active ingredients – IT'S ALL IN MY HANDS

Pink Sugar Frosting Body Lotion (Recipe)

LAB NOTES & SAFETY NOTICE
These are personal experiments for educational use only— not instructions and not for commercial or consumer use. By proceeding, you assume all risks related to safety, testing, and regulatory compliance.
[Full Legal Disclaimer & Safety Requirements]

Hello everybody! 😀

Today I am going to share with you a recipe for a body cream.

[If you are new to the making of lotions at home… you might want to run here! 😀
If you already know the basics but miss the ingredients you might want to read the post about where to buy cosmetic ingredients online (here!) 😀 ]

My intention with this formulation was to get a very emollient cream (which often means “an important and well studied oily phase”) with few active ingredients to do good to the skin (we don’t want to use active ingredients only on our face: we can afford to use some also on the rest of our body 😉 ).

How I proceeded:
Picking the oils: being a body cream I wasn’t too concerned about using comedogenic oils or butters. This is why I used a 5% of Shea Butter (which, whatever you read online, is comedogenic due to its fatty acid composition… In case, you can read more about it here) without thinking twice. Shea butter is heaven for the skin of our body. As medium density oil I added Borage oil and Safflower oil, but the main part of my “Grease-Fall” was made of light and extra light oils (to be really honest Jojoba oil is a wax and the other two were synthetic oils which have the very good property of improving the feel of the cream on the skin. If you want to use only natural oils I will add options at the end of the post on how to change the recipe 😀 ).

KEEP ON READING

Buying online COSMETIC INGREDIENTS

Maybe you’ve been reading my posts thinking “yeah right… and where on earth am I gonna find these ingredients?!”
Well I guess it is time for me to show you a few online shops of raw material of cosmetic grade!
This is obviously very important because if you use a fragrance oil which is not of aimed in cosmetic use… well, don’t be surprised if you get a strong allergic reaction or even something worse… same goes if you use urea which you find in gardening shops: that won’t do! 😀

This said, of course in the online shops which sell raw materials for cosmetic use… all the ingredients are of cosmetic grade… but here a few tips in case the online shop you found is not in my list:
– maybe before you purchase, read around the internet if there are experiences of other people
– for each ingredient they sell, they are supposed to own a MSDS which is the Material Safety Data Sheet. The MSDS should be available for each ingredient on their website or they should send it to you after purchase: if it is not available on their website, before you place an order contact them and be sure they are going to send you one. This is important.
– Before purchasing try asking some information about one of the ingredients they sell: for example at what percentage it should be used, if it shouldn’t be used with certain ingredients and so on. Usually they have this information on the ingredient page but sometimes they don’t. A serious supplier will be able to give you some information, however, don’t expect too much: don’t expect suppliers to be formulators.
– If it is the first time you want to buy raw material… DON’T BUY EVERYTHING you find! Make a small list of ingredients that will be really useful (an emulsifier, a thickening agent, a gelling agent). Start planning to make simple creams, pick few active ingredients (maximum 3!), really: keep it simple! 😀
– do NOT go for the “nice name” ingredient: for example, if an ingredient name is “NO MORE WRINKLES concentrated active ingredient” 99% of the time it is a big NO NO NO 😀 If you click on it and look for the INCI name, probably it comes out that this “concentrate active ingredient” is actually made of “water, lecithin (emulsifier), some kind of oil, the great ingredient” and you can be sure that your great ingredient will be at minimum %.

Ok… after having warned you… 😀
Let me put some links! 😀
NOTE: I am not publicizing any website, I am just posting some websites I know of… that might help you in starting your serious COSMETIC DIY! 😀
I have bought only from some of these websites and obviously I am not responsible if something on your order goes wrong.

Here we go:

Asia:
http://www.bulkactives.com – good website! It has some ingredients which are very difficult to find somewhere else. Prices are a little bit higher than in other places.
http://stores.skinessentialactives.com/

North America:
http://www.makingcosmetics.com – many ingredients and also sells in bulk!
http://www.ingredientstodiefor.com
http://www.lotioncrafter.com/

Europe:
http://www.gracefruit.com – UK – Has many many ingredients for soap-making and also some ingredients. Long list also of fragrance oils. Prices are quite high compared to other websites but some fragrances are difficult to find somewhere else.
http://www.activeformulas.com – UK – website mostly about active ingredients. It has a vast choice.
http://www.aromantic.co.uk/home/products/active -ingredients.aspx – UK
http://www.thesoapkitchen.co.uk/
http://www.phoenixproducts.co.uk/
http://www.sensoryperfection.co.uk/ – if you click HERE you will find my review of some of their fragrance oils

http://www.zrobsobiekrem.pl/pl/i/Information-for-foreigners/129 – PL – This website is from Poland and you can use Google Translate to translate everything written on the page. It sells cheap plant extracts and also some emulsifiers and active ingredients!

