# Help! Lotion is bubbly/air pockets



## magali (Jul 25, 2017)

Hi guys, I've made some batches of lotion. I play around with the oil combinations for my skin type, water percentages to make the texture I want, etc. So far I like what I have made on my skin but they always end up bubbly after 3-4 weeks. It has spongy texture like air pockets.

I know some people have this problem after they stickblend it, but mine looks really smooth and fine when it's done. The bubbles start to appear after 3-4 weeks.

I tried to use different emulsifiers, oil combinations, and preservatives. I even changed my stickblender to a better one. I've been told to keep the stickblender submerged at the bottom of the container at all time to prevent air to get in, I've done that too. I also bottle it or put it in plastic jars, they end up the same.



My typical recipe is
Hot water phase:
63-70% water
1-2% glycerin or SL
0.5% xanthan gum
0.5-1% Extract (chamomile)
0.5% Allantoin 

Hot oil phase:
12-16% Oils and butters
1.5-2.5% cetyl alcohol 
5-6% emulsifier (Soft and Silky or BTMS)
2% IPM

Cooling phase:
2-3% Cyclomethicone or dymethicone
1% Panthenol 
0-2% FO or EO
0.5% Liquid Germal plus

I wonder what the culprit is, because they don't show up until 3 weeks or so. I'm sure it's not mold. And so far the emulsion is stable and never separates. Please help, I like the lotions but they look really bad


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## BattleGnome (Jul 25, 2017)

Are all of your ingredients fresh (specifically the water)? Is your preservative fresh or has it been sitting out? How do you store your lotion? Do you sterilize your lotion bottles? How do you sterilize them? What kind of bottles? How do you store the finished lotion?

My gut reaction is that the lotion got contaminated somewhere but I don't use most of the additives that you do. If you want to double check to be sure, I think lotioncraftier carries a contamination test kit. If you rule out everything else it might be a very temperature sensitive recipe that needs to be stored in the fridge or something. 

I'm still very new to lotion making and use limited ingredients right now. If you have answers to any of my questions I'm sure someone else will be able to shed some light somewhere. Many of our more experienced lotion makers live in the US or in a similar time zone and should be on in the next few hours.


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## Cindy2428 (Jul 25, 2017)

Have you tested your lotion? Unfortunately it seems like you have some kind of yuckkie in there. Lotioncrafter and other reputable lotion suppliers carry test kits that are reasonably priced   http://www.lotioncrafter.com/microbial-test-kit-4_pack-lotioncrafter.html


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## Dahila (Jul 25, 2017)

the one with air pockets is garbage not it must be contaminated,,  I would not even waste testing on it


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## Kittish (Jul 25, 2017)

Disclaimer: not a lotion maker. But to me that bottom one looks JUST like fermentation. And spontaneously developing air pockets also says fermentation to me. It's not unreasonable for it to take several weeks for a burgeoning yeast colony to become noticeable.


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## magali (Jul 25, 2017)

Yikes! Could be one of the oils or the extract i used. Can't believe the preservative didn't do the job.

I use brand new plastic bottle or plastic jar or tin. I got them from my supplier and they're clean, so I rinse them with purified water, paper towel dried, then spray them inside and out with alcohol and let it air dry before using them. I tried to wash them with hot water before and the plastic melted a bit.

I store my finished lotions in my room, lids are always on, no direct sunlight.

Pretty sure my preservative is fresh. I tried using another one beside liquid germal, nipaguard, it ended up the same.




BattleGnome said:


> Are all of your ingredients fresh (specifically the water)? Is your preservative fresh or has it been sitting out? How do you store your lotion? Do you sterilize your lotion bottles? How do you sterilize them? What kind of bottles? How do you store the finished lotion?
> 
> My gut reaction is that the lotion got contaminated somewhere but I don't use most of the additives that you do. If you want to double check to be sure, I think lotioncraftier carries a contamination test kit. If you rule out everything else it might be a very temperature sensitive recipe that needs to be stored in the fridge or something.
> 
> I'm still very new to lotion making and use limited ingredients right now. If you have answers to any of my questions I'm sure someone else will be able to shed some light somewhere. Many of our more experienced lotion makers live in the US or in a similar time zone and should be on in the next few hours.


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Jul 25, 2017)

Are you making small batches or larger?  A margin of error is increased, which might mean the preservative will struggle.


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## magali (Jul 25, 2017)

Yes I did test them out. Still feel and work the same as the beginning, no itch or anything. And my skin is usually sensitive about it, like if I accidentally put a little too much preservative my skin gets really itchy. 




