 9:14 am in reply to: Hurdle Technology Approach

    Congratulations!

  • Perry44

    Administrator
    May 24, 2023 at 7:26 am in reply to: Behentrimonium Methosulfate in hair conditoners

    Better would be HEC for a cationic system. Sorry I didn’t see the cetrimonium chloride in there.

  • Perry44

    Administrator
    May 22, 2023 at 11:15 am in reply to: Cooling and tingling effect in sexual wellness cosmetics

    The lips should be a good approximation but not quite.

  • Perry44

    Administrator
    May 22, 2023 at 8:30 am in reply to: Behentrimonium Methosulfate in hair conditoners

    There is a lot wrong with this formula but the main problem is that you are not using the appropriate emulsifier for the oil system you’ve chosen. (I don’t know what that oil is because you just wrote oil. They are not all the same).

    You are also adding ions to a charged emulsification system which leads to instability. So, the best thing to do would be to use standard preservatives like Methylparaben which have no problems in emulsions. Using the preservatives you’ve suggested leads to the problems you’re experiencing. Salts and other ions + ionic emulsifiers don’t work well together.

    You also should use a suspending agent like Carbomer (or Xanthan gum) to help with stabilization.

  • Perry44

    Administrator
    May 8, 2023 at 9:22 pm in reply to: Comments on New forum design / software

    It’s been restored! Sorry for that. We did an update on the course software in 2021.

  • Perry44

    Administrator
    May 1, 2023 at 7:11 am in reply to: Help with PCF Course?

    Send me a direct message. (just click on my profile) and let me know which email you originally used to register for the class.

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