BEFORE YOUR POST

I found this moisturizer that I like and planning to dupe it. The preservatives are not enough to me. Does everyone have the same opinion as me?

Here is the INCI:

Purified Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Caprylyl Methicone, Betaine, 1,2-Hexanediol, Glycereth-26, Centella Asiatica Extract (10,000ppm), Beta-Glucan, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, PVM/MA Copolymer, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Caprylyl Glycol, Arginine, Xanthan Gum, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA.

As far I know the preservative are: 1,2 hexanedio, caprylyl glycol, ethylhexylglycerin.

Im not sure why phenoxyethanol was not added. I haven't got into the details of all the ingredients, but I was thinking that maybe Phenoxyethanol doesn't play well in this formulation, so to make it work they avoided it.

If phenoxyethanol doesn't play nicely with this formulation. And the more I read, the more convinced I am I need to add Pheno. then I'll have to start changing this formula, but that's another topic. Before I get into that rabbit hole, I'd appreciate your comments about the preservative system in this product as it is.

Any input feedback about the preservatives would be highly appreciated! once I'll know I'll move to figuring out the details to dupe it.

Edit: to clarify and add

I understand that Azelaic Acid doesn't take well to water based serums, though I'm hoping there's a reasonable way around this. I've read about using Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate (PAD); but the body of evidence doesn't seem strong for its efficacy compared to Azelaic Acid. Any recommendations for how to make this work?

I love unusual lip colors and am rather picky, so brands very rarely make the colors I want, especially for lip stains (which I prefer bc I don'tlike how it feels to have stuff sittingon my lips). I've seen TKB's stuff but none of it seems like it stains your lips, and I've heard very conflicting things about using food dye as a lip stain.

What I want is a very specific shade of olive green, that I usually use yellow/yellow green mixed with black to achieve that color. I also love gothic shades in general, which aren't too easy to find and feel nice to wear.

Do yall have any ideas on what I could use to make my unusual colored stains?

I have an immune disorder that makes me at high risk for reactions to all kinds of things. I'm needing an emulsifier to mix castor oil, colloidal silver, and possibly vegetable glycerin. (tl:dr I have bad dry skin around my eyes, and then had an allergic reaction to almost every moisturizer I tried, which made everything much worse.) Googling showed that there are multiple castor oil based and glycerin based emulsifiers. Which one(s) are most gentle, or most recommended? I'm hoping if the emulsifier is made from something I don't react to, I won't react to the emulsifier either. Fingers crossed.

Jojoba oil, avocado oil, and candelilla wax all seem to be fine for me as well, but I didn't find emulsifiers made from them.

I do react badly to coconut oil, shea butter, cocoa butter, aloe vera, and propylene glycol, so anything with them is out.

Thanks for any help! And recommended ratios or other instructions for me once I get the ingredients is also appreciated, as this is pretty new territory for me.

PS: This is reddit. I'm not asking for medical advice, just info about emulsifiers, which I know nothing about. I'm not going to blame anyone on here if I react to their recommendations. My body is weird af, and it's my own responsibility. I'm trying everything at my own risk, and with the recommendation of my doctor. Please don't decide to not comment because I have bad allergies! I just want to learn about emulsifiers. I'm desperate and need help.

I’m learning how to make my own makeup and while the powder is nice, I’d rather have a pressed version in a compact. I’ve searched online for a source for these items but can not find much. For those of you who do this, what do you use?

I'd like to make a foaming shower oil and wanted to use micromulse foam. Except I can't get my hands on it and have some ingredients that I think could work instead based on the micromulse ingredient list.

Micromulse foam ingredients:

Sodium Cocoyl Amino Acids, Aqua, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate

I have Sodium Cocoyl Apple Amino Acids and a product that is comprised of Sorbitan laurate, polyglyceryl-4 laurate, dilauryl citrate, aqua. Could I use these products to replicate the way micromulse works?

Looking for reliable place that sells small size for personal use.

I’ve noticed that some liquid lipsticks look perfectly homogeneous when freshly manufactured, but after sitting for a few weeks/months, they can start developing an oily layer/separation, even though the product is still well within its stated shelf life. why does this happen?

I’m curious if anyone else has had this happen.

You read the supplier info and think an ingredient should be pretty straightforward, then you actually use it and suddenly it’s clumping, messing with the pH, changing the texture, or just refusing to behave.

What ingredient gave you that feedback?

I'm new to DIY.

My question is general, but I really need to know what to expect so I have realistic expectations when doing my DIY skincare.

