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.
Jojoba esters 30 is a white, soft, creamy paste derived from jojoba oil that works as an oil-free emollient, occlusive, viscosity builder and thickener in emulsions and anhydrous products, and stiffener in solid products, replacing butters, fatty alcohols, fatty acids, and solid esters. It has a melting point that ranges from 42˚C to 51˚C (107.6˚F...
When can you judge the viscosity of your lotion after creating it? Well, that depends… When will an emulsion reach final viscosity? In general, you can get kind of an idea when you’ve had it at room temperature for a few hours as all the butters, solid oils, fatty acids, fatty alcohols, solid esters, and...
Xanthan Gum is an anionic (negatively charged) polymer derived from the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris, which can be found on cruciferous veggies like cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli (all of my least favourites!). In the manufacturing of this ingredient, they actually use the bacteria in a fermentation process. It’s permitted in food and cosmetic products and the typical usage...
This is a term you’ll be seeing quite a bit on the blog in the future, so let’s take a look at what this means. As a note, I’ve added a shorter version of this post into the glossary so it’ll come up in ever post from now on as a clickable link. A structuring...
Tribehenin (aka glyceryl tribehenate or tridocosanoin) is a triglyceride like those found in our natural oils and butters with three saturated behenic acid (C22) fatty acid chains attached to a glycerin (aka glycerol) backbone. It’s derived from plants that contain those fatty acids, like brassica, rapeseed, and the Ben-oil tree (Moringa oleifera). It’s an oil...