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Hello there! 😀
Today I am back with a recipe for an extremely simple yet effective serum… however there are a couple of things I need to say first!
1) This serum is formulated to help a problematic skin. With this I intend a skin which suffers of mild blemishes every now and then, maybe a little irritated and with a few red marks left by previous spots, add an oily T-zone… and that should be it 😀 . The ingredients of this serum will HELP the skin keep hydrated, will help keeping the oiliness under control and will help to soothe the skin (it might also have some effect against the red marks). Obviously, this serum is NOT A CURE for acne or for serious conditions: it is just a help. I want to underline this because too often, online, we read about “the final cure for blablablaaa” but this is not the case 😀
So here is the Serum FORMULA:
No wait!!! There is still another thing I NEED to say…
This recipe contains NIACINAMIDE (also known as Nicotinamide, Vitamin PP, Vitamin B3 or Nicotinic Amide: they are all the same thing!).
This is an ingredient which works really great on skin; as I already mentioned above, it has anti-inflammatory properties, soothing properties (if used up to 2%) and it helps fighting blemishes (at concentration up to 4%), it helps normalize sebum production and it also helps against any discoloration of the skin. Wonderfullll!!!
So where is the trick? 😀
As you might have guessed from the name, this Nicotinamide is a close close friend of Nicotinic Acid; it is, in fact, the amide of nicotinic acid and this acid causes flushing and burning sensation of the skin (definitely the opposite of the soothing property we are looking for…). If one was to apply nicotinic acid to the face, it might ruin the skin… so the most important thing when formulating this serum is to CONTROL the pH.
Nicotinamide is stable at a pH range between 5.6 and 7. So it is mandatory to keep the Serum’s pH between 6 and 7 just to be on the safe side (my aim is 6-6.5 pH).
In fact if the pH is too acid, the Niacinamide goes through a reaction and the Nicotinic Acid is formed.
So it was absolutely important for me to use proper pH stripes. At the time I didn’t have a pH meter, I did buy it later, and that would have actually been a much better option.
Finally, to the FORMULA:
Water to 100 (HERE the explanation)
Niacinamide 4
Aloe Vera powder 0.5
Betaine (also known ad Trimethylglycine – it is NOT the surfactant: it is a powder with soothing properties) – 5
Glycerin 1
Sodium Hyaluronate 0.9 (this is a great active, it promotes deep hydration of the skin and in this formula it is also used as the “gelling agent” 😉 )
Preservative (water based) – use it at the concentration needed. I use an Ecocert approved preservative which needs a 1% concentration.
Extras: I added one drop of green, food grade and water based colorant and fragrance oil of cosmetic grade
HOW TO:
1) I measure the water in a becher
2) I add the Aloe Vera Powder, the Glycerin, the Betaine and the preservative to the water.
3) Now it is time to measure the pH!
– If it is between 6 and 6.5 – PERFECT proceed to point 4)
– If it is lower than 6, particularly if lower than 5.5 – I need to add a substance which is a strong base and will make the pH rise. When I made this gel, the pH was lower than 5.5, therefore I added a very small amount of SAP (sodium ascorbyl phosphate – a stabilized form of Vitamin C). I could have also used a solution of water and 10% sodium hydroxide (but I didn’t have it at the time and SAP was also a less dangerous ingredient than this solution). I added a little SAP and mixed, waited few minutes and mixed again and measured the pH again until it was in the range 6-6.5 pH.
– If it was higher than 7, I would have added a drop of lactic acid or citric acid and I would have re-checked the pH until in the right range.
4) I add the Niacinamide and stir (and check the pH again! Yes! Again!)
5) Finally I add the Sodium Hyaluronate: I just poured it on top of the water and forgot about the serum for a day.
The pH of Sodium Hyaluronate should be around 7, therefore it shouldn’t have a bad effect on the serum’s pH, however, just to be sure, I did measure it again the following day just to be sure I wasn’t applying Nicotinic acid to my face.
