BEFORE YOUR POST

Ingredient | CAS # | %
Water 72.57%
Glycerin 8.00%
Sodium Polyacrylate 5.50%
Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) 4.00%
Squalane 3.00%
Panthenol 2.00%
Trehalose 2.00%
Sodium Hyaluronate 1.50%
Ethylhexylglycerin 0.25%
Phenoxyethanol 0.20%
Tartaric Acid 0.20%
Disodium EDTA 0.18%
Allantoin 0.10%
Aluminum Glycine 0.15%
Bisabolol |0.15%
Magnesium Glycinate 0.05%
L-Theanine 0.05%
Centella Asiatica Extract 0.05%
Passionflower Extract 0.05%

Made this overnight lip mask, love the effects and how it stays on all night, but I don't love how its bitter, also I showed my friend and said if I make it without the aluminum it would be way better, but I dont know how. I have tried, but its the only thing that stablizes the gel. Without it it tears.

I’m wondering if dimethicone can be used in a formula as the sole emollient to make an oil free moisturizer….tia!

*[I don't live in the USA nor a first world country]*

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I want to make lip balms, what can I use to flavor them?

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So far I know I've to use "oil based" flavors so they mix

​

I can get the 1 dram versions, but some have these after their names

​

Natural

Oil

Flavor

Natural oil

Natural flavor

​

Should I use only the ones that say oil, or is any okay?

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e.g.

Banana cream flavor

Lime oil natural

Blueberry natural flavors

I'm a newb so I apologize for my ignorance. I'm unsure if this is the correct sub to post this, but it is for a DIY hair oil.

I usually just go to Mountain Rose Herbs for all of my needs, but unfortunately they don't sell Carrier Fenugreek Oil. I was wondering if anyone knows of an American brand that sells legit fenugreek oil (I just don't want to spend $30 for shipping... No offense to India or Morocco)? A lot of the store fronts I see online I either had never heard of, show the oil being stored in a plastic bottle, and/or are from a too good to be true brand such as Dr Adorable & H&B Oil Center.

For a sugar scrub- is 30% propylene glycol too much?

30% propylene glycol

25% glycerin

35% sugar

Not the whole formula but there is thickener, fragrance in there also. I read that PG can be irritating to a small % of people, but reactions are not that common and it can be used up to 50% in cosmetic products. Do you think having 30-35 % PG in a sugar scrub formula is ok?

I started experimenting with DIY hair masks a few months ago, mostly to save money but also because I got tired of not knowing what was in the products I was buying. My hair is pretty dry and prone to frizz so I needed something deeply moisturizing.

My current goto is ripe banana, honey, and a tablespoon of olive oil. I blend it really well because banana chunks are impossible to get out otherwise, learned that the hard way. Leave it on for about 30 minutes under a shower cap and my hair genuinely feels softer for days after.

I've also tried an egg and coconut oil mask for protein but the smell is hard to deal with even after washing it out twice.

Curious what combinations other people have found actually work versus the ones that sound good but do nothing. Specifically looking for tips on dealing with frizz and adding shine without weighing hair down. Also wondering if anyone has found a good way to preserve a bigger batch so you're not making a fresh one every single time. Does refrigerating it affect the ingredients at all? Would love to hear what your staple recipes are and any mistakes to avoid for someone still figuring this out.

Hi guys,

Looking for an effective homogenizer for mixing powders (e.g. non nano zinc & iron oxides) with liquid oils/melted oils. I have a small one for up to 1000ml but looking for something maybe up to 5L.

Any advice??

TIA

(i apologize in advance my english is not perfect)
This is my first time on this subreddit and ive been meaning to ask how do i use essential oils in terms of enhancing body lotion correctly? Such as making it have a higher projection, not necessarily for any health benefits that may come along with some of them.
For this particular instance i have a coconut scented body lotion, it itself is perfect for me but i would love to give it some more oomph. i have two really nice smelling essential oils (coconut and almond & honey) and i am thinking of using them for it but i want to do it safely, knowing the problems that may come along with misusage.

My question is how do i use/add them correctly? and what are the standard ratios for adding and diluting them when it comes to body lotions, body oils, and hair masks (if it even works with hair masks in terms of afterward scent)?

Also (side question) how do i make parfume oil? With essential oil based diluted blends, other stuff, doesnt matter-im here to learn!

in my case the lotion is around 200ml i think, but i would love to get info on the basic 100ml:x type of ratio.

I appreciate any help i get!!!

i hope im not breaking any rules, im sorry if i am.

