Forum Replies Created

  • I’ve tried doing that. I found somewhere that 5% acacia gum can emulsify 1% of oil. Long story short, acacia gum I had wasn’t able to emulsify even 0.1% of CCT. I haven’t tried buying acacia gum from another repacker or using a different oil so I can’t be sure what my issue was.

  • Sylarana

    Member
    July 5, 2021 at 4:24 am in reply to: Customer perception thoughts on a hand cream (part II) .

    I don’t use hand creams because I don’t like feeling anything on my hands. My husband would choose option B and still complain that he feels something no matter what. But judging by reviews I’ve read I guess a lot of people want hand cream to sink in immediately but have an effect for a long time so they would go for option A.

  • Sylarana

    Member
    June 10, 2021 at 6:33 pm in reply to: Tremella- any experience?

    I’ve used tremella polysaccharide as a thickener. I also don’t think there is any special hydration benefit. I quite like the texture it gives to serums but HMW hyaluronic acid also feels nice and is less expensive.

  • Sylarana

    Member
    May 10, 2021 at 8:09 am in reply to: Tranexamic Acid

    I’ve made moisturizers with 3% and 5% tranexamic acid as suggested by the studies I’ve seen. My usual moisturizer has niacinamide and it works for me. Adding tranexamic acid to my usual routine did nothing in terms of brightening but it did improve the appearance of blood vessels around the nose. The effect was quite small and wasn’t worth the price of tranexamic acid for me.

  • Sylarana

    Member
    April 17, 2021 at 11:30 am in reply to: Choosing preservative for a cleanser

    Thank you very much!

  • Sylarana

    Member
    April 16, 2021 at 6:20 am in reply to: Choosing preservative for a cleanser

    Russia, not in any major city. I could find labs that do challenge testing, but judging by the paperwork they require they only intend to work with manufacturers. Also what they offer is a complete testing with all the proper documentation for selling cosmetics, it’s just too expensive.

  • Sylarana

    Member
    April 15, 2021 at 12:43 am in reply to: Choosing preservative for a cleanser

    Thank you for your reply. So far I was able to find labs in my country that only work with companies, which is obviously not possible for me. I will keep searching, of course.

  • Sylarana

    Member
    February 24, 2021 at 6:22 pm in reply to: How to make Dense creamy fluppy Foam for facial Cleanser

    I make a simple face wash with sodium lauroyl sarcosinate as my only surfactant. Foam is dense and creamy, I really like how it looks and performs. There’s also Biore U The Body cleanser in a foaming bottle, foam is quite similar to whipped cream. If the ingredient list I found is correct, then they use sodium cocoyl glutamate as main surfactant with sles, laureth-6 carboxylic acid, lauramidopropyl betaine, and isodecyl glyceryl ether.

  • I’ve seen many local brands using Lanablue (sorbitol, water, algae extract) and calling it blue retinol. Usually they promise that their blue retinol works the same way as retinoids but without side-effects. Some brands even sell it in glass ampoules like it’s medicine. 

  • Sylarana

    Member
    November 26, 2020 at 1:47 am in reply to: Opinion: What is the best o/w emulsifer?

    As I only formulate for my personal use, I would pick either Sepinov EMT 10 or Lecigel. If I am making a cream, I use emulsifier at 2% and I like Lecigel’s texture much better but the emulsion is yellowish. Most times though I make a rather thin lotion so I use emulsifier at 1% or less. With lotion it doesn’t really matter which one I use, it all feels great to me. I’m sure I would also like Sepimax Zen and Aristoflex, if they were available from my local suppliers.

  • Sylarana

    Member
    May 29, 2020 at 10:46 am in reply to: Need help. Formula turned white and frothy

    My formulas never turned white and frothy with xanthan gum so I can’t be sure if I am guessing correctly. If you add xanthan gum directly into water, it will most likely form lumps. You still can incorporate those lumps completely (I’ve tried it once) but it takes too much effort. It is better to premix xanthan gum with glycerin, propylene glycol, etc. Then add this slurry into your formula and mix. There are also different grades of xanthan gum. I’ve only used the cheapest one, the resulting gel is yellowish and not clear. But there are more expensive grades that can be clear.

  • Sylarana

    Member
    May 10, 2020 at 8:04 pm in reply to: Is my formulation including too much or would this be ok?

    There is too much stuff in this. I think it’s better to start with a simple formula, experiment with oils, emulsifiers, and a couple humectants until you like the feel of your gel-cream, and then add other ingredients. 
    You do not need that much niacinamide, all the studies I’ve seen used 4% niacinamide with 2% NAG. As a person with extremely oily skin, I also feel that 8% squalane is probably too much. I personally use 2% in my own moisturizer, and even that sometimes feels like too much. I would recommend making test batches with lower amount of oils and then see how your skin feels. You also have lots of thickeners, that 1% of HMW hyaluronic acid would already give you a very thick gel. As for resveratrol, I haven’t used it personally, but usually suppliers recommend dissolving it in ethanol. It’s also supposed to be miscible with glycerin, propylene glycol, or dmi.

  • Sylarana

    Member
    March 7, 2020 at 5:27 pm in reply to: About to make my very first creation - nervous!

    I have seborrheic dermatitis and I’ve also tried experimenting with urea. I’ve tried urea in water, urea with buffer in water, urea in emulsion (without buffer as I use only polymeric emulsifiers, and they generally don’t tolerate electrolytes). I made several test batches and then measured pH. Without buffer the pH rose, it was closer to 8 within a week. With the buffer it fared much better. Have you read this topic? It has advice on how to make a buffer. 
    As an aside, have you tried Hada Labo or Uremol 10 cream? You might be able to tolerate them.
    You can try making an emulsion with your Sepimax Zen. I’ve never used it so I don’t know if it is able to tolerate that much oil (you list 15-20% CCT) and a buffer. Maybe, try less oil and 2% gluconolactone, as it was recommended in the urea cream formulation I’ve seen somewhere. Personally I’ve just abandoned urea as an ingredient as I haven’t seen any difference. 

  • Sylarana

    Member
    January 31, 2020 at 2:47 am in reply to: Thickening 1,3-propanediol

    Some time ago I made a gel with glycerin and Lecigel but it did have a small amount of water from glycerin. Also after reading your post I’ve tried gelling propanediol with sepinov emt 10, and overnight it turned into a nice clear gel. It was quite sticky though.