I love this handy chart from Innospec’s presentation: “Formulating High Performance Sulfate-Free Cleansing Products”. As you can see, surfactants have a working pH range. Some surfactants can hydrolyze at a low pH (SCI, Iselux, Sulfosuccinate). As most surfactants are diluted, we have a handy …
In this article we examine solubilizers, how to use them and review the performance of a selection of “natural” solubilizers. We are frequently asked how solubilizers differ from emulsifiers. Solubilizers and high HLB emulsifiers are both surfactants which help disperse oils in water. Solubilizers are more …
As an educator I find giving students practical exercises a powerful, interactive and fun learning tool. Our fun formulation exercises are aimed at formulators (homecrafters and chemists alike) and have proved very popular. Go on, have a go and comment in this link with your thoughts on …
We are passionate about education. Our founder, Jane Barber, teaches on a Cosmetic Science BSc Degree in the UK, heads up formulation groups (34,000+ members), and runs a free online course with Chemists Corner and Swiftcraftymonkey which has over 17,500 students. Our goal with this is website is to provide free formulas, tutorials, calculators, latest ingredient innovations and trends, and other essential information that chemists and homecrafters need to formulate professionally, effectively and safely. These resources can be accessed from the menu above.
With experience formulating for clients such as The Body Shop, our development consultancy helps brands, whatever their size, create innovative and effective formulas.
This article (video below), reveals how to create vibrant, mesmerising multi-chromatic eyeshadow. Each of these color changing gel eyeshadows reflects three different colors depending on the viewing angle – side, straight on, etc., Duochromes (two colors), have been around for a while but dramatic three
SeaBalance 2000 from CarbonWave is a new COSMOS approved, natural, cold-process emulsifier derived from sargassum seaweed. (INCI name: Sargassum Fluitans/Natans Extract (and) Xanthan Gum (and) Pentylene Glycol). Above is our second lab video and the video at the end of this post is of our first
Sustainable, solid cosmetics are trending. Our natural, moisturizing lotion bar recipe is easy to make. To make your own, add more emulsifier, butter and thickener in place of water. For an easy to melt, non-greasy bar we like: BTMS-50, berry wax, cetyl palmitate, mango butter,
Hair conditioners contain cationic surfactants which condition the hair. These cationics adsorb (rather than absorb) to the hair, reducing frizz, increasing shine and help detangle. In this video we tested the new cationic palm-oil free surfactant, CosmeGreen ES1822+, from SurfactGreen. Since its release, many French
To understand the process of how to reverse engineer a cosmetic product, check out the two YouTube videos below which we created with Christine Hwang, Annalisa Branca @skinperspective and Alex Tolstoy for The Ecowell: Analyzing lotions and creams video Reverse engineering video Before
SCI (Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate) is a commonly used anionic, sulfate-free surfactant, loved by syndet makers for it’s mildness and creamy lather. However, due to its poor water solubility it is usually replaced with SLMI (Sodium Lauryl Methyl Isethionate) in liquid products. SCMI (Sodium Cocoyl Methyl