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 wrote a bit about this solubilizer caprylyl/capryl glucoside in this post on glucoside surfactants, but let’s learn more about it now! Caprylyl/capryl glucoside (aka octyl/decyl glucoside or C8-10 alkyl polyglucoside) is an Ecocert non-ionic solubilizer with a pH of 5.5 to 6 that can be used as a solubilizer and a very gentle surfactant. It...
As I’m trying to work with more ECOcert ingredients this year, I thought I’d share my thoughts on Geogard ECT, (INCI: Benzyl Alcohol & Salicylic Acid & Glycerin & Sorbic Acid), an ECOcert, COSMOS certified, NPA accepted broad spectrum preservative. It might also be found as Neopres ECT. Geogard ECT is a water soluble, low...
In the March Q&A, Melanie asked: I have a question about Polysorbate 80. I purchased some to experiment with but have since discovered that this is the magical substance that turns oils into milky rinse off formulas in products such as MAC Cleanse Off Oil. I found a recipe that used Polysorbate 80 at 10% with...
On March 14th, we took a look a what we might need to make micellar waters. Yesterday, we made a rose water micellar water with PEG-6 caprylic/capric triglycerides. Let’s look at a few different versions we could make today… A popular inclusion as the surfactant is polysorbate 20 or polysorbate 80. I find they can...
In the March Q&A, Stephany asked: So I have made a simple gentle (morning with no makeup) oil cleanser with FCO and cromollient (solubilizer) and I am looking for ways to make it feel more luxurious, thick, and silky without using silicones because my skin usually doesn’t like them. Current Recipe: 98% FCO (Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride) 2%...