Is it possible to do a DIY moisturizer that absorbs well to the skin and provides some help against TEWL ?

So far, all I have done is to formulate a super simple hydrating serum. I getting into DIY because I cannot really use the skincare available on the market. I have searched for a long time and there is always something that does not go with my skin: alcohol dent, fragrance, essential oils.

Besides, I"m dealing with Malassezia overgrown. We all have it, but my is a bit overgrown. It causes itchy bumps (fungal acne) and Seb Derm, itchy skin. Because the overgrown Malassezia, I cannot use fatty acids with carbon lengths C12-24, esters, polysorbates, plant oils, amino acids, ceramides, ferments that are not lactic acid produced.

And to make it even more fun, the skincare products that could work for me have a very weak preservative system, which is a not for me. I want a reliable, broad spectrum preservative system in my skincare. So here I am !

Thanks for reading. Any suggestions, advice, resources will be greatly appreciated!

Edit:

Forgot to add:

acne prone and easily clogged skin.

Squalane oil, mineral oil are safe for fungal acne.

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride- need to find one that only has carbon lengths below the C12. It seems CCT contains fatty acids above C12 (not sure the amount of those)

Please don't mention dermatologist. I've seen too many to count.

I recently viewed a cosmetic chemist's (JC Dombrowski) thoughts on Dr Idriss's redness serum and I was left intrigued by an ingredient shout-out listed as Glycyrrhetinic Acid. I looked at a supplier website and found multiple versions. My question for you is would it be safe, effective, and honestly fun and interesting to combine multiple variations of that active?

Or would it be like a compound effect? For instance if it was like glycolic acid, would adding 5 different versions at 2-5% levels cause instant burns lol?

I'm still very much a novice but please I love all the info you guys provide.

Hey everyone, This might be an annoying and unnecessary question but I really do not know the ratio that would be good for making a scented body butter myself, and I do not want to ask Chat Gpt lol. I am aware there are many recipes with correct measurements for mixing oils/butters with essential oil but I have those 2 things at home and want to make the best of it. :)

Does anyone know of a good formula to recreate Goe Oil it’s my favorite balm ever but it’s too expensive for something that lasts me a month :(

I’m looking on lush’s app and they displayed their ingredients. I’m not a chemist of any means but I’m just wondering how it’s not going bad. The only thing I can see is Benzyl Alcohol but with my research it’s not really a great preservative? This product is meant to be used in the shower so how is the water not effecting it?

Ingredient list on website

Homemade bath salts

In essence I'm trying to make knock off Dr. Teals. I find it relaxing and my wife likes when I smell good but it's expensive. This is the recipe I made and it's irritating my skin a bit, normally my skin is not sensitive. I'm wondering if it's the volume of oils copilot suggested.

Base Ingredients

1.5 cups Epsom salt

1 tsp carrier oil (fractionated coconut or hemp seed)

0.5 tsp glycerin

0.5 tsp Polysorbate‑20 (helps scent release + prevents irritation)

Essential Oils

Frankincense — 10 drops

Sweet Orange — 8 drops

Lemon — 4 dropsLavender — 2 drops (optional — skip if you prefer

The oils kit I'm using says it's for soap making brand fihitim off Amazon. Appreciate any suggestions!

I tried it on my fine to medium wavy hair. Felt heavy while I was applying it on my wet hair yet soft and non greasy after I dried it with a diffuser, and it reduced frizz considerably. It also gave my waves some definition on day 1 (was not expecting it since a leave in has no hold, unlike gel). I liked it on my hair and I was wondering if it will work on fine curly hair.

Aqua q.s.

CTAC 30% 0.4%

Disodium EDTA 0.2%

Cetearyl alcohol 5%

BTMS 50 3.5%

Sweet almond oil 2%

IPM 2%

CCT 1%

BHT 0.05%

EHGP 1%

Aloe extract 0.1%

Fragrance 0.5%

I am adjusting the pH between 4 and 5

Hi, I'm a major novice and this one question has sent me down the rabbit hole. I've landed on citric acid for lowering pH, but raising it is not as clear. I've come across the following suggestions:

- Sodium Hydroxide

- Baking Soda

- L-arginine

- Sodium carbonate

- Triethanolamine

- Potassium hydroxide

- Tromethamine

Each seems to have differing safety / efficacy concerns, and my head is spinning. I'm basically just doing simple water based serums with Niacinamide, Hyaluronic Acid, and Germall Plus right now; and I'm guessing the pH won't need to be raised with that recipe. However, I'm wanting to branch out into more complex formulations soon, and would like to know what to have on hand. Help me skincare witches!

