Why did I buy that? Ferulic acid

What the heck is ferulic acid and why did I buy it? (To post your own why did I buy that ingredient, click here and write a comment!) Ferulic acid is a polyphenol that offers good anti-oxidizing properties that can moisturize skin, help with light and weather damage, and might help tone down age spots. It might help stabilize Vitamin C (l-ascorbic acid) in our products.

I did read somewhere that ferulic acid can help stimulate hair growth, but I can't find any proof of this claim. It can help reduce inflammation in our skin, and might help protect you from the sun when you're in the sun (but don't use it instead of a good sunscreen!). It works synergistically with other anti-oxidants to create a super anti-oxidant party that will help retard the rancidity of oils in your products and fight free radicals on your skin.

A study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology (summary - it should be good for protection against skin cancer and wrinkles and age spots caused by sun exposure because it protects against oxidative stress)...

Ferulic acid is a potent ubiquitous plant antioxidant. Its incorporation into a topical solution of 15% l-ascorbic acid and 1% -tocopherol improved chemical stability of the vitamins (C+E) and doubled photoprotection to solar-simulated irradiation of skin from 4-fold to approximately 8-fold as measured by both erythema and sunburn cell formation. Inhibition of apoptosis was associated with reduced induction of caspase-3 and caspase-7. This antioxidant formulation efficiently reduced thymine dimer formation. This combination of pure natural low molecular weight antioxidants provides meaningful synergistic protection against oxidative stress in skin and should be useful for protection against photoaging and skin cancer.

Ferulic acid can be found in rice bran (in fact, the product you buy from Lotioncrafter is derived from rice bran oil), borage, coconut and virgin coconut oil, and wheat germ oils.

Ferulic acid comes as a fine white or off-white powder that is soluble in propylene glycol, ethanol, hot water (but only slightly soluble in cold water), and dimethyl isosorbide (an ingredient that can increase skin penetration of actives and is soluble in water). We add it at 0.5% to 1% to our heated water phase. You can use this in a variety of products like facial cleansers (although it'd probably wash off), toners, moisturizers, serums with water, and other products that contain water. I'd consider this a cosmeceutical ingredient ("cosmetic products with properties very similar to a pharmaceutical product (drug-like benefits)" because it's making claims to help with anti-aging.

Join me tomorrow for fun formulating with ferulic acid!

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Cosmeceuticals: More facial product ideas - toners

Although it sounds like a great idea to include our cosmeceuticals in rinse off products, like facial cleansers, most of them won't withstand the rinsing process (much like sodium lactate and sodium PCA). But you can include them in toners, which is a good thing for those of us who can't use anything but oil free products on our faces.

A lot of commercials would have us believe that toners are for toning our skin or returning it back to its original pH, but those aren't true. Toners don't tone - that is to say, they don't firm up our skin - they remove excess surfactant and offer some moisturizing. And they shouldn't be necessary to return your skin to your normal pH as you shouldn't be altering it if you're using a good facial cleanser at the right pH (6.0 to 6.5 or so). I use my toner as a light moisturizer for those days when my skin can't handle occlusion or oils. I fill it up with all kinds of film former and non-oily emollients, and I've been known to throw in an active or two to make it super moisturizing and awesome.

I have modified my toner in the past with all kinds of great ingredients - click here for the post on min-maxing your toner - and I did write a series last year on modifying toners for your skin type - click here for the first post and hit "newer post" at the bottom to see the other posts - so how you choose to modify your toner is up to you and your skin type.

Let's take a look at an example toner for someone with oily skin who doesn't want to use a moisturizer after cleansing.

Since my goal is to reduce oiliness with this toner, I'm thinking of using some of the same cosmeceuticals I used in yesterday's oil free moisturizer, which would include niacinamide (claims it can reduce sebum production and the size of our pores at 2%), MSM (claims it can reduce oiliness and reduce pores), and salicylic acid (encourages exfoliation at up to 2%). Feel free to include other cosmeceuticals you like at the suggested amount in the suggested phases. (Do not include another exfoliating cosmeceutical in this product because you might end up with too much desquamation!)

I'm using the recipe from the min-maxed toner post, but you can use any toner recipe you like and make these tweaks by removing the percentage from the water phase. (If I'm using 2% niacinamide, 2% MSM, and 2% salicylic acid, I need to remove 4% from the water phase as I already had 2% salicylic acid in this recipe.)


