Preservative, emulsifiers, plus for skin cream

[PerthMobility]

After a lot of hunting I have assembled what I think might be the correct chemical additives for a body/skin lotion. My old skin urgently needs.

Would some kind persons please comment and perhaps change. All the chem's listed are available in my corner of the world.

Sodium Lactylate 2.00% Panthenol 1.00% Emulsifier 4.00% Cetearyl alcohol 4.00% Vitamin E 0.10% Dimethicone 2.00% Xanathan 0.20% Glycerine 3.00%

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

As I read it, there is no preservative there. Why have you included these ingredients? What do they bring to the party for you?

As for the %, a lot of it depends on the actual recipe. If you have more water, less hard oils and so on, the amounts of thickeners would be different and also it all depends on the consistency of the lotion that you are shooting for.

 

[PerthMobility]

Thanks for feeding back to me Craig. I always welcome your comments. I believe I forgot to add Liquid Germall plus at the rate of 0.5%.

I have tried to bend the recipe towards caring for dry and aged skin. If it works I intend targeting that market. So several of the ingredients come with that in mind.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Thanks for feeding back to me Craig. I always welcome your comments. I believe I forgot to add Liquid Germall plus at the rate of 0.5%.

Ah, a popular one. It's not allowed here, as far as I'm aware, so I haven't used it, but it is a well loved preservative

 

[Saponista]

You can buy it in Europe, but for some reason doesn't go under that brand name. Gracefruit sell it and some other companies, but you have to search for the constituent ingredients rather than the brand name.

http://www.gracefruit.com/additives/actives/preservatives/#/product/402

 

[DeeAnna]

You have not listed the % of water and the % and type of oils and you haven't specified the emulsifier. The amount of water and the emulsifier will alter the spreadability of the product on the skin and affect the skin feel. The type of fats will have as big or bigger affect on how your lotion performs than all the additives, IMO.

I'm by no means an expert on lotions, so take this with a grain of salt, but here are my reactions to the ingredients -- Panthenol and dimethicone are usually found in hair care products -- not sure what your reasoning is for including these in a lotion. Xanthan gum is a thickener but cetearyl alcohol is all you need as a thickener. Again, not sure of your reasoning for including this.

 

[Soapmaker145]

My suggestion is to first find a mix of oils/butters that your skin likes and responds well to. Use them for few weeks to be sure you don't get a delayed reaction. You can even mix the oils with your favorite hydrosol or plain water right before application. From there, you can work on formulating an emulsified product.

Since you are dealing with aging skin, look into Sea Buckthorn oil and Helichrysum EO.

 

[Seawolfe]

That looks very complicated. I would make my first batch very simple, and then add things to see what they bring.

Are you using the SCM site for percentages? Heres my notes cribbed from my first lotion we did at a meetup:

Water phase
350 g distilled water or hydrosols

Oil phase
75 g oils - I like sunflower and hemp, trying apricot next - I add ROE to oils like hemp
25 g butters - have used shea and mango, trying kokum butter next
15 g cetyl alcohol (thickener)
25 g emulsifying wax (25% of oils & butters)

Cool down phase:
5 g EOs (1%) - I like geranium rose, or lavender, rosemary and frankincense
Vit E if using use at 0.5%
2.5 g liquid germail plus (0.1% - 0.5%)

Heat water and oil phase to 160-170 for 20 min (hold) - we did this for simplicity rather than heat them separately. It has worked well this and subsequent batches, but Susan does recommend heating separately.

Cool to 150 deg and stick blend to lotion

After emulsion, cool to 120 deg add scent and liquid germail

 

[snappyllama]

I actually like panthenol in my lotions a lot - especially in the winter. My hands get simultaneously wind chapped and sunburned when I forget my gloves. The inclusion of panthenol seemed to reduce the redness and itchiness of my skin healing. Just make sure to mix it in water since it isn't oil soluble - mine always takes a lot of mixing!

Disclaimer: I'm a lotion noob - making only about a batch per month.

 

[PerthMobility]

What a great community you are. Many thanks for your input.

Firstly my water content will be about 70%, I should have mentioned this originally. Secondly I have chosen ingredients recommended by my local vendor, Aussie Soap Supplies, as being suitable for dry and ageing skins.

So a preservative, an emulsifier, a humectant and a good carrier, as I intend to add an EO, butter and oils, form the basis of what I am trying to achieve.

This is all about a good soap followed by a good skin lotion. My dermatologist tells me that soap only, without a skin care lotion is silly and dangerous once we travel past sixty years old and I am well past that.

I also need to make sure that I comply with at least two sets of regulations in Australia before I can consider marketing even to friends and families. I really do not have a problem with complying with the regulations as there have been too many "snake oil" type products in the past which have in a few cases caused some serious skin problems for users.