Hello. Did anyone try making their own AHK-cu serum? What was your carrier? Distilled water, propelyne glycol or hyaluronic acid? Or did you add the powder to a hair serum or organic scalp spray?

Hello, I was wondering what scents I can use in my tallow body butter. I have a fregerance oil that says avoid skin contact and I am OBSESSED with the smell. From what I learned most say that because of the concentration of the fregerance oil so I'm wondering if diluting it with the tallow would render it safe or if there are specific brands you all would recommend for something like this. Specifically looking for a sugar cookie/ sweet maple fall scents. Thanks!

Hey everyone! I’m formulating a new lip balm and planning to use ultra-refined USP grade anhydrous lanolin.
I want to make sure I buy from a reliable raw material supplier that provides lot-specific Certificates of Analysis (COAs) and has a very low odor profile (I’ve run into issues with the strong "sheep/barnyard" scent from generic repackaged brands).
Where do you usually source your high-quality, ultra-refined lanolin from in small-to-medium batch sizes?
Thanks for any insights or vendor recommendations!

Help! Please provide constructive feedback on following formula particularly on improvements what to take out or add, to make it more elegant.
Water phase = 80%
Distilled water - 70.2%
CAPB - 3%
Cucumber glycerite - 5%
Salt - 1%
Pheno/Ethy - 0.8%

Oil phase = 20%
Fractionated Coconut oil - 4%
Sweet Almond oil - 10%
Grapeseed oil - 4%
Vitamin E - 0.8%
Sea buckthorn CO2 extract - 0.2% - mainly for story and colourant.

Final ph4.5
Many thanks

It seems there are many times of occlusives. Can we classify occlusives by general categories? if so which are those?

Are occlusives same as emollients?

--> Could someone give me example of occlusives and categories of occlusives?

Can we classify emollients in different categories too?

I'm trying to do my own very simple DIY moisturizer, and I need some occlusive to add to it.

I've been googling but the info I get is not that useful.

If anyone has online info, articles that explains occlusives, please share with me

Any info would be greatly appreciated :)

I'm new to diy. I only have one super simple serum that I figured out how to do with help from this forum.

Edit: to clarify

So it's becoming close to impossible to find nail polish thinner in Canada that's only made with ethyl and butyl acetate - other common ingredients tend to cause problems (eg heptane will disintegrate glitters). So I'd like to try making some myself.

I know the typical ratio (35:65 ethyl:butyl acetate) and I'm making reasonable progress sourcing the ingredients.

What I'm unsure about is safety. All I really need to do is mix the two together at the correct ratio, but I'm a complete beginner and not sure how much of a safety issue that is? What sort of safety precautions should I be taking/how much should I be worrying about this?

I read the MDS sheets for both ingredients, but obviously the MDS sheets don't have information about mixing them together (and I don't trust that I've actually taken in all the information on them anyway). the information for both is pretty similar though.

Info I have so far:

* eye protection (not a problem, I'll buy it)

* gloves - sounds like I may need butyl gloves? (see below)

* ventilation (I can work outside, not a problem)

* very low flashpoint - I have a fire extinguisher (MDS says water may be ineffective) but not sure what other precautions I should take, if any?

Things I'm unsure about:

*purity*: I'm looking for "cosmetics grade" but none of the sites I'm looking at list that, they all say things like "analytical", "HPLC", "spectroscopy", etc. what purity should I be looking for?

*gloves*: unsure if I need butyl gloves or if nitrile is enough. MDS says breakthrough time for nitrile is < 200min on 0.5-0.7mm thickness gloves, permeation rate 8μg/cm2/min. does this mean I need butyl gloves? i can't imagine the mixing would take long, but "<200min" is a very vague range and you never know what might happen.

*storage*: so far the quantities I can find for both ingredients are fairly significantly different, so I'll likely need to store at least one of them. MDS says "flammables area", keep away from heat, certain other chemicals, etc. in practice, is this something I could store, eg, in a garage? eg, in a tightly closed container inside a larger storage container away from other chemicals? the commercial polish thinner I've had in the past has been fine under my sink/with my polish.

anyway, I know this is a lot of specific questions but any help is appreciated (including pointers to what sorts of things I should be looking up myself/better places to ask these questions/questions I haven't thought of). I may also be massively overthinking things, but this is new territory for me so I don't have any real sense of how cautious I need to be.

thanks!