How can this be correct?

[sudsynewby]

I have spent the last year doing research on lotion and body products. I'm in a crochet group and a lady brought up making soaps and lotions to sell. I immediately chimed in and told her to do her research first (like I said, a year researching and doing a random test batch here and there) another lady chimed in and said that she makes lotion out of aloe gel, oils and butters. No emulsifying wax or water, and no preservative. I can't get my brain to wrap around this and am hoping someone can shed some light on it for me.

 

[Earthen_Step]

It's probably something like this.
http://beautymunsta.com/diy-whipped-shea-butter-and-aloe-vera-cream/

This recipe would have a short shelf life. It would have risk of microbial growth, separation and rancidity. Might be fun to try with an added preservative.

 

[DeeAnna]

People make stuff like this and even sell it. I cannot tell you how grossed out I was to open a "tester" jar of cream in my local "whole food" grocery ... to see liquid weeping out of the product. And then my grossed-out-ness was complete when the ingredients list confirmed not only was there no emulsifier but also no preservative. Ugh. But there are a lot of shop owners (including this grocery store) and a lot of consumers who want something with ingredients that have "normal" names and really don't understand the potential trouble that could be caused by products like these.

 

[SplendorSoaps]

The first time I tried making lotion it was a recipe similar to the one that Earthen_Step shared. It's definitely not "lotion" as we think of it, and probably has very limited application use (especially with no preservative!). After that naive first little experiment I found that lotion making is not just as simple as throwing a few ingredients into the blender! I've been making CP soap a lot longer than lotion, and I find lotion making more complex in its own way. I've been making lotion for almost a year now, and I still only have 3-4 recipes that I feel really comfortable with. I do enjoy the instant gratification of getting to use it right away, though.

 

[IrishLass]

People make stuff like this and even sell it. I cannot tell you how grossed out I was to open a "tester" jar of cream in my local "whole food" grocery ... to see liquid weeping out of the product.

I've experienced the same exact thing with a few lotion products I've bought from some of the more 'crunchy' stores. I've since learned my lesson that it pays to look at the ingredients.


IrishLass

 

[sudsynewby]

Thank you everyone!! Needless to say, the person didn't seem too pleased with what another lady and I said, but at least I put the information out there. Oh well, you can only control yourself I almost want to try it with a preservative, too.

 

[Arimara]

It's probably something like this.
http://beautymunsta.com/diy-whipped-shea-butter-and-aloe-vera-cream/

This recipe would have a short shelf life. It would have risk of microbial growth, separation and rancidity. Might be fun to try with an added preservative.

I would totally try this but I'd probably leave out the water, use aloe vera gel, add a preservative and call it a day. but what preservative would be good for a product like this?

 

[PuddinAndPeanuts]

Many, many people want "all natural". They don't know what it means, they don't know what it is, they don't know why they want it, but want it they do. Mind you- they want to give up absolutely nothing to have it. This is typically not a consumer who's particularly well educated on bath and body.

My approach to this is to try to give them what I think most of them actually want. They want a label that they can 100% read that looks like it has wholesome ingredients. Preservatives have intimidating names that sound very 'chemicaly' to a lot of these consumers. That means I have to stick with anhydrous products. Easy enough. Most of my clientele want scent options above and beyond what I can offer with essential oils. The word "fragrance" on a label does not mentally translate to "chemicals" for this consumer. Fragrance is a down-to-earth normal, very un-scary sounding word. So I use fragrance oil in a lot of what I do. My clients would hate the smell of natural Shea, and they'd want organic products if they thought about it. They'd want organic, but the fact is, they don't mentally differentiate between the words organic and natural, and the people I sell to certainly aren't going to pay more money for organic. So- I use the filtered, deodorized Shea. And
I parse my words carefully on my label and when I talk. When I'm talking to a customer: "Except for a little fragrance I put in a few scents, my body butter is an all natural product...". On the label: "contains fragrance oil and all natural ingredients". I know, and you know 'all natural' means absolutely nothing (or anything depending on your point of view), but the general public does not know this. So- I both use that to my advantage, and at the same time try to stay true to what I think it more or less means for the bulk of my client base.