This is how it looked as soon as I poured the sodium hyaluronate. It would sit on top and form a gel starting from the top.
But since I have zero patience 😀 I mixed with a spatula and then use an immersion mixer.
6) I decided to add a drop of food grade and water-based colorant and a drop of fragrance oil.
IT'S ALL IN MY HANDS 
Hello there, this sounds interesting, but I wonder what makes it gel? Is it aloe? Hyaluronic acid is horribly expensive and I haven’t worked with it yet,but hopefully one day I’ll get it for my serum and creams. Also, I wouldn’t add any fragrance and particularly not colours, maybe some essential oil instead.
My best regards,
Maja
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Sodium hyaluronate costs approx 2.5 euro per gram. If you buy more than one gram you can pay it around 1.5 per gram.
You need 1 gram to make 100 grams of product and it is the ingredient which makes the gel (because it bounds with water).
I don’t think it is so expensive 🙂
You can choose to add essential oils but remember to add only one drop or it will come to the surface (in fact there are no emulsifiers in this formula)… And avoid citrus essential oils if you use this serum during the day (to avoid fotosensibilization) 😉
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Do you think it will be fine to ass willow bark extract to this serum?
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Hello Iolax. If “ass” was supposed to be “add” I don’t see why not.
Just be sure the extract is water soluble and the pH is compatible. Adjust the amount of water accordingly 😉
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Oops! sorry about the typo. and thanks for your response. Will go try it out.
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SOAP acid how you using it to elevating oh
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SOAP acid? What do you mean?
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Sap acid how elevating ph
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Hi, I’m interested in this formula therefore would like to try it out. However, I do not have Betaine on hand, so could I just replace it with 5% of Kaolin instead as i know kaolin can also helps to soothe our skin.
Thank you.
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or can I use 5% of Oat Kernel instead?
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Oat kernel oil? Or what do you mean
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Hello, no it is not a good substitutio because kaolin is NOT soluble and it being a powder it is going to destabilize your emulsion and bring a lot of preserving-related issues.
It is better to simply omit betaine and add 5% of water 😉
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Hello, thank you for all your interesting articles !
May I know if it’s alright to use Niacinamide (Vit B3 ) powder in my Hyaluronic acid serum while I’m also applying Vit C serum? I need all that I can find to get rid of pigmentation problem.
Thank you very much for you kind advice:-)))
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Hello,
No I wouldn’t use them together because of pH reasons.
You can use one them in separate days or anyway after having washed off the other 🙂
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Hi again, I’ve purchased the Vitamin B3 (Niacinamide) on line, and just added 1% of the powder into my Hyaluronic Acid serum. Following your helpful instructions, I did get a pH6 but when I tested it on my inner arm, the skin flushed and redness appeared. I’m wondering if it’s possible that I’m allergic to Vitamin B3? (I’ve searched for days for reasons but to no avail.) I’d appreciate it if you would help me find the cause? (my skin is hardly allergic to products.) I can even use Vitamin C which is pretty acidic….
Thank you very much again in advance for your precious technical advice!
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Did you purchase this ingredient from a cosmetic ingredients retailer?
Try rising the pH and reaching closer to pH 7 and try then on your arm.
I am no specialist for allergies, but I do know Niacinamide can cause this kind of reaction when it has become nicotic acid.
It might be that the pH is NOT actually 6 (did you check it with strips or with a pH meter? was the pH meter tested to be sure it signs the right pH?), or that there is some issue in the ingredient you purchased.
Try rising the pH closer to 7. Does it give you the same reaction?
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Thank you so much for your kind reply. I still am thankful that I managed to make the Hyaluronic acid serum and I may have to leave this for the time being as I dont have the ingredient to play around with the pH :-))) I think it’s somehow an allergy in my case. I bought the powder On Line.
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Hello,
Could I add the preservative at the end of formulation? Or is there any specific reason for adding preservative before niacinamide and sodium hyaluronate? Thanks!
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If you add it before, when the water is still in liquid form (not gelled) you can be sure it is well mixed in. That’s all
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