The home of SwiftCraftyMonkey Formulating Inc.! Join Susan as she obsesses about cosmetic chemistry and other things (some possibly related to monkeys). Often strange, occasionally useful, and always worth a stop as a point of interest on your journey through the Intertron.
I thought I’d write a quick post on this topic because I get a lot of questions about preservatives. Almost all of our liquid ingredients will contain a preservative of some kind, especially if they contain water. I haven’t met a surfactant yet that didn’t contain a preservative, and you generally need to read the...
I admit I’m having trouble researching these cosmeceuticals because some of the ingredients are brand names and I can’t find data sheets for them. Or I can’t find others at the various suppliers I check, so I can’t get an idea of how much they cost, whether they’re a liquid or powder, how much to...
Phytonadione (aka phylloquinone or Vitamin K1) is a fat soluble vitamin found in various leafy greens (like the horrid Brassica family), parsley, clove bud essential oil, soy bean, and canola oil as well as some fruits like kiwi and grapes. In our bodies, it is essential for normal blood clotting. Vitamin K2 comes from menaquinones,...
Yep, it’s March 14th, which means it’s Pi Day (3-14, at least in the non-Commonwealth countries)! I’m not the biggest fan of pi – trig and I don’t get along all that well – but if it’s a cheap excuse to eat pi and talk about science, then I’m in! Want some ideas on how...
Resveratrol is a “polyphenolic phytoalexin” that certain plants use as a defence against bacteria and fungi. The main way we see this in our bath and body products without being a pure version of it is in grapeseed extract. It is claimed to be a good anti-oxidant and free radical scavenger, but might also offer...