OldPerry
Forum Replies Created
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@ngarayeva001 - good answer.
However, when formulating it comes down to the performance of the formula and what consumers can perceive. Perhaps some consumers may be able to pick up on the difference between Glycerin in a formula versus Sodium Lactate although I doubt many. I have seen consumers demonstrate limited ability to differentiate performance on a blinded basis.
But what I doubt even further is that a consumer (or you) could tell a difference when a blend of 3 or 4 humectants were used. This is especially true in the context of a formula that contains oils and occlusive agents.
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Why use 3 humectants (well really 4 if you’re using Aloe) when 1 will do?
If you want them for marketing purposes cut down the aloe, hyaluronic acid, and sodium PCA to each 0.1% and just use glycerin and water. You can still get the same claims & probably make a product that works pretty much the same.
The idea of ingredients working in synergy is a nice concept but is that really happening in your formula? Maybe, but you have to test it. Just putting two ingredients in the same formula doesn’t mean they are working together. Instead, using two humectants just means they are competing against each other.
To answer your original question, sure you can replace your humectants with glycerin.
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Well, you can work your way through this list. I haven’t worked with these companies so don’t have one to recommend. However, they do have a presence in the industry.
https://www.scconline.org/directory/cat/testing-laboratories/
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Hydrogen peroxide is not an adequate preservative. It is not effective for long enough for a cosmetic product.
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When you work for a bigger company, you work with the supplier to come up with an agreed upon specification sheet for each raw material. On the sheet is a list of all the tests and ranges that you and the supplier agree that each lot of material you buy will meet. Both the supplier and you will run these tests to ensure they are within range. Otherwise the raw material gets rejected.
Ultimately, in your business this is where you want to get with your relationships with suppliers. Unfortunately, small companies don’t always have this luxury.
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@Pharma - yeah, I couldn’t find a pH for “pure glycolic acid” in any of my sources. hmmm.
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Here is a link to the slides used for the presentation. It was interesting.
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Mold growth can happen at pH as low as 3.5 so if you go lower, that should inhibit mold growth.
However, the pKa of Glycolic acid is 3.8 so I don’t think you will be able to get a pH much lower than that without some buffers. I’m not positive though as my knowledge of acid/base chemistry is a bit rusty.
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@Abdullah - see this discussion about alkyl poly glucosides and HEC
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@ngarayeva001 - I agree that it comes from anecdotal evidence although a brand like Paula Beugon has helped propagate the myth.
I would agree that if you put alcohol on your face & then wipe it away with a cloth or towel, then it will remove oils from the skin. (I’m assuming that is what you & Paula mean by “degreasing.”)
However, hand sanitizers and other skin products are left on the skin. If you have oily skin, and you apply alcohol without wiping it off, there is no degreasing that happens. When the alcohol evaporates off your skin it does not bring any of the non-volatile grease or oil with it. Therefore, without the wiping off step, alcohol is not “degreasing” and thus not drying either.
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You can find suppliers of Polyquaternium-4 here.
https://cosmetics.specialchem.com/inci/polyquaternium-4Though I’m not sure Polyquaternium 4 would qualify as “natural.”
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@Pharma - I’ve looked into the notion that ethanol is drying to skin and I’m not convinced. I contend that it merely evaporates off the skin and doesn’t cause dryness. It’s more of a myth. I’d be interested in seeing evidence that I’m mistaken.
What evidence has convinced you that ethanol leads to dry skin?
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This may also be helpful. Free cosmetic formulas
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Why don’t you just add it directly to the main formula? How much are you adding?
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I do believe Phenoxyethanol is a VOC. At least according to the EPA.
No, formaldehyde donors are not VOCs, although formaldehyde is.
Here is what the California Air Resources Board lists as VOCs.Whether something is a VOC or not is a regulatory question. The answers don’t always make scientific sense.
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@Newtoformulating - you have to understand that the dose makes the poison. Just because a material was shown to be carcinogenic at high levels doesn’t mean that exposure to parts per million will cause any problems. Ethoxylated materials as used in cosmetics do not cause cancer and are safe.
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Parabens are heat stable (to the temperatures reached in formulating) so the will probably be fine.
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Typically, you weigh your ingredients in weigh boats (something like these)
You can pre-weigh all your ingredients, but you can also weigh as you go. You should follow the proper sequence and not add any ingredient at the same time. I always tried to imagine what a compounder who was making a 3000 gallon batch would be able to do. Ultimately, your manufacturing procedure needs to be scalable.
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I suppose some cosmetics will be hurt (color cosmetics) while others may see growth (skin lotions, cleansers). It’s hard to say. I doubt a pandemic will make people happy about whether they have wrinkles or not. I would think anti-aging skin care will continue to sell.
It will be interesting to see what happens.
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When using weight measurements everything is in terms of Grams. Volume does not matter.
If you want 90% water in a 100g batch, you add 90g of water
If you want 9% glycerin in the same batch, add 9g of glycerinDensity & volume do not matter.
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@lmosca - getting people to pay $120 for a 4 ounce product is impressive. Perhaps that helps fund the lawyers.
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The other question is have you done a salt curve analysis?
You may be able to use sodium chloride to adjust the viscosity without otherwise changing your formula. -
@alan123 - Not if you are using 100% Hyaluronic acid.
There are companies that play fast and loose with their marketing and claim 70% Hyaluronic acid (e.g. https://www.amazon.com/HYALURONIC-Moisturizer-Anti-aging-Anti-wrinkle-ingredients/dp/B0027FO1ME)
But they are doing a trick where they use 70% of a 1% solution.
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What do you mean by “it’s harder”? Do you mean that it is thicker? Do you mean that it is more opaque?
The answer comes down to the microscopic structure of the particles in the solution. It’s not a chemical reaction between them, it is a physical arrangement of the molecules.
This isn’t exactly the components of your system but this phase diagram demonstrates some of the different structures that happen at different concentrations of surfactant/water/oil. Each of those different structures will affect the viscosity / clarity of your system.
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Well, take a look at this video of a 1% HA solution. It’s already a thick gel. Making 2% would be even thicker.
Check out video at the 6:25 point for an example of a 1% HA gel