Raw or Pasteurized Goat Milk Lotion?

[MellonFriend]

I have a goat tallow lotion recipe that I formulated that I'm working on getting ready to start selling. All of the people I've given samples to want me to convert it into a goat milk lotion as well. Currently I was just using distilled water. My assumption was that I would need to pasteurize the milk, but I see plenty of people selling "raw" goat milk lotion on Etsy. I will of course be using a preservative (Optiphen plus is what i was thinking), but is raw milk the way to go in milk lotions? It just seems like a recipe for spoilage, but hey, I know that raw milk actually contains beneficial bacteria that help protect from the dangerous kinds of spoilage so maybe I'm thinking about this the wrong way. I'd like to not have to tell people to keep it in the fridge either. I think that's a hinderance to the convenience of the product. What would you recommend?

 

[MellonFriend]

I thought this might be a tough question to find and answer on. Does anyone here make goat milk lotion or know of someone who does? I'd be interested in hearing what you/they use even if you don't know the answer to my question.

 

[AliOop]

@cmzaha I know you made a lot of lotions, but not sure if you made any milk-based lotions or have any tips to share.

 

[not_ally]

I know that raw milk actually contains beneficial bacteria that help protect from the dangerous kinds of spoilage so maybe I'm thinking about this the wrong way.

I used to make cheese so this comment is limited to that context, but I believe beneficial bacteria in milk are usually referred to with respect to ingestion. Ie; they provide gut benefits in terms of digestion, nutrition, etc. There is a huge trade-off there, one which most cheese makers decide in favor of pasteurization because of the downsides of serious illness if using unpasteurized milk (if they are not completely confident of the source).

I can't really think of any benefits to the skin of using unpasteurized milk in lotion, and the downside in spoilage (even if you use preservative, that's a huge potential bacterial load) is so high I wouldn't do it.

 

[cmzaha]

@cmzaha I know you made a lot of lotions, but not sure if you made any milk-based lotions or have any tips to share.

Absolutely not and would not purchase handmade milk lotions due to the difficulty of preserving them. I also would not trust Optiphen for preserving a milk lotion, even phenonip has a hard time preserving milk lotions.

If I were going to make and sell a milk lotion I would send it out for challenge testing and not think about selling it without it, so it is a few months down the road before you can even start to sell a milk lotion. In my humble opinion, it is better to buy a milk lotion from a company where the lotions are made in a lab with in-house testing.
https://essentialsbycatalina.com/product/goats-milk-nourishing-body-lotion-base/ They have their own in-house chemists and would trust their products

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I have been thinking about selling lotions beginning next year and just recently began researching testing protocols and such. Here are some links to information I found to be useful:

https://sagescript.com/microbiology/
http://sagescript.blogspot.com/2011/01/microbiology-cosmetics.html
This person also offers a course on preservatives/preservation through The Nova Studios (linked from the first linked page)

Lotioncrafter offers a microbial test kit that would be a good way to get started with initial scanning, but it's not in stock at present.

 

[justjacqui]

There was recently a discussion on adding milk (and other ingredients) to lotions in this thread.

https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/coffee-in-diy-lotion.92114/

The general consensus is that it is a bad idea due to the potential for microbial contamination.

I just had a quick look on Etsy for goats milk lotion and that is some scary stuff. Ingredients listed incorrectly (optiphen or preservative instead of the actual name, vegan emulsifier etc), medical claims (including claims about cancer). If they can't list ingredients correctly they are probably not doing preservative testing.

 

[MellonFriend]

I just had a quick look on Etsy for goats milk lotion and that is some scary stuff. Ingredients listed incorrectly (optiphen or preservative instead of the actual name, vegan emulsifier etc), medical claims (including claims about cancer). If they can't list ingredients correctly they are probably not doing preservative testing.

What's wrong with listing optiphen?