MIN-MAXED TONER WITH COSMECEUTICALS
HEATED PHASE
7.5% water
30% witch hazel
25% lavender hydrosol
10% aloe vera liquid
5% liquid green tea extract
2% sodium lactate
2% hydrolyzed protein
0.5% allantoin
2% niacinamide
2% MSM

COOL DOWN PHASE
3% Caprol Micro Express or another water soluble ester
5% Multifruit BSC
2% salicylic acid
2% panthenol
3% honeyquat
0.5% chamomile extract
0.5% preservative (I use Germall Plus)

Looking at this recipe, you might be asking yourself why I combined two exfoliating ingredients - Multifruit BSC, a type of AHA, and salicylic acid - into this product. The answer is this...my skin can handle it. I started off using 1% salicylic acid and no Multifruit BSC. I upped it to 2% salicylic acid and used that for a while, then adding a bit of Multifruit BSC at a time. Now my skin really likes it and I'm pleased with it. I suggest you do the same thing if you're making this toner - try a little of this, then a little of that and see how your skin reacts. You can use white willow bark at 0.5% in the cool down phase in place of the salicylic acid, but it will give it a browner colour than you see in the pictures above (the one on the left has green tea and white willow bark, hence the darker colour).

You can substitute the hydrolyzed protein with beta glucan or sea kelp bioferment, if you have those on hand. You could use resveratrol at some amount in this toner (you'll have to dissolve in a bit of alcohol before adding) or grapeseed extract, although this will give it a browny-purple colour. (I definitely recommend an opaque bottle if you're using all these extracts so it doesn't look hideous in your bathroom!)

Join me tomorrow for some more ideas on formulating facial products with our cosmeceuticals!

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Using cosmeceuticals in our facial products for oily skin

Oftentimes, oily skinned people sit on the sidelines wishing we could use some of these interesting and exotic cosmeceutical ingredients, knowing that we would break out almost immediately if we added extra oils to our skin. But we can use oil free type moisturizers, so let's take a look at how we can incorporate some of these amazing ingredients into our facial products. (Click here or here for more information and recipes for oil free moisturizers.)

We can use just about any of the cosmeceutical ingredients I've written about in this series of posts because very few of them are oil based. So you'll want to assess your skin's needs and include your ingredients accordingly. I find niacinamide fascinating for oily skin as it claims that it can reduce sebum production and the size of our pores at just 2% in our heated water phase. MSM may reduce oiliness and behave as a humectant at 1% in our heated water phase. If you're worried about aging skin, a little Matrixyl 3000 might help at up to 8% in our cool down phase (we'll use it at 3% to see how our skin likes it), and we can use other ingredients like Pepha-Tight at 3% in the cool down phase or sea kelp bioferment at 2% to 5% in the heated water phase or beta glucan at 2% to 10% in the heated water phase.

I'm going to go with 2% niacinamide, 1% MSM, 3% Matrixyl 3000, and beta glucan at 2% in this recipe, but you can choose any combination you wish. This means I need to remove 8% from my water phase. Feel free to add or remove your favourite or not-so-favourite ingredients from this product, but remember to modify your water phase accordingly!

MODIFIED CATIONIC OIL-FREE MOISTURIZER FOR ACNE PRONE OR ROSACEA TYPE SKIN WITH COSMECEUTICALS
WATER PHASE
10% aloe vera
10% hydrosol of choice
56% water
2% hydrolyzed protein (high molecular weight)
3% honeyquat or polyquat 7
2% sodium lactate or sodium PCA
0.5% allantoin
2% niacinamide
1% MSM
2% beta glucan

OIL PHASE
3% BTMS
2% cetyl alcohol

COOL DOWN PHASE
3% Matrixyl 3000
2% panthenol
0.5% -1% preservative

Use the basic lotion making instructions for this recipe.

There you have it! An oil free moisturizer chock full of beneficial goodness! Join me tomorrow for some ideas on how to use cosmeceuticals in other facial products!

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Using cosmeceuticals in our facial products

So you've found a few cosmeceuticals you like and you're wondering how you can incorporate them into a lovely facial product. For the most part, you'll want to stick to leave on products like lotions or toners because a lot of them are completely wasted in a cleaning product as they'll just wash off and you'll be left with no active ingredients. Remember that you don't want to combine a bunch of exfoliating ingredients in one product as it can be too much for even the most resistant skin and you want to check your pH when you're done (click here for more information on raising or lowering pH).

So let's take a few lovely cosmeceuticals and incorporate it them into a lotion. I'm not suggesting you use all these ingredients in one lotion, but you probably could. I've already incorporated beta glucan and niacinamide into this lotion, so let's tweak it a little further. As I noted in the original post, this will have less water than a normal moisturizer, so it might be more suitable as a night cream.

I'm including Pepha-Tight at 3% in the cool down phase and 5% Matrixyl 3000 in the cool down phase, so I'll have to remove 8% water to accomodate these changes. This will be a very thick night cream for dry skin. If you have normal skin, you'll want to play with the water amounts and perhaps use the more watery lotion found in this post (scroll down to the bottom for that recipe).

