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Lotion Bases....which one?


Beth

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Millcreek vs Snowdrift?

Millcreek ingredients:

Ingredients: Aloe Vera Gel with Shea Butter and extracts of Grapefruit and Rice, Glyceryl Monostearate, GMS Acid Stable, Cetyl Alcohol, Jojoba Oil, Tocopheryl (Vitamin E) Oil, Rice Bran Oil, Soybean Protein, Soybean Oil, Methyl-Propyl Paraben. No Animal Testing.

Snowdrift ingredients:

Purified water (Aqua), SD40B, Glyceryl Stearate, Glycerin, Helianthus annuus oil (sunflower), Cocos Nucifera oil, Elaeis guineensis oil, Prunus armeniaca oil (apricot kernel), Capryl/Capric triglyceride (fractionated coconut), Isopropyl Palmitate, Palm Stearic Acid, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Copernicia prunifera wax, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Lavandula Angustifola (Lavender) Extract, Chamomilla Matricaria Flower/Leaf (chamomile) Extract, Camellia sinensis (green tea) extract, Sodium olivate, Sodium cocoate, Xanthan gum, Panthenol (Vitamin B5), Tocopherols (Vitamin E).

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I'm not sure I like either of them.

It seems Snowdrift has denatured alcohol (SD40B) and it doesn't look like they have a broadband preservative either.

MillCreek is OK but I'm not a paraben person and they use them.

Have you looked into Rainshadow labs- they have some awesome bases and use fab ingredients.

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How about this one:

Distilled Water, Aloe Vera Leaf Juice, Sunflower Seed Oil, JoJoba Oil, Meadowfoam Seed Oil, Stearic Acid, Soy Oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Emulsifying Wax, Vegetable Glycerin, Palmitic Acid, Vitamin E, Potassium Sorbate, Vitamin C, Citric Acid, Rosemary Oil

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  • 2 months later...
and it's easy. Then you know what's in it.

Linda, it's not really that difficult. You can start with well known recipes and adjust. I'm good at chemistry but never had any experience with formulation, but I managed to make a working hand cream my first try, using hair gel as the base (carbomer, water, TEA), stearic acid as the emulsifier and shea butter as the emollient. Basically, you can look for a cream that you want to copy as nearly as possible; note its ingredients; research the usual quantities used (% of this and that). The equipment is similar to soap except that you need a high accuracy scale (0.1g accuracy).

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I'd like to look further into making my own lotions, cremes, etc. Can you point me to reputable sources of information on how to do it?

Thanks!

Google oil-in-water emulsions, that's what creams are all about. There are plenty of recipes available on the Net that work fine, they're promoted by suppliers of various INCI substances. Basically you make a gel using a carbomer such as Ultrez-20, add the polar (water soluble) ingredients - mainly water, plus extracts - and make a batch of emollients+emulsifier, for instance 5% weight of shea + stearic acid to emulsify. Then raise everything to 70C, mix, blend! 0.3% parabens necessary to preserve.

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Here's the guideline I use:

Water 75%

Honey 2 %

Stearic Acid 2 %

Oils/Butters 15%

E-Wax 4 %

Preservative 1%

Fragrance Oil 1%

Heat the water and honey together in the microwave. Almost to boiling is what I do.

In another container heat/melt the stearic acid, oils/butters and e-wax together in the microwave.

Pour the water mixture into the second container. You can use a stick blender, mixer or stir by hand until all is blended.

During the cool down phase add preservative and fragrance oil. Keep stirring until totally blended.

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Head over to SwiftCraftyMonkey.blogspot.com for formulas, variations and proper lotion making techniques.

Prepare to spend a good deal of time reading. If you're not a fan of paging through a blog, she offers a number of e-books that consolidate all of the information in a handy reference tool.

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There are lots of different manufacturers of each class of ingredient, like some specialise in emollients, some carbomers, and so on. They all want to get formulators to use their products and so they can be quite generous with samples if they understand you are serious. As an example, I am in the middle of duplicating the effects of a well known expensive bath/shower item and one of the distributors of a particular ingredient has been very helpful in suggesting equivalents. I have a shelf dedicated to that project which is slowly filling with ingredients (there are 27)

Hmmm... I just tried to attach a Powerpoint file for you, which contains several useful modern formulae for, e.g., a SPF28 waterproof suncream, a general purpose skin cream, and a cleaning product.

The file is about 5.5MB. I'm a newbie here, can someone suggest how?

Edited by chemistryman
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Make your own, why buy very expensive bases? They sell the base at ten times what it costs to make.

Because I'm just starting out and I feel you have to work in an almost sterile environment when making lotions. I'm afraid my kitchen wouldn't pass. I have a husband and 3 teenagers.

Plus you have a to get it challenge tested at a lab before you can sell. Bases allow you to give your customer consistency & safe products. If I'm wrong, please enlighten me!

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Yes, I wouldn't recommend using your kitchen. Regarding testing, USA restrictions are written to shut you out, they make it impossible for anyone except the super rich to get started. I don't have that problem. The whole thing is crazy since anyone can buy creams or other products through the Net and have them shipped from anywhere.

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because i'm just starting out and i feel you have to work in an almost sterile environment when making lotions. I'm afraid my kitchen wouldn't pass. I have a husband and 3 teenagers.

Plus you have a to get it challenge tested at a lab before you can sell. Bases allow you to give your customer consistency & safe products. If i'm wrong, please enlighten me!

this!!!!

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