Body Butter Fomula feedback

[ashantz18]

I’ve done 2 days of research and would like some feedback on the body butter recipe I’ve created.

65% Shea
3% Cetyl Alcohol
21% Sweet Almond Oil
10% Isopropyl Alcohol
1% Vitamin E
*adjustments will be made to liquid oils to add fragrance oil to another batch. Amount will be based on recommended values.

My previous butter was Shea, cocoa, mango, jojoba, vitamin E and arrowroot powder. I liked it but it was greasy. And too hard to whip (I now realize I had a lot of hard butters).

I’ve switched cocoa to cetyl due to rising cocoa costs, moisturizing benefits and separation prevention.
I switched jojoba for IPM to reduce greasiness and give a more luxury feel.

Thoughts?
Thank you!

 

[Kcryss]

Just out of curiosity, what does the isopropyl alcohol do in the formula?

I don't make body butter so can't really comment on the formula.

 

[AliOop]

Just out of curiosity, what does the isopropyl alcohol do in the formula?

I don't make body butter so can't really comment on the formula.

Because the OP also refers to IPM (as a replacement for jojoba), I'm guessing that the list of ingredients was supposed to say "isopropyl myristate" and not "isopropyl alcohol."

 

[Kcryss]

Because the OP also refers to IPM (as a replacement for jojoba), I'm guessing that the list of ingredients was supposed to say "isopropyl myristate" and not "isopropyl alcohol."

Ok, that makes sense. I use lots of isopropyl myristat with lotions/creams.

 

[AliOop]

Ok, that makes sense. I use lots of isopropyl myristat with lotions/creams.

Yes, it is great stuff! @cmzaha introduced me to this and it took my lotions from good to great.

 

[ashantz18]

Just out of curiosity, what does the isopropyl alcohol do in the formula?

I don't make body butter so can't really comment on the formula.

Because the OP also refers to IPM (as a replacement for jojoba), I'm guessing that the list of ingredients was supposed to say "isopropyl myristate" and not "isopropyl alcohol."

Yes, isopropyl myristat. Sorry. Not sure if autocorrect changed that or my brain autocorrected it to something I’m more familiar with haha.

 

[ashantz18]

Yes, it is great stuff! @cmzaha introduced me to this and it took my lotions from good to great.

That’s a good sign! Any thoughts on this formula for body butter? In the next few months I want to start to toy with making lotions and such.

 

[Frijoles]

I switched jojoba for IPM to reduce greasiness and give a more luxury feel.

I don't make body butters, but in my opinion the greasiness is coming from the shea, not the jojoba.

 

[AliOop]

That’s a good sign! Any thoughts on this formula for body butter? In the next few months I want to start to toy with making lotions and such.

TBH, I love shea butter on my skin, but it is frustrating to use in body butters. It goes grainy if exposed to temperature fluctuations. If you are making this just for yourself, that might not be a big deal. But if you are making it for gifts, or to sell, you will have to explain the graininess issue on the tags or labels. Even then, be ready to answer questions to people who are probably going to keep it in their bathroom - the room that is probably tied with the kitchen for the most temperature changes. Especially if you are selling, people will not be happy with the changes in texture over time.

Perhaps the cetyl alcohol will help with that; I've not tried it and will be interested in what you report about it. You can purchase and include this additive to prevent the graininess. It's reported to work pretty well. Note that it is made from beeswax, which has some (rather weak) emulsifying properties. I believe that's part of why solid "lotion" bars (as opposed to whipped body butters) don't seem to have as many problems with graininess from shea - because lotion bar recipes generally contain 30% or more of beeswax. That, and:

1. "Lotion" bars tend to be on the smaller side, so they are used up quickly, and

2. Many lotion bar recipes use other butters that aren't as greasy as shea, and also don't go grainy as quickly as shea tends to do. Likewise, a fair number of folks who make whipped body butters who start with shea seem to end up limiting or eliminating shea for those reasons. Of course, you are addressing the greasiness issue with the IPM, but that still leaves the graininess issue to be addressed.

Another possibility to consider is to make an "emulsified body butter." I put that term in quotes because to me, once you add water + emulsifier + preservative, you have actually created a thick lotion/cream. But several bloggers (Humblebee & Me, WholeElise) use the term "emulsified body butter" so that's the search term to use if you want to find their recipes.

Sorry for the long-winded answer, but those are my thoughts. HTH!

 

[AliOop]

I don't make body butters, but in my opinion the greasiness is coming from the shea, not the jojoba.

Agreed, but that's why she's including the IPM; unlike jojoba oil, the IPM will help to cut the shea's greasiness. She had to take that 10% from somewhere, and she chose jojoba. I personally would have kept the jojoba and eliminated the sweet almond oil, but those are just my preferences because my skin vastly prefers jojoba over SAO.

 

[ashantz18]

TBH, I love shea butter on my skin, but it is frustrating to use in body butters. It goes grainy if exposed to temperature fluctuations. If you are making this just for yourself, that might not be a big deal. But if you are making it for gifts, or to sell, you will have to explain the graininess issue on the tags or labels. Even then, be ready to answer questions to people who are probably going to keep it in their bathroom - the room that is probably tied with the kitchen for the most temperature changes. Especially if you are selling, people will not be happy with the changes in texture over time.

Perhaps the cetyl alcohol will help with that; I've not tried it and will be interested in what you report about it. You can purchase and include this additive to prevent the graininess. It's reported to work pretty well. Note that it is made from beeswax, which has some (rather weak) emulsifying properties. I believe that's part of why solid "lotion" bars (as opposed to whipped body butters) don't seem to have as many problems with graininess from shea - because lotion bar recipes generally contain 30% or more of beeswax. That, and:

1. "Lotion" bars tend to be on the smaller side, so they are used up quickly, and

2. Many lotion bar recipes use other butters that aren't as greasy as shea, and also don't go grainy as quickly as shea tends to do. Likewise, a fair number of folks who make whipped body butters who start with shea seem to end up limiting or eliminating shea for those reasons. Of course, you are addressing the greasiness issue with the IPM, but that still leaves the graininess issue to be addressed.