MODIFIED EVEN FURTHER FACIAL MOISTURIZER FOR DRY SKIN
WATER PHASE
20% aloe vera
20% lavender hydrosol
18% water
3% glycerin
2% other humectant
2% hydrolyzed silk protein
2% niacinamide
2% beta glucan

OIL PHASE
12% oils
4% e-wax or Polawax
2% cetyl alcohol

COOL DOWN PHASE
0.5% to 1% preservative
2% panthenol
0.5% green tea extract
0.5% chamomile extract
1% Vitamin E
2% DMAE

3% Pepha-Tight

5% Matrixyl 3000

Follow the basic lotion making instructions for this recipe. 

Wow, this is a lotion chock full of amazing cosmeceuticals! If all of these ingredients do what they promise, we should have smoother, tighter, brighter, younger looking skin in a few weeks. (That sounded sarcastic...it wasn't intended to be.) Of course, we can't expect miracles like that, but a well created facial product with great anti-oxidants, humectants, and other ingredients that will moisturize and hydrate our skin is always a good thing.

Join me tomorrow for more fun formulating with our cosmeceuticals!

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Cosmeceuticals: A summary and links

So this kinda concludes our look at cosmeceuticals. There are just too many of them to research and review, but this doesn't mean you won't see more posts on them in the future...I just need to take a break for now and focus on how to use them in our products. (If you don't know what cosmeceuticals are, click here.) And yes, I will be covering ceramides in the very near future...there's just a lot to that topic!

Here's list of what we've covered over this series as well as a few others I've covered in the past...
Some thoughts about cosmeceuticals
Testing your lotions for pH

Alpha-hydroxy acids
Beta glucan
Coenzyme Q10
Copper peptide
DMAE
GABA
Hyaluronic acid
MSM
Matrixyl 3000
Multifruit BSC
Niacinamide
Palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7
Pepha-Tight
Phytonadione
Resveratrol
Salicylic acid
Sea kelp bioferment

So join me over the next few days as we include these interesting ingredients in facial products!

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Cosmeceutical: Matrixyl 3000

Matrixyl 3000 (INCI: Glycerin (and) Water (and) Butylene Glycol (and) Carbomer (and) Polysorbate 20 (and) Palmitoyl Oligopeptide (and) Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7) contains two matrikines - Pal-GHK and Pal-GQPR. It claims that it helps to "maintain skin's youthful appearance" by offering anti-wrinkling and lifting effects. So what the heck does this all mean?

Matrikines are "peptides liberated by partial proteolysis of extra cellular macromolecules which are able to regular cell activities...(such as) proliferation, migration, protease production, and apoptosis (cell death)". Huh? Let's try this again. Matrikine "is the term proposed for fragmented matrix peptides able to regulate cell activity" (Lotioncrafter). Okay, that's a bit easier to work with as a definition. In other words, they are fragmented peptides normally found in our skin that have some kind of effect on cells.

Okay, so what else do we see in Matrixyl 3000? We see glycerin and butylene glycol as humectants and solvents, water as a solvent, polysorbate 20 as an dispersent, and carbomer to make it into a gel. The two key ingredients are the palmitoyl oligopeptide (100 ppm palmitoyl GHK) and palmitoyl tetrapeptide (50 ppm palmitoyl GQPR). And these last two are the active ingredients that make this product appealing, if you read the pamphlets. (Note there's no preservative in this...interesting...)

Correction from Robin: Palmitoyl GHK lipodated tripeptide without complexation to copper.
Which means the GHK we find in Matrixyl 3000 isn't a copper peptide. So what does that mean? It means it's GHK not GHK-Cu, which is what I wrote about in this post. 

Is palmitoyl oligopeptide an effective ingredient for our skin? What about palmitoyl tetrapeptide? I haven't been able to find much, if anything, on either of these polypeptides, so my only suggestion is to read the data sheets and make your own decision. Our skin likes glycerin and other humectants - they will make our skin feel moister and seem smoother - so this looks like a good product to me.

Here are two data sheets on this product. This one's more of a brochure, whereas this one contains a lot of really good information on studies and such. The suggested usage is at 3% to 8% in our cool down phase, and you'll want to store this in the fridge (the recommendation is for below 4˚C or 39˚F). This isn't an inexpensive ingredient at about $24.50 for an ounce, and using it at 3% to 8% in our products means we'll be using 3 grams to 8 grams in a facial moisturizer, so you'll want to perfect your moisturizer recipe before adding it willy nilly to everything you make. (It's about $0.82 a gram, so 3 grams works out to about $2.45 and 8 grams is $6.53 - EEK! - and I'm not including taxes or shipping in the equation.) I don't think Will and Patrick will be making their inexpensive lotions by including this ingredient!

