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.
Glyceryl stearate SE seems like an old school emulsifier – we can use it with the HLB system as it has a value of 5.5 to 5.9 – but it makes lovely light, fluffy, non-greasy lotions with an elegant skin feel. It’s a modified version of glyceryl stearate, so it can be used as the sole...
Yesterday, we took a look at my new favourite summery lime-scented emulsified scrub. Let’s look at the formula and how to make this! Combine the heated phase into a glass container and place in the double boiler. I heated it until it all melted – around 70˚C – and left it for another 5 minutes to...
Originally posted to Patreon on Dec 7, 2017 at 4:59am I don’t think it’s any surprise that I really love this emulsifier, Simulgreen 18-2, given I’ve been formulating with it like crazy lately. I started working with it back in June 2015, and it’s become one of my favourites. Let’s see how we can use...
Today, let’s take a look at adapting a formula using Natragem EW, an ECOcert Polawax substitute. This one’s kinda easy as we use it at the same levels we’d use Polawax. Figure out your oil phase, then use 25% of that. Part one, defining our terms Part two, gelling agents Part three, all-in-one emulsifiers Part four, creating...
Originally posted to Patreon Dec 4, 2017 at 2:43pm I promised you this post on Sunday, but it went into the ether, and I lost all that work! Argh! But let’s try again! Part one, defining our terms Part two, gelling agents Part three, all-in-one emulsifiers Part four, creating an emulsifier using the HLB system...