Welcome to the home of SwiftCraftyMonkey Formulating Inc.! Join Susan as she obsesses about cosmetic chemistry and other things (some possibly related to monkeys)! Here you’ll find over 5,000 posts and formulas written over the past 16 years for everything from lotions, creams, and body butters to hair care products to fancy facial products filled with actives and cosmeceuticals! Enjoy the site without distractions – no ads, pop ups, sponsored posts, affiliate links, “one weird tricks” – all supported by readers like you.
Evening primrose contains about 6% palmitic acid (C16), a titch of stearic acid (C18), 11% oleic acid (C18:1), 70% linoleic acid (C18:2), and between 9 to 12% GLA (C18:3). With so much linoleic acid we can expect evening primrose oil to help restore skin’s barrier functions, act as an anti-inflammatory, reduce scaling, and soothe dry...
Well, you have to love this! For $40 you too can have a home bath bomb making machine perfect for aspiring cosmetic chemist in your life! It comes with enough citric acid and baking soda to get started with fizzy bathtub fun, and I’m sure we know where to get more when the initial supply...
I love cocoa butter in a body butter. It will make the recipe thicker, but it will also offer more occlusion and barrier protection against the elements as winter approaches! If you’re an outdoorsy type of person who likes to spend time in the cold and snow, you’re going to want something with serious barrier...
Cocoa butter is a staple in bath and body creations with 25 to 30% palmitic acid (C16), 31 to 35% stearic acid (C18), 34 to 36% oleic acid (C18:1), and 3% linoleic acid. It is filled with wonderful polyphenols and phytosterols that may benefit your skin! (And you can eat it in the event of...
If you’ve been reading this blog, you’ll know I like my lotions to be a bit oily – I hate that word, but it fits! – with lots of slip and glide. If you’re a non-oily lotion kind of person, there are a few things you can try to reduce that feeling and make a...