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.
In the Still collecting your thoughts! post, Carl asks: How can the producers of cosmetics (ex. lotions) add all the different plant extracts to their formulas and still keep the product white without using titanium dioxide? Not all plant extracts are heavily coloured! Take a look at this container of green tea extract (oil soluble) from...
In the What do you want to know? post, Lynae asks: I also have a question about powdered extracts, like the chamomile you show. Do you add them by weight as well, or do you dissolve them in some water? I used some calendula that ended up making my lotion gritty and want to avoid that. For powdered...
In the What do you want to know? post, Lynae asks: When adding ingredients by weight, how do you know if the original recipe called for powdered or liquid ingredients? and is there a guideline for converting? I believe you use panthenol in a liquid form but I have some powder. 2g of powdered panthenol...
We actually have two different species of plants here, although they sound the same and have similar functions in our skin and hair care products. Let’s take a look at one, then the other. MARSHMALLOW EXTRACTWhat is marshmallow extract? It’s the extract from the marshmallow root that contains a ton of polysaccharides and offers mucilaginous...
In an e-mail, Roberta suggested we take a look at grapeseed extract (INCI: Vitis vinifera) as our first What the heck can I do with this ingredient. I happen to be a huge fan of grapeseed extract. It’s a dark coloured extract that offers a ton of polyphenols that might help with stabilization and maintenance...