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.
Olive oil unsaponifiables (INCI: Olea europaea (olive) oil unsaponifiables) are the unsaponifiable portion of olive oil that can be used in our products as an oil and ethanol soluble emollient, much in the way we’d use olive oil. Use it the way you would any other oil, but especially where you want a light product,...
I’m planning to share a recipe with you that contains this ingredient kera straightening and curls (INCI: Hydrolyzed Keratin & Trametes Versicolor Extract), so it seemed like a good idea to take a look at it! We’re all familiar with keratin – it’s the protein we find in our hair, skin, and nails. The hydrolyzation of it...
I’m extremely fortunate to receive awesome free stuff from the Formulator Sample Shop*, but I can’t just use an ingredient without doing some research, so let’s take a look at what I’ve learned about lycopene bioferment. Lycopene is a tetraterpene, a carotene, and a major pigment in tomatoes. It is a strong anti-oxidant that scavenges...
I received some lupine amino acids from the Formulator Sample Shop*, so I thought I’d play around with them for a bit. But you know me…I can’t just use something, I have to research it, so let’s take a look at this ingredient! Lupine amino acids are – wait for it – amino acids from...
I’ve become interested in date palm extract lately – I’ve seen quite a few references to it lately as an anti-wrinkle ingredient, and I was given a sample of it from the Formulator Sample Shop*. I’m already using it in the form of their Volumizing Complex PF (Water & Rice Amino Acids & Lactobacillus/Date Fruit Ferment...