If you have a chance, click on the second link and ask yourself this question - is the person on the front of this brochure meant to be a man or a woman, and are they really meant to look that vampiric? Ask yourself a second question - what the heck does an androgenous swimming vampire have to do with Matrixyl 3000? And ask yourself a third question - why do I keep typing MST3K instead of Matrixyl 3000? I think the last question is the only one that can be answered...I need some Mystery Science Theater 3000 and this is my brain's way of telling me that I need to watch a classic episode with my husband tonight. We watched "Mitchell" last week and "Cave Dwellers" the week before, so it might be time for "Pod People" or "The Day the Earth Froze" (I love the SAMPO!). But I digress...

Join me tomorrow for more fun with cosmeceuticals.

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Cosmeceuticals: Palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7

Palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7 (formerly known as palmitoyl tetrapeptide-3 for some reason) is another polypeptide we can find as a cosmeceutical, although it seems the only place I've been able to find it is in Matrixyl 3000 as palmitoyl GQPR (glycine-glutamine-proline-arganine connected to palmitic acid). It's attached to the palmitic acid to make it more oil solubility and to increase the chances of skin penetration.

It can slow the production of excessive interleukins, a group of cytokines (which are secreted proteins or signalling molecules) that promote inflammation in our skin. We know inflammation isn't a great thing - it can lead to degradation of skin's elasticity - and it appears that this polypeptide can help reduce the production of these interleukins, at least inside our skin.

I couldn't find any good studies to show that this polypeptide does what it says it does, other than in documents I found from the company itself.

Join me tomorrow a look at Matrixyl 3000.

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Cosmeceutical: Copper peptide (GHK-Cu)

GHK is a tripeptide that has a strong affinity for copper, so it's often called copper peptide or GHK-Cu. It occurs naturally in our blood, urine, and saliva and it is used in our bodies as a wound healer, anti-oxidant, and anti-inflammatory that can stimulate collagen and glycosaminoglycans (or GAGs), which bind water in the skin, increasing hydration.

Glycosaminoglycans  are required in our skin for normal collagen structure and function, but too much can lead to wrinkling in photo-damaged skin. Take a look at this adorable shar pei dog - click here and scroll down - for an example of what happens when we have too many glycosaminoglycans in our skin!

But we know that things are that are awesome in our skin don't necessarily do the same things when applied on our skin, so what's the deal with GHK? Studies have shown that application of 2% GHK on patients with diabetic ulcers can show increased wound healing of 60% to 98% and a reduction of infections (1984). Other studies have shown that application of GHK to aging skin can increase the synthesis of collagen in skin's fibroblasts (the structural frame work for animal tissues, critical in wound healing) better than Vitamin C or retinoic acid and can increase synthesis of decorin, a proteoglycan that binds water and regulates water movement in our skin as well as collagen synthesis and wound healing. It also stimulates the synthesis of metalloproteinases (enzymes that break down skin's proteins), which lead to the idea that it helps in skin restructuring and remodelling. In other words, this appears to be one heck of a peptide!

There are a lot of claims about this peptide, but I've only included the ones for which I've found good studies. There are claims that it can increase hair growth, but I haven't seen a lot of evidence for this.

You might find copper peptide listed as palmitoyl GHK or Cu-GHK or just copper peptide. It is listed in Matrixyl 3000 as palmitoyl oligopeptide and we find it there at 100 ppm.

It's suggested that we use copper peptide at about 0.1% in our products, but I'm not really sure in which phase we should use it. I've seen suggestions on how to add it to already made products, so I'm thinking the cool down phase might be a good place for it (click here for more information on when to include our ingredients). I've only seen this sold in one place and it was $10.50 for 2 ml, enough for 120 ml of lotion, so this is a very expensive inclusion as a cosmeceutical. We find this polypeptide in Matrixyl 3000 (more about this in two days), which might be a more economical ingredient for most of us.

Join me tomorrow for more fun with polypeptides!

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Cosmeceuticals: Pepha-Tight

Pepha-Tight (INCI: Algae extract from Nannochloropsis oculata and pullulan) makes claims that it can protect human fibroblasts from oxidative stress, increase the formation of collagen in our skin, and promotes a long term tightening effect.

Nannochloropsis oculata is a phytoplankton that contains high levels of B12. It is fermented to produce more of the good stuff we want in a cosmeceutical (see below). Pullalen is a glucan gum produced by black yeast that behaves as a film former and binder and also provides a skin tightening effect which can lead to a smoother skin texture.