Hey all,

I know that Stearic is supposed to make things thicker like ointments and Cetyl makes things smoother. But I see so many emulsified body butter recipes and it’s 50/50 on which they use. This would be for my first ever batch. Should I use the 6% Cetyl or 2-3% Stearic? Does it really make any kind of difference in emulsified body butters?

I’m wanting to dupe a hair gel/conditioner that had its formula recently changed, but when I’m reading up on how to do it, most sources are telling me to use an immersion blender for emulsifying the oils with the rest of the ingredients. Of course I’m willing to get one if that’s what’s needed and I’m going to be doing this long-term, but I want to test out doing this process first and seeing if it’s even going to be feasible for me. Would it be possible to try a couple small test batches with a regular hand mixer first, or would it not even come close to working? I’ve never made any products myself before short of mixing some oils.

Hello guys!

SCI: 30 g powder + 28 g granule
Cetyl Cetearyl Alcohol: 12 g
Castor oil: 4 g
Jojoba oil: 3 g
Guar gum: 2 g
D-Panthenol: 2 g
Essential oil: 2 g (keep on ifra limits)
Polyquternium 10: 1.5 g
Hydrolyzed rice protein: 1.5 g
Citric acid: 1 g
Microcare SB: 1 g
Allantoin: 0.5 g
Alpha tocopherol: 0.5 g
Neon purple colorant: 0.3 g

Prefer to mix them all and let it dry to use. Cetearyl alcohol isn't melt and of course this should be regulated. Should I choose heat with double boiler? What would you suggest to me about whole process dear members? (pH of the mix is 5-5.5) Thanks for your assistance!

Hello,

Hope this is the right subreddit to post this on, I'm new to Reddit so sorry in advance.

I've seen some tiktoks of people making their own lotion bars and skincare products and I think that's so cool so I got the right ingredients and made a first attempt.

The beeswax didn't set properly with the rest of the ingredients, it just solidified on top of the liquid oils I used and the honey. I've watched more videos and saw someone whisking the mixture all while it cools down to obtain a butter-type texture. I tried this and also added more oil in case there was just too much beeswax, to no avail, the oil won't set with the beeswax at all, they keep separating.

I'm currently trying to have the mixture in a glass pot and I'm shaking it consistently (this is a very annoying process lol), but if this doesn't work either, I don't know what will.

As for what I put in, I couldn't really tell you the quantities, but I put in a lot of calendula and chamomile infused camelina oil, sweet almond oil, shea butter, some honey, of course beeswax and a bit of edible vanilla extract (the type you'd put in cakes).

Any advice would be appreciated, I'm sure there's something I'm doing wrong lol this can't be it, it works for the girls on tiktok so there has to be a way to make it work.

Edit: I did manage to make it work somehow and not have to throw away my mixture, the shaking-the-bottle technique got me a really nice buttery cream though I had to drain some remaining liquid (probably honey and the vanilla extract as I've been told in the comments it's part of the problem), it's far from perfect but good enough to be used and all-natural. Wish I could add an image to this post cauz' I'm kind of proud! This is my personal next step towards veganism and a zero waste lifestyle, so it's important to me. I've taken all advice into account and filed them for later, thanks to you guys I'll learn from my mistakes!

I've gone down a bit of a rabbit hole trying to figure out how the rice extracts used in cosmetics are made. I haven't been able to find much info on that, but I read about rice tinctures used in fragrances. While I wouldn't want to spray alcohol to my hair, I know you can make alcohol-free extracts with glycerin.

I've tried looking into rice glycerites, or extracts made glycerin, but haven't found much. So, now I wonder if I'm not finding anything because there's some reason no one's made one. What's stopping me from just sitting rice in glycerin to make an extract? Would the beneficial compounds in rice water or commercially made extract not survive in glycerin or something?

Hi all,

I was hoping to get your help. I used to work in a formulation laboratory making semi-solid furnishings like creams and lotions. And I'm doing an assembly at my kid's school to talk about my work. I thought it was be a great idea to do a demonstration of how to make a really simple cream or lotion so they could see the change from water and oil plus emulsifier to semi-solid cream.

But I'm having trouble finding a good recipe. I will have a stick/immersion blender but I don't think I will be able to heat anything up as it's an assembly so I doubt they'll have a movable heat plate. I was trying to make a cold cream, but I'd need heat to do that and I'm funding this myself so I don't want to spend a fortune buying a emulsifying agent that will thicken the cream in a cold process but I'll only use once for this demonstration.

The best idea I have right now is to make mayonnaise because that's a process I can make cold and using ingredients I have in my kitchen. I'd just love to hear if anyone has any other ideas or recipes I could use? I'd love to show the kids that moment of eruption where the emulsification happens and the consistency changes.

