PetalPoppet2309
Forum Replies Created
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Got you! I thought it was what was suggested, oops! Lol. Thanks for the help everyone! I’ll get one of those overhead stirrers as soon as I can
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Ooooh! Ok @MarkBroussard, that’s really helpful as always! I’ll definitely do them in sequence and see which I like better. Is it better to cool it rapidly in the fridge and then take it out after an overnight stay for example, or just leaving it in the cupboard? Would sourcing different shea change anything?
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Of course, it’s this one:
https://www.camlab.co.uk/ecostir-laboratory-magnetic-stirrer-p53872.aspx
but on Amazon? -
These stripes are all from yesterday’s batch, half we put in the fridge (just to see what happened if we cooled it all the way down), the middle and the right stripe is that half. The other half was just put in a cool, dry cupboard to “set”. The fridge lot was a lot smoother in texture when I felt it, but seems to disappear to almost nothing, just a thin oily layer on the skin. The cupboard pots fared a bit better, though they’re the ones that had the most gritty texture upon scooping it out with my fingers and on the skin, it still seems to disappear like the fridge cream, albeit not as much. Is this something this recipe will always do, or can I tinker with it in order to make it feel more substantial on the skin? This oily layer was how the old formula sat on contact with skin, and when I asked some friends to trial it, they unanimously said that it was weird to work with and they didn’t really like it. The only thing is that it seems I’d need to remove some of the oil, which means I could lose the ability to package it in an airless dispenser. A little confused on what to do, whether I may just have to like it or lump it with this kind of cream? Lol. -
Lol @Pharma, I love that, that’s so funny! Poor apprentices.
Ooh, I’ve just had a look at the Polyhydroxystearic Acid, that looks like it could be a good idea. I just want to make an amazing, SAFE, natural product that parents can be fully confident using. Thanks @MarkBroussard
Glad I haven’t redone the labels yet! Lol
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Ahh no! Ignore that, it’s soft as anything feeling it lol. It’s very gritty in texture though, is that the zinc oxide not being incorporated well enough?
I also found an overhead stirrer for £50 on Amazon, is that good enough or will it be rubbish quality? I don’t mind investing in a good one if it will last. It may be a really stupid question, but I can put beakers on my electric stove top can’t I? I doesn’t have to be actual flame? I’m going to kick myself for even asking but I don’t want to break beakers lol. -
Hmm, interesting! We’ll have to see, thank you for that
I mean I’m not doing huge amounts of product at the moment, so I’ll try anything!
The cream has set up over night and it’s still a very balm-y consistency. I’m not sure that it would be able to be pushed through a dispenser lid. I presume I’m needing to add more oils and less of the butters? -
Got you. Thanks Mark, don’t know what I would do without you guys! ❤️
The other thing was fairly unrelated honestly. How would a brand go about finding a good quality lab/manufacturing service to work with? What are the signs to look for? I am in the UK, and though I know you run one in the US Mark. I suppose I’d need to start working with someone based based here? For future reference ☺️ -
Ahhhh… I’ve added the sterols in whilst the mixture was too cold. Thank you for all that. It’s so interesting! So next thing is to do another two batches, one using the first method, and the other the second, and see how they turn out. I’m sieving the zinc oxide in so there are less clumps to deal with.
In method 2, am I able to homogenise with the hand mixer or is it better off being an immersion blender? -
Ahh, it seems to have separated, looks a lot like spoilt milk on top. It hasn’t set up yet, presumably because it’s warm. It seems so easy, is there anything major I must have done wrong @MarkBroussard ?
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Hey! Did my first test of the new formula, and it still very liquid. I’ve put it in cosmetics pots to set up (I don’t want to waste my airless dispensers on test runs), so we’ll see what happens. Is there a way to better incorporate the sterols? It seemed to mix in well, but I then found a small amount of it in a sort of pocket at the surface of one of the tins? We melted the butters and oils down, and incorporated the rest of the ingredients with a hand mixer as the mixture was cooling. Does it need to be heated also, or did we just not give it enough time be mixed in?
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Oh absolutely @Microformulation, it seems they’re scaring people away from other brands in order to use theirs. Once I found out the blog was attached to a brand I knew it wasn’t trustworthy.
@ngarayeva001 I thought that may be the case. Worrying really! For sure, I’ve been looking at far bigger brands for research as I know they won’t risk doing silly things. Safety for the parents and babies using my products has always been the priority, absolutely
I’m so glad I came to you all for advice and added the GMCY to my cream. I’ll be sending it to a lab for preservative testing and everything else once the formula is perfect -
Ahh, it’s all so interesting! Thanks as always Pharma. I’m not worried about using GCMY. I believe it may be that it is made synthetically and is not “totally natural”. On further investigation it’s a blog attached to an American aromatherapy based beauty and skin care brand. They’re selling a couple of baby care items with essential oils in (from the research I’ve done we shouldn’t be using essential oils on newborn babies at all, and there are age milestones for each oil based on skin structure. I’d love to know what a chemist thinks about this if anyone has any interest in it!) and no preservatives.