The main consistuents of the algae and pullalan are polysaccharides, amino acids, Vitamin C, and Vitamin B12. We know polysaccharides create a light film, help with inflammation, and offer skin soothing. We know Vitamin C is a proven anti-inflammatory that can stimulate collagen formation, lighten skin, treat hyperpigmentation, and heal wounds. And we know amino acids can film form and moisturizer without oils (take a look at our proteins like silk or oat proteins). Does this combination of phytoplankton and glucan gum make your skin feel tighter? Subjective reports indicate that it does in that women who use Pepha-Tight feel that their skin is tighter.

So does it work as it is claimed? It looks pretty good. The science is there for the components like polysaccharides, Vitamin C, amino acids, and Vitamin B12, and the subjective feeling of skin tightening is reported by people who use it, so it sounds good to me.

Pepha-Tight comes as a yellowy viscous liquid that is water soluble and should be used in the cool down phase as it's sensitive to heat. Its suggested usage is at 1% to 5%, and it can be used in water soluble or emulsified products. It is easily washed off, so keep it in your leave on products as opposed to your cleansers! When storing it, the suggestion is to keep it away from light and at temperatures between 10˚C to 25˚C. It has a pH of 4.5 to 5.5 and works best in products with a pH range of 5 to 7, so you won't be using this in a moisturizer with AHAs any time soon.

Here are a few recipe ideas. This eye gel sounds interesting and wouldn't need many ingredients (you can substitute the Diocide for your preservative of choice and substitute the methyl gluceth-20 for any water soluble oil you wish. And here's a facial cream with this ingredient (for the love of all that is good, please don't write to me for ideas for substitutions for the various ingredients you don't have. I will be here all day!)

I won't be formulating with this ingredient any time soon. It's not that I have any issues with whether it works or not, but it goes for $15 to $18 for 30 ml (1 liquid ounce), and that's far too pricey for my tastes! You can take any water soluble product (like a toner) or emulsified product (like a moisturizer) and add it at 1% to 5% in the cool down phase - you don't need a special recipe for it.

And here are two data sheets on this topic - find them here and here.

I really encourage you to take a look at the first one because I can't quite figure out what this possibly female, possibly vampiric, swimmer on the cover has to do with a skin tightening active. My husband and I pondered about this a good long while this morning, so there's 10 minutes of my life I'm never getting back.

Join me tomorrow for more fun with cosmeceuticals!

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Cosmeceuticals: Sea kelp bioferment

I've always loved the words "sea kelp" (say it fast) and even created a "therapeutic body wash" to go with the name. But what's the deal with sea kelp bioferment?

Sea kelp bioferment is derived from the fermentaiton of sea kelp using the bacteria Lactobacillus, which breaks down the cellular walls of the kelp, which should make the insides actually beneficial to our skin. (Remember that plants have really thick cell walls, and our bodies can't break those walls down, hence the eating of our vegetables equalling good fibre for our intestines.) The claims are made that this is a soothing and emollient ingredient that should offer some oil free moisturizer and film forming on our skin.

Sea kelp bioferment is found in one of the most expensive creams around, Creme de la Mer, which goes for something like $135 an ounce. (Joe Schwarcz has a great article about this cream and the attempts to recreate it in his book Science, Sense & Nonsense. You can read a bit of it here at Google Books.). And I think this has helped to create the idea that sea kelp bioferment is some mysterious ingredient that is worth a fortune. (I found it for $7.50 for an ounce at the Herbarie, and it's about the same at other suppliers.)

So does sea kelp bioferment live up to the expectations? If you're looking for a film former and oil free emollient it will do just that. It works a lot like our hydrolyzed proteins or aloe vera in that it offers great film forming and emolliency through the proteins and polysaccharides. Our hydrolyzed proteins are broken down to make them more suitable for our skin and the fermenting of the sea kelp does the same thing. So it will behave as a great emollient and film former.

Is it better than other, cheaper ingredients? It's hard to say. I wasn't able to find a lot of information about studies or research on this ingredient, so I can't give you an evidence based answer. It seems like it should work just as well as our hydrolyzed proteins for increasing moisture in our skin through film forming and emolliency, and it sounds like it would be a great inclusion in an oil free moisturizer to increase emolliency without increasing oil content. I think you could substitute this easily for any hydrolyzed protein you're using at the moment and get similar (or possibly better) skin feel.

As an aside, if you ask me if Creme de la Mer is worth $135 an ounce, I'd have to say no. Looking at the ingredient list, the first ingredient is the seaweed algae extract, then we find mineral oil, petroleum, and glycerin. There's nothing in there that is worth $135 an ounce - especially considering that we'd find that same ingredient list in a lot of drug store products - so don't believe the hype. I'm sure it's a fine product, but very few things in life are worth $135 an ounce! Okay, maybe my adorable puppy, but she works out to about $100 an ounce when I consider the grooming, feeding, vet bills, chewed socks and underpants, and toys. 

