# SUN BLOCK - turning purple HELP!



## SubLowe (Aug 13, 2013)

Hey guys. i have a question about this sunscreen that i made. It is turning purple!!!!! what is going on?

the ingredients: Soybean oil, wheatgerm oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, beeswax, red raspberry oil, carrot seed oil, cocoa butter, Shea butter, Hemp butter, Glycerin, Zinc oxide
its frustrating becasue i cant figure out which ingredient is causing this or if it is a combo of a few, or if perhaps i did not sterilize the bottles good enough? i have NO IDEA! 
any feedback is super greatly appreciated!


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## dagmar88 (Aug 13, 2013)

Glycerin is usually 80% glycerol and 20% water.
So I'm guessing something fishy must be going on.
I would try again with an emulsifier and broad spectrum preservative.


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## Loolee (Aug 13, 2013)

Hmmm.... Its kinda of cool effect if you could make it consistent throughout!

that being said, have you had your product tested for its effectiveness?  By labeling it and selling it as sunscreen, you are making a claim that it will alter and protect the skin and that falls under the FDA, much stricter laws than with just soap.  Not to mention opening yourself up for liability.


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## SubLowe (Aug 13, 2013)

Nope i didnt get it tested. did not label it as a sunscreen either. instead a UV intercepting Lotion. did get a quote for testing it but i refuse to pay for that until next year or if i know it will sell and i know i am making it without weird spots in it kwim? ( that was actually the very first batch i made . the new labels say UV intercepting )


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## dagmar88 (Aug 13, 2013)

SubLowe said:


> Nope i didnt get it tested. did not label it as a sunscreen either.* instead a UV intercepting Lotion.* did get a quote for testing it but i refuse to pay for that until next year or if i know it will sell and i know i am making it without weird spots in it kwim? ( that was actually the very first batch i made . the new labels say UV intercepting )




All the same.


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## Robert (Aug 13, 2013)

What color was it when you mixed it, and how soon did you notice its having turned purple?


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## savonierre (Aug 13, 2013)

Could it be the carrot seed oil and the red raspberry oil morphing into a purple?


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## SubLowe (Aug 13, 2013)

Robert said:


> What color was it when you mixed it, and how soon did you notice its having turned purple?



it started to turn purple about 2 weeks later?  it was creamy color when i mixed it


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## Robert (Aug 13, 2013)

SubLowe said:


> it started to turn purple about 2 weeks later?


2 weeks later to start, and how long to get to its current condition?


> it was creamy color when i mixed it


About the color of the part that still isn't purple?

Are all the bottles changing color?  It's interesting that the color change is on one side.  Was the purple side facing the same way in all of them?

I'm pursuing the hypothesis that it was caused by light.  It may be that your mixture was successful in "intercepting" radiation, but used that energy in a way you didn't expect.  Zinc oxide when irradiated produces singlet oxygen, a very reactive species that could do who-knows-what to your other ingredients.  If that's the problem, then you may need other ingredients to quench the reactive stuff formed by the zinc oxide, or you may need to get rid of ingredients that are reacting.


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## SubLowe (Aug 13, 2013)

Robert said:


> 2 weeks later to start, and how long to get to its current condition?
> 
> About the color of the part that still isn't purple?
> 
> ...



it has been about a month since it spread. one bottle was left on the bathroom dresser in air conditining, but indirect sunlight. the others turned in the garage where it was warm. Ive had a bottle ive been using and keep it in my purse and it did not turn until abut a month later once i left it out in the warm and direct sun. . i noticed with some of them they started the purple change from the very bottom then some spots up top and the it just spreads. the last bottle poured got the bottom last of the mixed batch and the very last drops of the batch once hardened started to turn purple before any other spot.


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## Robert (Aug 13, 2013)

SubLowe said:


> it has been about a month since it spread. one bottle


One of the bottles that has the color change?


> was left on the bathroom dresser in air conditining, but indirect sunlight.


In direct sunlight?  Or in indirect sunlight?

Do you remember whether the purple side was facing a wall, facing a window, or what?


> the others turned in the garage where it was warm.


Warm and dark?  Or was there light on?  Sun, or artificial light?  If artificial, incandescent or fluorescent?


> Ive had a bottle ive been using and keep it in my purse and it did not turn until abut a month later once i left it out in the warm and direct sun.