Cindy2428 said:


> Have you tested your lotion? Unfortunately it seems like you have some kind of yuckkie in there. Lotioncrafter and other reputable lotion suppliers carry test kits that are reasonably priced http://www.lotioncrafter.com/microbial-test-kit-4_pack-lotioncrafter.html


 
So far I only make small batches, I make a 4oz batch at a time.



The Efficacious Gentleman said:


> Are you making small batches or larger? A margin of error is increased, which might mean the preservative will struggle.


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Jul 25, 2017)

Are you measuring in grams?  To what decimal does your scale work?


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## magali (Jul 25, 2017)

Yes, I work in grams. This is my scale


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## Kittish (Jul 25, 2017)

When was the last time you calibrated your scale? You can get calibration weights from amazon. Is it battery operated? How old are the batteries if so? Dying batteries can cause inaccurate readings, too.


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## penelopejane (Jul 25, 2017)

I don't think you should be using tin containers for lotion or soapy things. 
But it isn't only the ones in tin that are bubbling is it?


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## DeeAnna (Jul 25, 2017)

If you are not seeing bubbles right away, it's definitely not your stick blender or mixing technique. If that was the issue, I think you'd see the bubbles from the beginning.

Tins or open jars are not desirable for lotions. Closed bottles with a pump or "flip top" dispenser are far better. But if you are getting this problem with lotion in closed bottles as well as a tin/jar, then it's some other issue.

I'm also thinking the problem is microbial growth, but it could also be a breakdown of one of your additives. Nothing looks greatly amiss in your ingredients list or general method, however. I'm leaning toward some type of gross contamination of an ingredient or of the work area and equipment or of the containers you're using. 

It's an awful problem to have -- I hope you can find the cause soon!


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## sunny_ (Aug 3, 2017)

Maybe it's because you use xanthan gum in the water phase- the water phase is thicker, thus it takes more stick blending to incorporate well the phases together- and even though when you mix the emulsion it looks emulsified to you, it still needs more blending.


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## Saponificarian (Aug 3, 2017)

I am suspecting the xanthan gum. Either it's gone off or you should put it in the oil phase. Try a batch without the xanthan gum and a batch with it in the oil phase. See what happens. You can use a very basic recipe just to try it out so you don't waste ingredients.


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## james2525 (Jan 28, 2021)

I would consider the following
Hot water phase:
65% water
8% glycerin or SL
2% Liquid Germal plus
0.5% Allantoin 

Hot oil phase:
12% Oils and butters
3.5% Cyclomethicone or dymethicone
2% cetyl alcohol 
2.5% emulsifier (Soft and Silky or BTMS)
1.5% IPM

Cooling phase:

0.5-1% Extract (chamomile)
1% Panthenol 
0.5% FO or EO


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## amd (Jan 29, 2021)

I use xanthan gum and use it in my oil phase. ETA: I also put glycerin in my oil phase as well.

Another thing to consider is are you sterilizing all of your equipment - bowl, spoons spatulas, stick blender, work area... anything that touches your lotion or the ingredients has to be sterilized. Alcohol (assuming rubbing alcohol or isopropyl alcohol here) does not sterilize. You need to use bleach or an antibacterial multi-surface cleaner to clean. I recommend star-san for cleaning your containers. A search on the forum for StarSan will turn up a member's method for sterilizing containers, and was approved by many home brewers I know to be effective for the purpose. You need to wear clean latex/nitrile gloves when making lotion. I recently (October) paid for lab testing on my lotions and they passed with flying colors, and I follow all of this. (Note, I sell so I also include a hair net or something covering my hair as a must.)


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## DeeAnna (Jan 29, 2021)

@james2525 -- Please understand the original poster hasn't been here for a long time, so they are not likely to see your advice.

You may want to re-think the way you're using Liquid Germall Plus --

Liquid Germall Plus is heat sensitive with a max temp of 122F / 50C. It should be added to the cool down phase for this reason, not the heated phase. 

The recommended dosage range for LGP is 0.1% to 0.5% by weight. Unless you have a specific reason to use 4 times the max recommended dose, I don't know that it's wise to use that much.

Manufacturer's tech info: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0...a_liquid_germall_plus.pdf?4230072544405884126

I invite you to introduce yourself in our Introduction forum, so we can "meet" you and learn more about your experience as a soap maker. Welcome to the group!


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