Sea kelp bioferment comes as a thickish yellow to amber coloured liquid that is water soluble and heat stable, so we can add it to our heated water phase at 2% to 5%. I've seen that some people find the smell a bit briny, but I've been assured this odour won't show up in the final product. (I've used unfermented sea kelp extract and I found it very briny. Even my Clementine Cupcake fragrance oil couldn't save it - I just had fishy orange cupcake scent! It did feel very nice on my skin, but I couldn't get past the odour!)

Join me tomorrow for more fun with cosmeceuticals!

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Using cosmeceuticals in a lotion: Tweaking a dry skin moisturizer

I still haven't received the cosmeceuticals I ordered - I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve waiting for Santa, only I know what's inside the box - but I thought I'd take a look at some of the cosmeceutical ingredients we've reviewed in the last week and how we can incorporate them into a product. So let's say we're going with this moisturizer recipe for dry skin (click for more information on why I used each ingredient).


MODIFIED FACIAL MOISTURIZER FOR DRY SKIN
WATER PHASE
20% aloe vera
20% lavender hydrosol
32% water
3% glycerin
2% other humectant
2% hydrolyzed silk protein

OIL PHASE
12% oils - 8% borage oil, 4% squalane
4% e-wax or Polawax
2% cetyl alcohol

COOL DOWN PHASE
0.5% to 1% preservative
2% panthenol
0.5% green tea extract
0.5% chamomile extract
1% Vitamin E

So let's say you want to add some niacinamide to help with protection from the elements, a reduction of skin blotchiness, and reduction of trans epidermal water loss. Let's put 2% in the heated water phase of this product. And you want to add some DMAE to help with decreasing fine lines and increasing skin's firmness. Let's put 2% in the cool down phase. And you want to include some beta glucan to help your skin with inflammation and fine lines and wrinkles. Let's put 2% into the heated water phase! 

All of these ingredients can be included by reducing our water amount in the heated water phase to compensate for the extra ingredients. 

And remember not to include too many exfoliating ingredients into one product. We don't want your skin to be red and itchy as you experience the fun and excitement of excessive desquamation! 

MODIFIED FACIAL MOISTURIZER FOR DRY SKIN

WATER PHASE

20% aloe vera

20% lavender hydrosol

26% water

3% glycerin

2% other humectant

2% hydrolyzed silk protein

2% niacinamide

2% beta glucan

OIL PHASE

12% oils - 8% borage oil, 4% squalane

4% e-wax or Polawax

2% cetyl alcohol

COOL DOWN PHASE

0.5% to 1% preservative

2% panthenol

0.5% green tea extract

0.5% chamomile extract

1% Vitamin E

2% DMAE

This product will be much thicker than the original version of the moisturizer because it has 6% less water, which means we're actually creating at 70% water lotion. I think this might be too thick as a day moisturizer and more suitable as a night moisturizer. So let's say you want to include these lovely ingredients but don't want something this thick. What to do? We turn to a thinner lotion and modify it to have a smaller water phase, but not as small as this! (Click here for the 88% water facial moisturizer recipe for more information.) 

BASIC FACIAL MOISTURIZER RECIPE

WATER PHASE

85.5% water

OIL PHASE

8% oils

4% emulsifier

2% thickener

COOL DOWN PHASE

0.5% to 1% preservative

So if we want to include 6% cosmeceuticals, we would reduce our water amount to 79.5%, add a nice humectant, use the oils of our choice, and include any other ingredients we really like. This is just a basic example. As usual, I encourage you to tweak it to include any ingredients your skin loves like proteins, aloe vera, hydrosols, panthenol, allantoin, and so on, remembering to adjust your water phase to compensate for added water soluble ingredients. 

BASIC FACIAL MOISTURIZER TWEAKED TO INCLUDE SOME COSMECEUTICALS

HEATED WATER PHASE

79.5% water

2% beta glucan

2% niaciamide

HEATED OIL PHASE

8% oils

4% emulsifier

2% thickener

COOL DOWN PHASE

0.5% to 1% preservative

2% DMAE

Join me tomorrow for more fun formulating with cosmeceuticals! 

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Cosmeceuticals: Beta glucan

Beta glucan is a soluble fibre derived from the cell walls of plants like oat, barley, and reishi mushrooms or from yeast. Beta glucan is claimed to be anti-inflammatory, a promoter of collagen, a treatment for fine lines and wrinkles, and a great wound and care care helper.

It's thought that beta glucan works to stimulate and activate macrophages in our skin as well as promoting the protective qualities of our keratinocytes, which will help with wound healing. (Click here for more information on the biology and chemistry of your skin!) And beta glucan can sooth and calm skin through reinforcement of these macrophages, which reduce irritation of our skin. Including beta glucan in our products can also reduce irritation of those products, especially surfactants.