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Hey @MarkBroussard, @Pharma
hope you’re both ok! Going to make my first test batch tomorrow. Hoping it’ll be liquid enough to pump through a dispenser lid!25g Fractionated coconut oil
22.5g Zinc oxide
20g Shea butter
15g Cocoa butter
13g Sunflower oil
3g Açai sterols
1g Glyceryl caprylate
0.5g Vitamin e oil
I just found glyceryl monocaprylate is on a “frowned upon” list of what to avoid in “natural products”. I presume it’s different in structure to glyceryl caprylate, I was just wondering why it might be so scary in their opinion?
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Hey all! Just got my sterols in the post, and the pots are leaking a little, gahh! Never mind. Are they just going in a cool dark cupboard until tomorrow when I can start playing? The fridge?
so looking forward to this! Just another thing, if I use a stand mixer, will it “whip” the cream too much for it to be dispensed by the pumps? Am I better off getting an immersion blender perhaps? -
Ahh brilliant. That’s good to know, thanks Pharma
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Ahh I understand. I’m using pure fractionated coconut oil, so hopefully the fact that some of the fatty acid chains have been removed means that this type doesn’t cause the issues very often?
Hmm, interesting. I think I’ll stick with Zinc oxide for now, and see where I get to. I just worry with too many variables it will take me far longer to get to a formula I really like. -
Of course, as long as it’s rare, I’m happy. I’ll see how cocoa butter does in the formulation. I bought a stand mixer especially for product, but I wonder whether I’ll end up with a more whipped consistency that will struggle to be pumped through an airless dispenser top. I wonder if it would be a better idea to return the mixer and buy an immersion blender? Would that be more similar to the mixing equipment they use in production facility vats on a much smaller scale?
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Got you. Thank you
no benefits to adding cocoa butter then I presume? I’ve not heard of coconut oil causing irritation honestly, but I’m in no way shape or form someone who would know that for certain! I definitely don’t want lanolin in it. -
@Doreen, that’s great. Thank you for that! I am a homecrafter currently, so I’ll definitely have a look!
@Chemistrygirl, thank you for your insight! I’ve already removed the bentonite clay from the formula. How much zinc oxide and arrowroot powder would you suggest using? I have got organic cocoa butter, I could certainly add it and decrease the amount of coconut oil.
@MarkBroussard would the formula start getting too complicated by adding two more ingredients? Am I getting into territory where I may not be able to price the finished cream competitively?
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Lol
this is true! No problems, I’ll add a couple of masks to my list.Interesting! The only one I really look for when buying products is a cruelty free label, or the leaping bunny symbol. I presume that’s just another certification you would pay for your products to be looked at to get?
Out of interest, when you work with business owners/brands to formulate for them @MarkBroussard, do you tend to focus on one product at a time or do people regularly launch a brand with multiple products? I certainly would like to add more products, and I have preliminary formulas for them, but I was just wondering whether I should be working on them too? There’s obviously no rush, I was just curious!
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Lol
oh god, sorry! I was watching videos on the PPE they use for cold process soap making (for lye water) and thought it might be needed for what I’m doing haha! How embarrassing. I’m obviously overzealous lol.Are there any “natural” skincare certifications that I could apply for for my product? I’ve seen the COSMOS certification, and that the Soil Association now adheres to COSMOS guidelines, but is it something that my product might be able to get? It seems like something that may help it to stand out?
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@Microformulation that’s such a shame. I certainly won’t be doing anything that’s not absolutely 100% safe for my parents and babies. I absolutely have their best interests at heart and I want to be able to stand by my product and be proud of it. I want to be sure that I would be totally happy to put on my children, or it’s not being sold, end of. I just thought it would be a cool thing to offer for the planet, but as soon as Pharma explained, the idea has been immediately dropped
@Pharma perfect, thank you!
I’ve also ordered nitrile gloves and hair nets for when I’m making the cream, besides long sleeves, trousers and closed toed shoes, is that all I’ll need to wear? Are goggles a good idea?
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Oh yikes! Yeah I can imagine. I thought that would be the case, no problems. I’m just making sure that the dispensers are recyclable instead. Got my GCMY today, is there any special way to keep it until the other ingredients are delivered please?
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Hey!
all of the new ingredients are on the way, including fractionated coconut oil. So excited to get perfecting the formula. One thing, I did order the pots for the cream in order to be to have my customers send them back for them to be refilled with product and give them a small discount in order to be more environmentally friendly. With everyone’s advice I’ve decided against the pots, but I was wondering if airless dispensers can be hygienically refilled? I presume you can sterilise them and refill them with product, but I just wanted to ask. If not, I’ll likely just order recyclable dispensers. I’ve also enrolled on a short course on the organic skincare business, which includes some biology and chemistry. I’m hoping to take Perry’s formulation course when I can afford it! Fingers crossed.