Another possibility to consider is to make an "emulsified body butter." I put that term in quotes because to me, once you add water + emulsifier + preservative, you have actually created a thick lotion/cream. But several bloggers (Humblebee & Me, WholeElise) use the term "emulsified body butter" so that's the search term to use if you want to find their recipes.

Sorry for the long-winded answer, but those are my thoughts. HTH!

This is wonderful and not long-winded at all! Thank you!

My previous body butter did not contain nearly as much Shea. It contained much more cocoa butter along with some mango butter. It was not grainy and melted wonderfully. But I don’t want to base this product on cocoa butter with the higher prices.

I do have lotion bars for sale but they are not a hit at all, even after discussion.

Emulsified products are next on my list. I want to have them ready to go for a spring launch. I watch a lot of Humblebee and Me! But I want to know more in depth information as to why we use certain preservatives, emulsifiers, etc. Do you have any other resources you suggest for learning this?

Thank you!

 

[ashantz18]

I don't make body butters, but in my opinion the greasiness is coming from the shea, not the jojoba.

Correct. Body butters are innately greasy. Many people use some sort of starch to combat the greasiness. The IPM is supposed to greatly reduce the greasiness and can give a more luxury feel. My research has indicated 10% usage is ideal.

 

[AliOop]

This is wonderful and not long-winded at all! Thank you!

My previous body butter did not contain nearly as much Shea. It contained much more cocoa butter along with some mango butter. It was not grainy and melted wonderfully. But I don’t want to base this product on cocoa butter with the higher prices.

I do have lotion bars for sale but they are not a hit at all, even after discussion.

Emulsified products are next on my list. I want to have them ready to go for a spring launch. I watch a lot of Humblebee and Me! But I want to know more in depth information as to why we use certain preservatives, emulsifiers, etc. Do you have any other resources you suggest for learning this?

Thank you!

You are very welcome.

One thing to accept about shea is that although it may not be grainy at first, it almost always becomes so over time - unless it is in an emulsified product, OR you are using a LOT of beeswax (making it un-whippable), OR you use the anti-graininess additive. Customer silence doesn't mean they aren't having problems; many will simply toss the product and move on, now with a negative impression of your business, or hand-crafted body products in general, or both. For that reason, I personally wouldn't sell any body butter with shea unless this issue had been addressed in one of those ways.

I think Humblebee & Me is a great resource. Whole Elise is another good one, although just like Marie and HB&M, her older recipes can be lacking, or can include some not-so-great advice. But if you stick with the most recent posts (within the last 3 years or so), there are great recipes and information from both of them.

The SwiftCraftyMonkey blog has tons of excellent information, even at the $1 per month subscriber level. However, it is super disorganized, so finding the information can be very frustrating.

 

[ashantz18]

Agreed, but that's why she's including the IPM; unlike jojoba oil, the IPM will help to cut the shea's greasiness. She had to take that 10% from somewhere, and she chose jojoba. I personally would have kept the jojoba and eliminated the sweet almond oil, but those are just my preferences because my skin vastly prefers jojoba over SAO.

This is a great suggestion! I do like jojoba. My concern was with all these rising costs. I want a good balance of a great product that will also sell well at the necessary price point. I have a bar soap business and that olive oil price has me crying!
In most of my research, I’ve seen more people lean towards the SAO. But I need to remember to trust my gut. Being that jojoba leans more toward wax properties, do you have think It will have a significant impact on the greasiness?

 

[ashantz18]

You are very welcome.

One thing to accept about shea is that although it may not be grainy at first, it almost always becomes so over time - unless it is in an emulsified product, OR you are using a LOT of beeswax (making it un-whippable), OR you use the anti-graininess additive. Customer silence doesn't mean they aren't having problems; many will simply toss the product and move on, now with a negative impression of your business, or hand-crafted body products in general, or both. For that reason, I personally wouldn't sell any body butter with shea unless this issue had been addressed in one of those ways.

I think Humblebee & Me is a great resource. Whole Elise is another good one, although just like Marie and HB&M, her older recipes can be lacking, or can include some not-so-great advice. But if you stick with the most recent posts (within the last 3 years or so), there are great recipes and information from both of them.

The SwiftCraftyMonkey blog has tons of excellent information, even at the $1 per month subscriber level. However, it is super disorganized, so finding the information can be very frustrating.

I did peruse SwiftCraftyMoney. She has tons of great information. But it is very disorganized AND all the hyperlinks to other information took me down so many rabbit holes. My ADHD couldn’t keep one thought straight from the other. I did buy The Chemist Corner book. I’ve been slowly looking through that. He just has all of this specialized equipment, which is a wonderful goal. But I’m nowhere near that. I have to fill up my Amazon cart and go back a few days later when reason kicks in

Thank you so much!

 

[AliOop]

I have to fill up my Amazon cart and go back a few days later when reason kicks in

... you are reading my mail...

Honestly, everyone's skin reacts so differently to different recipes. I'd make a couple of small test bars: one with jojoba + IPM, another with jojoba + IPM + SAO, one with IPM + SAO but no jojoba, etc. That way, you can test them side by side and see if you think the ingredient costs are worth the final outcome.

 

[MomInWA]

I know I’m weird, but I love greasy body butter. I slather it on and towel off or just let it sink in while I dry my hair. My skin is dry, tends to be fragile (moreso as I age…hooray lol) and I can get eczema. But thick, greasy body butter just works for me.