Can beta glucan do all these great things? There are so many studies about wound healing and reduction of irritation that my suggestion is to look them up if you want to see said studies because it would take up the length of this post and more. This is one claim that has been confirmed a number of times by really great, large studies.

What about the claims about collagen promotion and treatment for fine lines and wrinkles? Beta glucan is a very large molecule, and normally it wouldn't be thought to penetrate skin, but one study (that has been quoted everywhere it seems) on non-living human skin showed that it could penetrate our skin. They used a 0.5% solution of beta glucan and found by using a tracking chemical that it did penetrate our skin, but not through the cells. It penetrates through the intercellular matrix of lipids between the skin cells (if you think of our cells as bricks, the intercellular matrix of lipids would be the mortar between the bricks).

This same company conducted a study on the claims that beta glucan can help with fine lines and wrinkles. They used a gel with 0.1% beta glucan on 27 subjects over 8 weeks. They reported a reduction of fine lines and wrinkles, but the effects went away if the subjects stopped using the gel. (If you'd like to know more about why this ingredient might work for this purpose, click on the study link and read the conclusions. Too much to write here.) This is a small study from 2005, and I haven't been able to find another study replicating the results, so take this information with a grain of salt.

So we have confirmation that beta glucan is a good anti-inflammatory and wound healer, and information that could lead us to believe that it might be effective as a fine line and wrinkle reducer. I've found beta glucan in a few places, and you'll have to check with your supplier to get an idea of what usage rates are suggested and in what phase you should include this. It should be soluble in water. The beta glucan you find at your suppliers might be yeast, oat, barley, or mushroom based, so make sure you ask if it's important to you.

Always ask your supplier about their cosmeceuticals because they can differ from supplier to supplier. For instance, the Herbarie's version, called SymGlucan, calls for a usage rate of 2% to 10% whereas Bulk Actives carries both yeast - powder - and oat - possibly a liquid - with a suggested rate of 1% for the oat version to be put into the heated water phase.

As a note, you'll also find beta glucan in my favourite hydrolyzed protein, hydrolyzed oat protein, which is also good for reducing irritation on your skin and in your surfactant based products and for reducing inflammation.

Join me tomorrow for more fun with cosmeceuticals!

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Cosmeceuticals: Phytonadione (Vitamin K)

Phytonadione (aka phylloquinone or Vitamin K1) is a fat soluble vitamin found in various leafy greens (like the horrid Brassica family), parsley, clove bud essential oil, soy bean, and canola oil as well as some fruits like kiwi and grapes. In our bodies, it is essential for normal blood clotting. Vitamin K2 comes from menaquinones, from bacteria in our intestines.

In topical products, it is supposed to help with post operative bruising, broken capillaries (or salient telangiectases as found in rosacea prone skin), hyperpigmentation, and under eye circles. Dermatologists use phytonadione containing creams for all but the last condition, and that's really want we want to know, isn't it? Can this help dark under eye circles?

From Cosmetic Dermatology: Products and Procedures (2010), I take this quote: "However, there do not appear to have been any controlled studies to support the latter use..." meaning the dark under-eye circles. (The other books I have are from 2004 and 2007, and both note that there isn't a lot of data on this ingredient). So will it work for this purpose? Who knows?

I've seen two suggestions for products that will help with the other issues. Either a 2% phytonadione cream with propylene glycol (to help with skin penetration) twice a day for two weeks or a 5% cream. Since I haven't been able to find this ingredient or data sheets anywhere, I can't make suggestions on how to use it and in what phase we should include it.

As a note, Vitamin K is air and moisture stable, but it must be kept out of sunlight. So if you're using this ingredient, please put it in an opaque container.

Join me tomorrow for fun formulating with cosmeceuticals!

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Cosmeceuticals: Resveratrol

Resveratrol is a "polyphenolic phytoalexin" that certain plants use as a defence against bacteria and fungi. The main way we see this in our bath and body products without being a pure version of it is in grapeseed extract. It is claimed to be a good anti-oxidant and free radical scavenger, but might also offer skin lightening, skin brightening (not sure how to define this), anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, and skin damage repair properties to our products.

Resveratrol is a very good anti-oxidant and free radical scavenger. It is a great anti-inflammatory, and it can inhibit cell growth. It is advertised as reducing the signs of aging, and it does this by ameliorating the effects of UVB caused skin damage.

Resveratrol was applied to the bodies of hairless mice prior to UVB radiation and it was shown to reduce the damage caused to the skin from acute UVB exposure. We can't always extrapolate from animal studies, but other studies are so promising that cosmetic companies are already including this in a lot of post-sun products. It is showing promise as a wound healer, anti-fungal, and anti-viral - but don't go using this in place of preservatives!