http://www.glamourcosmetics.it/ – IT – Probably my favourite Italian website that sells ingredients. Very serious, ship extremely fast, have good variety of ingredients – if you click HERE you will find my review of some of their fragrance oils.
http://www.dermolife.it/shop/index.php – IT – Italian website with good prices about tensioactives. Many active ingredients (vitamins, minerals, aminoacids) also.
http://www.farmaciavernile.it/ – IT – good ingredients (also some special ones which I couldn’t find on other websites).

http://www.dragonspice.de – DE – website from Germany.
http://www.manske-shop.com – DE – website from Germany. It has mostly ingredients about making soaps, therefore a lot of butters and oils, many fragrance oils, essential oils and only few cosmetic ingredients (but basic emulsifiers and active ingredients are there) – if you click HERE you will find a review on some of their fragrance oils.
http://www.alexmo-cosmetics.de/
http://www.aliacura.de/

http://www.aroma-zone.com – FR – French website. Many kinds of oils and butters (very exotic), emulsifiers, essential oils and some active ingredients (but read the INCI of each, before purchasing).

http://www.jabonariumshop.com – SP – website from Spain mainly about soap-making. Good prices.

http://kosmetikmacherei.at – AU

http://www.candlemaking.gr/ – GR

Australia:
http://stores.skinessentialactives.com/
https://www.escentialsofaustralia.com/
http://www.n-essentials.com.au/
http://www.aussiesoapsupplies.com.au/
http://www.heirloombodycare.com.au/

Please let me know if you know any good shop from your own country.
Notice also that if you make an order from a website which is not in your country, you might have to pay custom duties… so get informed about it before you make your order! 🙂

Formulating lotion: Phase C & ACTIVE INGREDIENTS- THEORY pt.6

Finally the final step of making creams!

Phase A

In my formulation experiments, Phase A typically contains the heat-stable, water-soluble ingredients, while Phase B is comprised of fats, emulsifiers, and oil-soluble components that can withstand heat. However, the most delicate part of the process is Phase C.

What is Phase C? Phase C is often referred to as the “Cool Down” phase. In my lab notes, this phase typically includes:

Preservatives: Usually ranging between 0.5% and 1%, depending on the manufacturer’s technical data sheet.
Fragrance/Essential Oils: In my experiments, I find 2 drops per 100g is often sufficient for facial applications.
Active Ingredients: These are the components added for their specific properties, which can be heat-sensitive and are typically added at temperatures below 40°C. In my research, I aim to keep the total active load under 10% to maintain stability.

The Role of Active Ingredients Active ingredients are those which add specific value to a formula. Every active ingredient has a recommended usage rate provided by the supplier.

For example, Coenzyme Q10 (Ubiquinone) is theoretically used at around 0.1%. While this sounds low, my observations show that even at 0.1%, Q10 imparts a distinct yellowish tint to the cream. If a commercial Q10 cream is pure white, it may suggest a much lower concentration was used in its production.

Note on Sourcing: It is vital for a formulator to review the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) of every ingredient. For instance, “Liquid Q10” may be a pre-diluted blend, meaning the actual concentration of pure Q10 is much lower than expected.

Categories of Active Ingredients in Cosmetic Theory

Acids and Exfoliants: In formulation theory, these ingredients (like Citric or Lactic acid) are used to lower the pH or provide chemical exfoliation.
- Safety Note: Formulations containing chemical exfoliants (like Glycolic or Salicylic acid) are traditionally intended for nighttime use. In my experiments, these are kept far from the eyes and lips. Research indicates that chemical exfoliants can increase photosensitivity; therefore, their use is typically avoided during periods of high sun exposure to prevent skin damage or staining.
Antioxidants: Ingredients like Vitamin E (Tocopherol) or Resveratrol work best in synergy. Theory suggests that combining multiple antioxidants can provide a more robust defense against oxidation than using a single one alone.
Oily Skin Targets: Niacinamide is a popular choice (theoretically used between 1-4%). It is important to note that Niacinamide requires a stable pH of 5-5.5 to prevent it from converting into Nicotinic acid, which can cause skin flushing.
Hydrating & Humectants: Beyond the standard hydration of an emulsion, ingredients like Allantoin (soluble at 0.4%) or Hyaluronic Acid are used for an extra moisture boost. In my lab notes, I find Allantoin requires careful handling to avoid precipitation.
Soothing Ingredients: My preferred choices for experimental batches are Bisabolol (derived from Chamomile) and Panthenol (Pro-Vitamin B5).
Addressing Puffiness: In my Eye Cream experiments, I favor Caffeine (up to 2%) and Escin, which are traditionally studied for their vasoprotective and draining properties.

In future posts, I will share more specific examples of how I apply this theory in my lab experiments.

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