# How much Vitamin E?



## delladea (Jan 22, 2014)

Hi .  I'm curious as to what percentage of vitamin E y'all use in your lotions?  

My lotions never sit around long enough to develop issues with oxidation and usually get used within six months.  Not sure if this is relevant to my question, but I also use 1.5% Optiphen Plus as a preservative since I also use aloe vera juice in the water phase.  The last batch I made had 1% vitamin E.

TIA!


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## AnnaMarie (Jan 22, 2014)

Hi.
I use 2 tsp of vitamin-e oil in my 48 oz batch of lotion bars.  I can't remember why I use this amount to be honest.  It's been a couple years since I developed the recipe.  My lotions bars last a good, long time.  I think vitamin-e is one of those highly concentrated ingredients where a little goes a long way.  Hope this helps!


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## lsg (Jan 22, 2014)

Depending on the product, the Herbarie suggests using from .1% to 1% of their Covi-ox T-50 (Vitamin E).  Lotioncrafter suggests  a usage rate of .5% to 5% of their Vitamin E Acetate.


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## delladea (Jan 22, 2014)

Good to know I was within acceptable ranges.  Thanks!


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## Neve (Jan 23, 2014)

I put a dash into everything  very scientific huh! Everything else I weigh out carefully...

Of course I don't necessary recommended my haphazard vit e approach! I've been at it six months what do I know?


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## itunu (Jan 31, 2014)

In my training, some cosmetic chemists provided me with some very useful advice in relation to Vit E and shelf life...

Adding materials with poor life spans due to poor oxidative stability shortens shelf life. Using a few % grapeseed oil in a lotion is asking for trouble unless the anti-oxidant system is good.  What is worse adding 0.05 - 0.1% Tocopherol may not work well - each system needs a different amount or even different anti-oxidants. The best way is to carry out stability trials and check for significant odour changes or pH shifts (Over 1 unit at 40°C in 3 months is bad).  Hemp oil has particularly poor stability. If you add this once it is going off it can cause more rapid issues. Keeping it in the freezer/fridge will slow oxidation - using Hemp oil over 0.2 - 0.5% is likely to impact on product stability unless the anti-oxidant system is perfectly matched.  

In theory using too much anti-oxidant can cause a pro-rancidity reaction - this is because anti-oxidants work by oxidising first. 

How much Vit E to add? It will vary depending on the base - 0.05-0.1% tocopherol in vegetable oil is about right. I wouldn't use Tocopherol as your Vitamin E content. Use Tocopheryl Acetate, this is not an anti-oxidant so is stable in product and it converts to tocopherol on the skin. 

If you have a problem with oxidation DLAlpha Tocopherol may not be sufficient (and increasing won't help). Slightly better is mixed tocopherols, even better is mixed blends with gallates, etc. Claiming vit e content/activity from tocopherol is incorrect as it will diminish in amount during shelf life.

The theory that the expiry date would be that of the shortest shelf life component is a pretty good assumption and is a good base for the craft industry – from a commercial production standpoint we keep retained samples for the shelf life of the product - 24 months. In addition we also conduct accelerated stability trials by placing samples in a 40 degree oven for 24 weeks (which is accepted as being the equivalent of 24 months on the shelf).


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## max_ime (May 28, 2014)

itunu said:


> Adding materials with poor life spans due to poor oxidative stability shortens shelf life. Using a few % grapeseed oil in a lotion is asking for trouble unless the anti-oxidant system is good.  What is worse adding 0.05 - 0.1% Tocopherol may not work well - each system needs a different amount or even different anti-oxidants. The best way is to carry out stability trials and check for significant odour changes or pH shifts (Over 1 unit at 40°C in 3 months is bad).  Hemp oil has particularly poor stability. If you add this once it is going off it can cause more rapid issues. Keeping it in the freezer/fridge will slow oxidation - using Hemp oil over 0.2 - 0.5% is likely to impact on product stability unless the anti-oxidant system is perfectly matched.
> 
> In theory using too much anti-oxidant can cause a pro-rancidity reaction - this is because anti-oxidants work by oxidising first.
> 
> How much Vit E to add? It will vary depending on the base - 0.05-0.1% tocopherol in vegetable oil is about right. I wouldn't use Tocopherol as your Vitamin E content. Use Tocopheryl Acetate, this is not an anti-oxidant so is stable in product and it converts to tocopherol on the skin.



anti-oxidants work by oxidizing first? I don't know how to make sense of this.  Can you please give more info?  This oxidation is minimal at the % we are talking about?  Dr Bronner list Tocopherol as their last ingredient and they say their soap is good for 3 years and maybe more.  It seems to work for them.


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## elmtree (Jun 3, 2014)

I frequently use unrefined hemp oil and have never had a lotion go bad on me. Maybe they don't sit around long enough? I have some now that are 10 months old and are fine. I have one lotion recipe which I've used for years that has 8oz grapeseed oil and is 8% of my recipe. Never had a problem. I use 1% vitamin E and 10g grapefruit seed extract. I'm also very good about sterilizing and being sanitary. That probably helps the oils stay nice longer.


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