It was a total of a month since it was prepared?  Of that amount of time, how long was in the purse and how long in direct sun?


> i noticed with some of them they started the purple change from the very bottom then some spots up top and the it just spreads. the last bottle poured got the bottom last of the mixed batch and the very last drops of the batch once hardened started to turn purple before any other spot.


Were these all full bottles?  If not, which ones were partly used or partial fills?

Were all the bottles filled within a short period of time, or was some of the material allowed to stand for a while before pouring?  If all the filling was done with no break in time, what would you estimate the total amount of time as?

I'm thinking now that this is a photo rxn, but possibly aided by oxygen from the air.


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## bodhi (Aug 13, 2013)

I like where you are going with this Robert.  Other questions, if i may add to yours.   One of pictures shows a faint purple ring around the whole thing and im wondering about temp reactions from the plastic.  

Did any of them start to turn purple from the inside out or from the top down?  

How did you sterilize the containers and how long after this did you fill them?

Can you pop one out of the tube and post a pic of it sliced once lengthwise down the center and once crosswise through the center?  (so its 4 pieces with the cut sides showing in the pic-not the outsides)


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## Robert (Aug 31, 2013)

Am I the only one here dying to find out how this came on after further investig'n?


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## judymoody (Aug 31, 2013)

The first thing that popped into my head was -  mold.

Without a preservative, nasties can and usually do grow.

Without testing, you have no way of knowing if your product is safe and effective.  I would not market this - not worth the potential liability.  Just my opinion.


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## maya (Aug 31, 2013)

I thought of a pathogen too, Judy.


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## Robert (Aug 31, 2013)

Because of the formula's low water activity, I don't think it was anything alive.  But by now the original poster would've had time to observe the further course of its degradation and to experiment with another batch, so I'm eager for news.


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## dagmar88 (Sep 1, 2013)

Robert said:


> Because of the formula's low water activity, I don't think it was anything alive.  But by now the original poster would've had time to observe the further course of its degradation and to experiment with another batch, so I'm eager for news.



Even anhydrous unpreserved products can form mold when a tiny bit of moisture is introduced to it; like steam from the bathroom or slightly wet fingers.


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## Robert (Sep 1, 2013)

dagmar88 said:


> Even anhydrous unpreserved products can form mold when a tiny bit of moisture is introduced to it; like steam from the bathroom or slightly wet fingers.


Yes, but the pattern of discoloration in this case is not indicative of that.  When it's mold from the causes you describe, it stays associated with the surface that got damp; for instance, it can form a print of the finger, just like fingerprinting.  As long as the cream remained undisturbed (as appears to be the case here), it wouldn't produce waves of color like these.


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## dagmar88 (Sep 2, 2013)

I'm not saying that's what happened. I'm saying even the tiniest bit of water can (will) cause trouble.
There's water all throughout in this one. It's only logical it would migrate to the sides.


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## Robert (Sep 2, 2013)

dagmar88 said:


> I'm not saying that's what happened. I'm saying even the tiniest bit of water can (will) cause trouble.
> There's water all throughout in this one. It's only logical it would migrate to the sides.


I think we're discussing different formulas.


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## judymoody (Sep 2, 2013)

If the product was poured hot and capped before cooling fully, it's possible that condensation could have formed along the surface of the container.  That coupled with the glycerin could have been enough to provide a medium for bacteria or fungi.  In the absence of testing, it's hard to say for sure.


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## Robert (Sep 2, 2013)

judymoody said:


> If the product was poured hot and capped before cooling fully, it's possible that condensation could have formed along the surface of the container.


If it came down to the same temperature the air was at before the hot stuff was put in there, there's no add'l humidity for condensation to have formed from.


> That coupled with the glycerin could have been enough to provide a medium for bacteria or fungi.


Even at 80% (20% water), glycerine is going to abstract water, not supply it.


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## AniKitty (Nov 22, 2022)

I know this post is old, but just in case someone stumbles upon it like I did.... The purple is basically rust. The zinc oxide is oxidizing. This is most common in mineral sunscreen with iron oxide. It WILL turn you purple if applied to your skin and is a big reason why you should always remove sunscreen at the end of your day. I imagine these bottles are not sealed properly or (like one commenter mentioned) had a big layer of condensation on the inside.


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