Dissolving vitamins for lotions

[BubblingBrooke]

So ordering things like vitamin B5 for skin and hair care formulations can get a bit spendy - I've read that vitamin c and b (all 8 of the vit b) are water soluble. So, I'm curious, if I had a high quality vitamin without fillers and I dissolved it into water and included it as my water phase for lotions and creams, would it work similarly to using these higher priced ingredients? I understand these are pure forms of the ingredient and are made specifically for creating purposes, so there is a difference, but in theory, could this work? Similarly, with oil soluble vitamins could I include them in the oil phase?

Obviously it'd require further research into which vitamins to use, but I did find a couple posts of people dissolving vitamin c and making face serums with glycerin and other ingredients and I could reformulate this to suit my needs. But I also read that the vitamin could recrystallize and be useless in the solution... So, just curious if those with more knowledge and experience than I could answer this question for me.

 

[FrayGrants]

I am extremely curious about this. I'll be watching this one closely.

 

[earlene]

I am curious where you can find vitamins that don't contain fillers. And of course, the question of them being suitable for cosmetic purposes is a valid concern. I'd rather rely on a product that is cosmetic-grade rather than trying to find something that is food grade, if that is what you are considering.

 

[Misschief]

So ordering things like vitamin B5 for skin and hair care formulations can get a bit spendy - I've read that vitamin c and b (all 8 of the vit b) are water soluble. So, I'm curious, if I had a high quality vitamin without fillers and I dissolved it into water and included it as my water phase for lotions and creams, would it work similarly to using these higher priced ingredients? I understand these are pure forms of the ingredient and are made specifically for creating purposes, so there is a difference, but in theory, could this work? Similarly, with oil soluble vitamins could I include them in the oil phase?

Obviously it'd require further research into which vitamins to use, but I did find a couple posts of people dissolving vitamin c and making face serums with glycerin and other ingredients and I could reformulate this to suit my needs. But I also read that the vitamin could recrystallize and be useless in the solution... So, just curious if those with more knowledge and experience than I could answer this question for me.

In theory, it could work. However, as Earlene mentioned, there's probably a difference between cosmetic grade and food grade. If you're planning on using tablets and grinding them, I'm pretty sure that there are going to be fillers and binders included. You'd also need to know the percentage of the ingredient in the tablet. The label may say that it's pure vitamin B5 (and I'm sure it is) but what are they using to make the tablet?

For my vitamin C serum, I purchased L-Ascorbic acid powder and make my serum as needed (a little goes a long way!), using other ingredients to make a shelf-stable product. If you're simply using the vitamin c, glycerin and a couple of other ingredients, you'll be needing to make it every couple of weeks as vitamin c deteriorates rapidly (it will turn orange, then brown, and by then it is useless).

Another consideration is cost. If you're buying the vitamins, you're also paying for the plastic bottle it comes in as well as the manufacturing costs. When you're buying the ingredient only, you know you're getting just that ingredient without the extra packaging and upcharges. To be honest, I'd rather purchase the raw ingredient, knowing that it's meant for cosmetic use, than purchasing an already made product intended for ingestion and not knowing exactly what you're getting (even if the ingredient list says it's pure niacin, or whichever).

 

[BubblingBrooke]

Thank you both for your input! Those are very fair considerations and probably the route I'd go - it was more for experimental purposes (see how the product works, test it, and see how customers respond to it if it's passed testing). I guess before I invest in the raw cosmetic ingredients I wanted to play around with it - of course that's IF I could find a vitamin without fillers.

 

[Savage Daughter]

Thank you both for your input! Those are very fair considerations and probably the route I'd go - it was more for experimental purposes (see how the product works, test it, and see how customers respond to it if it's passed testing). I guess before I invest in the raw cosmetic ingredients I wanted to play around with it - of course that's IF I could find a vitamin without fillers.

I know I'm a bit late to this particular party, but you can buy bulk powder supplements without fillers from several online shops. I do this fairly frequently. Magnesium hydroxide is something I buy in bulk for formulating certain products & at the time found it cheaper through the online bulk supplements companies than other suppliers. They also stock various types of ascorbic acid, buffered & unbuffered, B vitamins, minerals, zinc oxide & a whole lot more.

That being said, CHECK the description & ingredients list carefully, as well as shots of the labels & any MSDS sheets the company makes available. I once bought chaga in bulk because I ingest quite a bit of it & wanted to save some money. This was from Pure Bulk FYI.

I was in a rush & forgot to check the ingredients. When I received it, I saw MALTODEXTRIN on the label & freaked out due to the negative effects on the health, so it sits unused because I can't bring myself to toss a 1kg bag of it. Might end up being used as a soap colorant now. Hopefully the maltodextrin doesn't jack my soap up; have never heard of it being used in any soap.

2 supplement suppliers I've used in the past are Pure Bulk (mentioned above) & Bulk Supplements.

Another option is to contact manufacturers of the ingredients you're looking for directly & request samples, which are often sent for free if you're a business & explain to them how you're using it (mention testing for stability in your formulations / which properties it may add to your formulations to improve them, for sure). Some of the free samples I've received are quite generous. Not all will agree to this, but some will. It's worth asking. Then, if you love the ingredient, you know it's worth purchasing.

 

[Livestomakesoap]

I know nothing about the details above but, 2 days ago I made a small batch of facial HP soap. After it cooked I put in a generous amount of superfoods powder and colloidal oatmeal on a whim. Just to see.