[suswang8]

Well, ye olde traditional surfactants I am pretty sure is the answer, but I believe that is partially because one almost always adjusts the pH with citric acid in the finished product — and that this is not done when preparing soap — perhaps because it’s not possible/feasible? Not sure.

[suswang8]

I’m not sure there is a way to make a natural room spray last long. I think that 7% fragrance is already pretty high, but increasing it might provide the effect you need.

I am curious who recommended the glycerin to you, and especially that high, but perhaps they know something we don’t (i.e., it sticks to a surface and evaporates more slowly?)

I also think you should increase the amount of water. Why don’t you try something like 75% ethanol, 18% water, and 7% fragrance, as a start and see if you notice a difference from your current blend?

[suswang8]

So the story gets better:

I contacted Making Cosmetics, and they said their product is *not* Rovisome Retinol Moist, adding that just because I found the usage instructions I mentioned above, that does not necessarily mean those instructions are applicable to the Making Cosmetics variant, as these are two different (albeit similar) products.

I then wrote back to say that the Rovisome was the only product I was able to locate online that had the same INCI as the Making Cosmetics item, and that if it is not Rovisome, what product is it? They then came back to say that they will not tell me which product it is. =|

[suswang8]

Thank you.

I did know it was Rovisome Retinol Moist, but I didn’t want to mention the name as I believe some of the resellers are sensitive for whatever reason. I tried contacting Evonik previously, but they didn’t seem eager to help since I was not really a client. Making Cosmetics said they did not have additional information, and I also just noticed from a technical document from the manufacturer that you need to (1) warm the product to room temperature and (2) shake it before using it — neither of which was mention on the MC packaging.

[suswang8]

Thanks, guys.

[suswang8]

OK. Naturally derived? 🙂

(I don’t think there is a fully natural product that is similar to either dimethicone or cyclopentasiloxae.)

[suswang8]

I would prefer to use a natural product.

[suswang8]

Reopening to ask….

I have heard someone describe isoamyl laurate and coco-caprylate/caprate as both being good replacements for dimethicone but that isoamyl laurate has a fairly dry (non-greasy) feel and coco-caprylate/caprate has a more emollient sensation after application. Do you agree with this?

[suswang8]

@Belassi

Did you ever end up experimenting with this in a shampoo?

[suswang8]

Out of curiosity…..why are you heating it to such a high temperature?

[suswang8]

I wanted to open this thread up again in light of the question from @st_maja above regarding retinol concentrations and particularly this Rovisome product.  In an interesting article elsewhere online, the author said one cannot go by % concentration of retinol in judging a product and must instead look at IU in order to determine potency.

The supplier’s packaging seems to indicate that it contains 3 million IU per gram . . .  

However…if I look at the spec sheet (fine print), it seems they are trying to say that the retinol component itself has ~3mn IU in it, but that the overall product has anywhere from 1%-5% of this in it, thus the final ingredient they are supplying to you has anywhere from 30,000 IU to 150,000 IU in it, per gram.  Does that sound correct?

(I guess this would explain how — according to their internal studies — they were able to use a 3% cream, twice daily, on study participants.)

[suswang8]

I like rose wax, but it has a fragrance to it and it is expen$ive.

[suswang8]

@PhilGeis
why would you say unlikely?

[suswang8]

A few questions, please:

-1-   Do you feel desiccants are essential for all dry ingredients (including crowd-pleasers like niacinamide, xanthan gum, and salicylic acid) or just certain categories of ingredients, as outlined above?

-2-  Is there concern that adding a desiccant packet to the actual vessel contributes microbes?  (Or is that overthinking things?)

-3-  Does anyone have recs for small airtight glass containers?  I assume standard spice jars are not going to cut it?

[suswang8]

Stating the obvious here, but why not ask her to please send you the link to where she read this as you have not been able to find anything to corroborate that?

[suswang8]

@Pharma:  Thank you for posting that guide from Sisterna

[suswang8]

(One hopes the answer is zinc oxide, otherwise we have another problem.)

[suswang8]

I cannot tell from your post if you have actually started testing ingredients yet.  If not, I would recommend doing that and reaching your own conclusion.  I  would begin with a product called Plantsil, as that seems to get very good reviews elsewhere.  That said, even a sunscreen using “real” silicones is extremely difficult to execute well.

[suswang8]

actually, that is a good point: it is not borosilicate glass, so I’m not sure how heat-proof it will be.

[suswang8]

Sorry — I just realized my hyperlinks bombed.

Let me try this again….

Here is the product that I was thinking I should use as the “base” for my water bath, but I am wondering if there might be a cheaper alternative under a different product name?
https://brainresearchlab.com/product/pyrex-circular-glass-dishes/

As a cheap alternative (assuming no one has a better suggestion), this is what I was thinking I might be able to use, but will the glass be too thick?
https://www.pyrexhome.com/product/4-cup-glass-food-storage-container

Thank you.

[suswang8]

I would love to find out the answer to this, as I wasn’t able to get it to “hold” in ethanol (as part of a scalp solution I was trying to make).  Contacting the supplier didn’t help other than their suggestion to add it too a pre-formulated shampoo.  That worked, but I would still like to get an answer to my original question.

[suswang8]

@Syl:  You seem to say your printer cost $50, unless I am misreading, but I think the actual cost is more like $500, no?

Do the text labels look almost professional?

[suswang8]

I’m struggling to understand the subject line of this post.

[suswang8]

The bare-bones ones made in China, available through everyone’s favorite retailer, are perfectly fine for amateur-ish use.  Many go up to 3000RPM (depending on the viscosity, of course), while most IKAs max out at 2000RPM.  Mine was only $100 or so, but I will admit it is quite fugly.  The next step up is something like ONiLAB, for about $400 or so, which are at least nice-looking units — although I think they only go up to 130 watts or so, and I’m not sure the extent to which that affects torque vs the one you are citing with 200W.  I had not heard of Vevor before today, nor do I know how it compares vs the ONiLAB.  

[suswang8]

55 degrees C has always been enough for me, and I want to say that 50C is probably enough, but I am not certain.