Homemade cosmetics trends (and mistakes)

Homemade Cosmetics Mistakes

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]

Theory: My Formulation Philosophy (No Miracles, Just Science!)

Hello Hello! 😀 When I first started studying how to make real cosmetics at home, it was because I was tired of the “miracle” recipes I found online. You know the ones: the “firming soap” made of aloe vera, or the “acne cure” that’s just 50% tea tree oil.

After years of studying, I’ve realized that the more you learn, the more you realize how much you don’t know. Today, I want to clear the air about some of the most common (and dangerous) myths in the handmade beauty world.

1. The “Miracle” Trap

Let’s be honest: No cosmetic is a miracle. When I started, I made creams packed with every active ingredient I owned, hoping for “photoshopped magazine skin.” Guess what? I still had my skin—just a little better hydrated. Making your own products is about learning not to believe commercial marketing (or trending “DIY” solutions) anymore.

2. “Natural” Does Not Mean “Mild”

This is a huge one. I see people adding Essential Oils to products for infants because they are “natural.” This is terribly wrong. Essential oils are highly concentrated and full of allergens. They are NOT “fresh water” and can cause painful reactions on a baby’s delicate skin. If you want a nice scent for a baby product, use an allergen-free fragrance oil instead!

3. I am a Formulator, Not a Doctor

It’s tempting to feel like a chemist-wizard once you start making creams, but we are not pharmacists. If a friend asks for a cream to “cure” their dermatitis or a medical condition, the only right answer is “NO.” I always tell my friends to see a dermatologist. My creams can hydrate and soothe, but they are not a medical cure.

4. The “Synthetic = Bad” Myth

Synthetic ingredients like SLES (Sodium Laureth Sulfate) have suffered from terrible, misleading publicity. There is no scientific evidence that they cause cancer.

  • The Reality: Even “natural” soap can be harsher on the skin than a well-formulated synthetic detergent!

  • Concentration is Everything: People say SLS is used to clean garage floors—well, water can be lethal if you drink too much of it! It all depends on the concentration and the overall formula.

5. Preservatives Are NOT Optional

There is a massive campaign against preservatives, treating them like “concentrated evil.” In reality, they are the heroes that save your cream from becoming a bacteria playground.

The Rule: If your product contains water (or water-based ingredients), it MUST have a real preservative.

And no—Tea Tree oil is NOT a preservative, no matter what you read on the internet! 😀


Summary: The Formulator’s Code

Myth The Truth
“Natural is always safe” Essential oils can be highly allergenic and irritating.
“Preservatives are toxic” Mold and bacteria in your cream are much more toxic!
“It’s a healing cure” Cosmetics are for care and hydration, not medicine.
“SLES is dangerous” Aggression depends on the formula, not just one ingredient.

I hope this helps you look at your ingredients (and those “miracle” pins on Pinterest) with a more critical eye!

What’s the strangest “miracle” claim you’ve seen online lately? Let’s debunk it together! 😀

Buying online COSMETIC INGREDIENTS

Buying Cosmetic Ingredients Online

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]

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.aspxUK 
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! 🙂