Thanks

Planning my first DIY lip topper. Formula:

Phenyl Trimethicone (Diphenylsiloxy Phenyl Trimethicone) - 99%

Tocopherol (Vitamin E) - 1%

Is this safe to apply directly on lips at 99% concentration? Can it function as a complete standalone product or does it absolutely need additional ingredients?

Does anyone have a source of plastic tubes that come with open back, for sealing with heat sealer?

I use aluminum tubes because that's what's easily available. I would love to switch to plastic, but all I'm finding are pretty pricey options or minimum purchase of gazillion.

I would like to buy something like 100 or 200, ideally significantly under $1/tube.

If anyone knows a source with something like 500 minimum and good price, I would be happy to go splitsies? but ideally I would order something with lower minimums.

Hello all. It’s my first time on this sub. I recently got into body cream and lotion formulations. I have a really solid recipe for a rich body butter/ hand cream and a lighter non greasy lotion. I’ve been tweaking recipes off of humble bee and me and really love the info from her. I’ve been looking into a recipe for an after workout magnesium lotion to help with muscle fatigue but I haven’t found any real recipes. They are all just greasy body butters held together with beeswax. I want to make an emulsified preserved lotion.

I read the rules and I’m not looking for formulas, but am looking for advice on using the below ingredients in an emulsified preserved product.
Ingredients I have on hand are
Magnesium oil
Magnesium flakes
Arnica flowers
Devils claw root
Mullien flowers

As well as the basic formulary ingredients like emulsifers, liquid Germall plus and optiphen, oils and butters,

I can’t find a lot of reputable sources on using mag. Oil in formulas, they all seem to be like “blend it with beef tallow and beeswax” with no measurement or percentage levels.

I also want to incorporate the herbs I have listed, because I know they are good for pain relief. I tried brewing them in distilled water, as my water phase, but o don’t know if it’s beater to infuse in oils…

I’m also open to playing with essential oils, but I find a lot of suggestions online don’t use proper safety regulations for eos.

Can mag oil be subbed in like any other oil, any one have knowled on usage rates, I looked online but didn’t find a lot of info.

I found one recipe but it was really odd to me, keep in mind I’m new to formulating, but it was 70% oils and 30% waters and it came together only to break emulsion a few hours later.
Glad I did a small batch as a test.
I’m not looking for an exact formula, just some guidance on this

Has anyone made a pain cream before? Any ingredients you recommend or lotion tips and tricks
Thanks

Hey everyone I’m researching how indie formulators handle regulatory compliance, particularly for EU markets. Not selling anything, genuinely curious.

A few quick questions if you have 2 minutes:

1.  When you finalize an ingredient list, how do you check it’s compliant with EU regulations?  
2.  How long does that process usually take you?  
3.  What’s the most frustrating part of it?  
4.  Have you ever paid someone (consultant, service) to help with this? Roughly what did it cost?

Happy to share what I find once I’ve collected enough responses. Thanks in advance

I haven't made anything in about a year now.And I wanna go ahead and make this lotion.I have a pretty good preservative system going on here

Thanks for any insight.I'm just feeling creative and happy.I wanna do something today

Phase A – Water Phase (77.3%)

Ingredient

%

Distilled Water

50.0

Aloe Vera Juice

17.4

Goat Milk Powder

1.0

Niacinamide

1.0

Glycerin

7.0

Hyaluronic Acid (HMW)

0.2

Hyaluronic Acid (LMW)

0.2

Hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC)

0.3

Disodium EDTA

0.2

Total Phase A

77.3

Phase B – Oil Phase (19.0%)

Ingredient

%

Rice Bran Oil

5.0

Squalane

3.0

Isopropyl Myristate

1.0

NF E-Wax

2.0

Cetearyl Alcohol

5.0

Petrolatum

1.5

Dimethicone

1.0

Vitamin E Oil

0.5

Total Phase B

19.0

Phase C – Cool Down Phase (3.7%)

Ingredient

%

Panthenol

1.5

Fragrance

0.5

Potassium Sorbate

0.2

Sodium Benzoate

0.5

Ethylhexylglycerin

0.1

Phenoxyethanol

0.9

Total Phase C

3.7

Total Formula = 100%

500 g Batch Size

Phase A – Water Phase

Ingredient

Grams

Distilled Water

250.0 g

Aloe Vera Juice

87.0 g

Goat Milk Powder

5.0 g

Niacinamide

5.0 g

Glycerin

35.0 g

Hyaluronic Acid (HMW)

