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Perfume Making Workshop
If you make your own perfume chances are you will already be familiar with Chris Bartlett who owns Pell Wall Perfumes. Chris runs a very helpful blog on how to create your own perfume – materials,...
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No heat, quick Natural lotion / moisturiser
Cold process emulsifiers are becoming increasingly popular as manufacturers search for ways of reducing costs and greener production methods. The conventional way of forming a emulsion is to heat the...
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Another no heat, quick lotion/moisturiser using cold process technology
Cold process emulsifiers are becoming popular as manufacturers search for ways of reducing costs and greener production methods. The conventional way of forming a emulsion is to heat the two phases...
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Having fun making lipstick…
Ever wondered how lipstick was made?? Here’s how I made some gorgeous red lipstick. I used quite a bit of castor oil (great for shine), beeswax, a natural liquid lanolin substitute, cetyl alcohol,...
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Emulsifiers – what should I buy and how much to add?
With so many unstable recipes available, it’s no wonder many lotions fail to emulsify or stay emulsified. Important: Beeswax and cetyl alcohol are NOT emulsifiers. Emulsifiers vary greatly – some work...
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Your Basic Guide to Gums/Polymers
Imagine you have just made a cream that feels nice, but is not perfect. If only it was a little thicker without being draggy, with a luxurious, cushiony feel. Or maybe you would like to make a water...
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DIY Shower Jelly
This shower jelly is formulated for single use. You may wish to cut the jelly into small pieces and bring one piece into the shower for use. This will prevent water entering the remainder of the...
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Natural Solubilizers: A Review
In this article we examine solubilizers, how to use them and review the performance of a selection of “natural” solubilizers.We are frequently asked how solubilizers differ from emulsifiers....
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DIY hand sanitizer – vital information
Our very own Jane Barber was one interviewed for this informative article on DIY hand sanitizers by The Ecowell: https://www.theecowell.com/blog/hand-sanitizer
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Fatty Alcohols: Cetyl Alcohol & Cetearyl Alcohol
Want to make your emulsion thicker, more creamy and stable? Just add 1-2% of either: cetyl alcohol (cetanol (1-hexadecanol C16));stearyl alcohol (1-octadecanol C18); orcetostearyl alcohol (blend of...
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Xanthan gum
0.2-0.3% xanthan gum is a common ingredient in my emulsions. I use this natural polymer mainly as a stabiliser. Xanthan, with it’s shear thinning, and high low-shear viscosity, is able to reduce the...
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Sapogel Q
I was first introduced to this new ingredient in March 2019 by its manufacturer, Alchemy Ingredients. Caroline from Alchemy hosted a special workshop for a small group of formulators which included...
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TEGO® Care PS – Natural Emulsifier
TEGO® Care PS from Evonik (INCI: Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate) is a popular DIY natural emulsifier in Europe, especially amongst German DIY formulators, where it is known by the name of “Emulsan”....
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Adjusting Emulsion Viscosity
How to make your emulsion thicker or thinner.First analyze your formula to see what ingredients are contributing to viscosity. This is usually the emulsifier blend, gums/polymers and any fatty...
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InstaMask™ – Customizable Instant DIY Clay Mask
InstaMask from Vantage won the Silver award for best functional ingredient at In-Cosmetics Global in March last year. These customizable, instant, encapsulated clay mask granules are easy to use....
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Let’s Dupe: Eve Lom Intense Hydration Serum
Formulations don’t have to be complex. This one is super simple and a breeze to dupe. Cold process, no oil phase, and all ingredients are easy to get hold of...
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Sulfate-Free Surfactants
I love this handy chart from Innospec’s presentation: “Formulating High Performance Sulfate-Free Cleansing Products”. As you can see, surfactants have a working pH range. Some surfactants can...
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Test your formulation knowledge
As an educator I find giving students practical exercises a powerful, interactive and fun learning tool. Every couple of weeks on instagram we will post a formulation quiz where you can test your...
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Sodium Cocoyl Methyl Isethionate
SCI (Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate) is a commonly used anionic, sulfate-free surfactant, loved by syndet makers for it’s mildness and creamy lather. However, due to its poor water solubility it is...
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Let’s Dupe L’Occitane’s Ultra Thirst-Quenching Gel
To understand the process of how to reverse engineer a cosmetic product, check out the two YouTube videos below which we created with Christine Hwang, Annalisa Branca @skinperspective and Alex Tolstoy...
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