 

[Misschief]

If you really want to use goat milk, you can get a goat milk hydrosylate from Formulator Sample Shop. That's what I use in my Goat Milk soap. There is no way I would ever use actual goat milk; that would be a preservation nightmare.

https://www.formulatorsampleshop.com/fss-goat-milk-hydrolysate.html

 

[justjacqui]

Optiphen is the trade name and is not the correct INCI name that should be used in the ingredients list. INCI names need to be used in cosmetic ingredients lists on labels.

Optiphen INCI: Phenoxyethanol (and) Caprylyl Glycol

Optiphen Plus INCI: Phenoxyethanol (and) Caprylyl Glycol (and) Sorbic Acid

Hope this helps

 

[MellonFriend]

If you really want to use goat milk, you can get a goat milk hydrosylate from Formulator Sample Shop. That's what I use in my Goat Milk soap. There is no way I would ever use actual goat milk; that would be a preservation nightmare.

https://www.formulatorsampleshop.com/fss-goat-milk-hydrolysate.html

Yeah, if I decide it's too much risk to put my goat milk in it, I don't see myself adding in an ingredient that is manufactured just to get the words "goat milk" on my label.

I'll be doing some more research on all this. I had assumed optiphen plus was the way to go because a goat milk lotion that I personally buy (and really like) has that on the ingredient list. It's very similar to my recipe. What I will likely end up doing is launching my goat tallow lotion as is without the milk in it and then start testing different options for adding milk in. I am going to continue to look into what the best way to add real milk is. But I only want to do it if I can find a way that makes me feel confident in the product I'm offering.

Optiphen is the trade name and is not the correct INCI name that should be used in the ingredients list. INCI names need to be used in cosmetic ingredients lists on labels.

Optiphen INCI: Phenoxyethanol (and) Caprylyl Glycol

Optiphen Plus INCI: Phenoxyethanol (and) Caprylyl Glycol (and) Sorbic Acid

Hope this helps

That is very helpful, thank you.

 

[Hkthomas]

If you really want to use goat milk, you can get a goat milk hydrosylate from Formulator Sample Shop. That's what I use in my Goat Milk soap. There is no way I would ever use actual goat milk; that would be a preservation nightmare.

https://www.formulatorsampleshop.com/fss-goat-milk-hydrolysate.html

I clicked on the link to what you referenced. Would you please tell me how much you use in your goat milk soap? I’ve never heard of this and I’m interested is it a preservative? it would be extremely expensive to make a whole batch of soap out of it. Thank you.

 

[Misschief]

I clicked on the link to what you referenced. Would you please tell me how much you use in your goat milk soap? I’ve never heard of this and I’m interested is it a preservative? it would be extremely expensive to make a whole batch of soap out of it. Thank you.

I wouldn't use it in soap; I use it in lotion. In soap, I use frozen goat milk.

 

[Hkthomas]

I wouldn't use it in soap; I use it in lotion. In soap, I use frozen goat milk.

 

[Hkthomas]

Thank you for the clarification!

 

[cmzaha]

I have been thinking about selling lotions beginning next year and just recently began researching testing protocols and such. Here are some links to information I found to be useful:

https://sagescript.com/microbiology/
http://sagescript.blogspot.com/2011/01/microbiology-cosmetics.html
This person also offers a course on preservatives/preservation through The Nova Studios (linked from the first linked page)

Lotioncrafter offers a microbial test kit that would be a good way to get started with initial scanning, but it's not in stock at present.

The microbial test kits can be a good starting place but absolutely do not replace lab testing. I did use them for initial testing, if my lotions failed the test kit I did not send them out to a lab for further testing. Arnica was my biggest nightmare test in lotion that I never could get to clear even a home test kit. When Swift Crafty Monkey did her GM lotion testing she found even Phenonip did not hold long as a preservative so I assume a milk lotion is going to take multiple preservatives to be safe. Even though I used a dual preservative system I still did not mess with gm milk lotions, besides I was grossed out smearing milk on my skin. Yucky, kinda like making breast milk soap for my niece grossed me out.