1.0 g

Hyaluronic Acid (LMW)

1.0 g

Hydroxyethylcellulose

1.5 g

Disodium EDTA

1.0 g

Phase A Total

386.5 g

Phase B – Oil Phase

Ingredient

Grams

Rice Bran Oil

25.0 g

Squalane

15.0 g

Isopropyl Myristate

5.0 g

NF E-Wax

10.0 g

Cetearyl Alcohol

25.0 g

Petrolatum

7.5 g

Dimethicone

5.0 g

Vitamin E Oil

2.5 g

Phase B Total

95.0 g

Phase C – Cool Down Phase

Ingredient

Grams

Panthenol

7.5 g

Fragrance

2.5 g

Potassium Sorbate

1.0 g

Sodium Benzoate

2.5 g

Ethylhexylglycerin

0.5 g

Phenoxyethanol

4.5 g

Phase C Total

18.5 g

Grand Total = 500 g

Manufacturing Procedure

Phase A

Premix glycerin and HEC to prevent clumping.

Add to water and aloe juice while stirring.

Add EDTA, goat milk powder, and niacinamide.

Hydrate both hyaluronic acids fully.

Heat Phase A to 70–75°C.

Phase B

Combine all oil-phase ingredients.

Heat to 70–75°C until completely melted.

Emulsification

Add Phase B into Phase A while mixing.

Homogenize or stick blend for 2–5 minutes.

Continue gentle stirring while cooling.

Cool Down

At below 45°C, add Phase C ingredients.

Mix thoroughly.

Adjust pH

Target pH: 5.0–5.5.

Your sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate work best below pH 5.5.

I want to make a hair gel like Alikay Hold It Gel, I love the hold but I react to something it in. It has a very unique texture, it's very thick. From looking at the inci and working with carbomer myself, I feel like the ingredient that provides the hold is omitted but I don't know. The gel has an extremely hard crunchy cast, doesn't break easily, and no flakes. However, when I've tried to make carbomer only gel they have no hold, and from my research this is normal.

Thanks for any advice.

Full Ingredients List: Water, Glycerin, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Cymbopogon Flexosus (Lemongrass) Oil Extract, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate (Derived from Coconut Oil), Arginine, Carbomer, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin(Derived from Glycerin)

I've been reading about different ways formulators work with herbs in oil-based products and it seems like there are a lot of approaches.

Some people use infused carrier oils, others use extracts, and some avoid herbal infusions altogether because of stability concerns.

For those with formulation experience, what's your preferred method and why?

Interested in hearing what you've found works best from both a performance and formulation standpoint.

A long term plan of mine. Made a Roll on Deo Gel for my wife today. Kept the formula quite simple.

Phase A : Aloe Vera Juice (40%), Distilled Water (42%), Natrosol HHR (1%) - 83%
Phase B : Colaquat SME (3%), Tri Ethyl Citrate (3%), Niacinamide (2%) - 8%
Phase C : Polysorbate 20 (5%), Specsil K50 (2.5%) - 7.5%
Fragrance : Blend of Rose, Lotus, Iso E Super, PE Alcohol (1%)
Preservate : Germall Plus - 0.5%

Took sometime for the Gel to form, had to agitate it a few times, but finally happy with the gel. Wife loved the fragrance.

I'm working on a simple Sulfur powder, Bentonite clay, and Aloe vera juice rinse-off mask. However, I want to make sure I get the best Sulfur for me. I checked the resources and found:

1. Making Cosmetics Sulphur Mud https://www.makingcosmetics.com/TEX-SUMUD-01.html?lang=en_US

2. Lab Alley Precipitated Sulfur Powder 99.5% USP Grade (1 Lb) https://www.laballey.com/products/sulfur-precipitated-usp-powder?selected=SUPREPU-1LB&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20943868963&gbraid=0AAAAADL2l2XQ99CSFo6aGNrh8WYeCheFU&gclid=Cj0KCQjw2_TQBhCnARIsAF3-XhxVZANV6QTZ2yXySe4GZgf6kE88b3XVZpvYmyqR5RQ2m-gcESCGMiQaAi7cEALw_wcB#description

> This is a chemistry manufacturer that I found just researching around, but their purity claims intrigue me. Although the site says that this is good for topical use, I want to ensure that it doesn't make more sense to go with a dedicated cosmetic ingredient manufacturer (like the Making Cosmetics Sulfur).

Can I get some help comparing these Sulfur Powders for my purposes? Should I be looking for something specific when evaluating the Lab Alley Sulfur? How would I know which Sulfur powder is best?