There are quite a lot of studies about this ingredient happening right now. Click here for the study on skin cancer and inflammation, click here for a study on the effects of resveratrol on herpes viruses in mice,

If you're using grapeseed extract in your products, you can use up to 0.5% in the cool down phase. It's soluble in water, so you can use a titch of warm water to dissolve it. The down side in using grapeseed extract is the colour. When I first added it to this facial cleanser, it was a deep red with a titch of brown, which made it look like blood. As it cooled, it turned more of this browny colour, but the red is still there. This makes it a very difficult ingredient to use in a leave on product like a lotion, but fine for a rinse off product like a cleanser or a product in which the colour is irrelevant, like a toner.

If you're using resveratrol extract in your products, I'm not sure how much to use as I haven't been able to find any suggested amounts. It's soluble in alcohol, so you'll have to dissolve it in denatured alcohol or another form of ethanol before adding it to your cool down phase. It comes in a white powdered form if you get this version of the extract.

Be careful using resveratrol or grapeseed extract with other exfoliating extracts, like papaya, white willow bark, honeysuckle, and others and with things like AHAs because you don't want to use too many of these ingredients at one time as it might make your skin very sensitive!

The only place I've been able to find the resveratrol extract is at Bulk Actives, where it's $8.45 for 5 grams. I use grapeseed extract in my products, which I buy from Voyageur Soap & Candle at $3.70 for 10 grams. (Feel free to add information about other suppliers in the comments...but no ads!)

Disclaimer: I've never ordered from Bulk Actives, so I can't speak to the quality of their products or service. I buy most of my ingredients at Voyageur, and I love them. They offer me huge discounts and freebies for my youth programs, so I'm a huge fan of this supplier! 

Join me tomorrow for more fun formulating with cosmeceuticals!

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Cosmeceuticals: GABA or gamma aminobutyric acid

GABA (aka gamma aminobutryic acid or 4-aminobutanoic acid) is a "multifunctional ceullar stimulant". It is claimed that it is anti-inflammatory ingredient. But these aren't why we want to use it in our facial products. The main claims about this cosmeceutical is that relaxes muscles when topically applied which will smooth and reduce the look of fine lines. Some have likened the effect to topical Botox.

There are no studies or evidence that it works as a muscle relaxer. In fact, the most commonly quoted comment you'll see is this one from Paula Begoun (even a supplier that sells this ingredient quoted her!):

"There is no substantiated research proving GABA works in this manner when applied topically, and if it did, it would be cause for alarm. If GABA worked as stated and you applied it to your entire face, what's to stop it from affecting the muscles around your mouth, jaw, or neck? If it really relaxed muscles upon application, consumers would see more skin sagging, not to mention problems controlling the (relaxed) muscles in your fingers (assuming they come in contact with the product)."

I hate to be the bearer of bad news because this would be an amazing inclusion in a product, but there's simply no evidence that GABA will offer muscle relaxing properties in a topical product (except for testimonials for products containing GABA, but those aren't evidence!). As someone who gets $748 worth of Botox injected into my head every two months to stop muscle spasm related headaches, I can tell you that if it worked, I would spend every last penny I had to buy GABA and I'd glisten from the coating I would apply to my shoulders, neck, and face (and damn the breakouts!).

GABA can be eaten and you can find in some drinks as a relaxant (there's a lovely blueberry flavoured water I like that contains it...I haven't noticed I feel more relaxed, but then again I'm a little manic on my worst days). There is no proof that the internal muscle relaxation we feel from our body's GABA or ingested GABA translates in a topical product.

Having said all of this, there is some evidence it works as an anti-inflammatory, so you could include it in your products for that reason. And anti-inflammatories are great for those of us with reddened or swollen skin, skin that has been exposed to the elements, or acne prone skin.

GABA is a zwitteronic ingredient, meaning it carries a different charge based on the pH of our product. This is thanks to that lovely amine group that carries a positive charge. It is water soluble, and the suggestion is to add a little warm water to allow it to dissolve before adding it to your cool down phase. I have not been able to find any information on usage rates in our products, so I'm afraid you'll have to speak to your supplier for what they suggest!

Join me tomorrow for more fun with cosmeceuticals as we learn more about resveratrol!

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Cosmeceuticals: DMAE or dimethylaminoethanol

DMAE (also known as dimethylaminoethanol and 2-(Dimethylamino)ethanol comes as a water soluble, white crystalline powder we can use in our products at 1.5% to 3% in the cool down phase. It has a pH of 10, and doesn't play well with acidic ingredients.

So what's claimed about DMAE? It's claimed that it can reduce skin sagging and increase firmness. It can improve the overall face texture of aging and photo-damaged skin. These are pretty big claims! Around here, if you're going to make big claims, you better have some big evidence! And we have it!

A 156 subject, 16 week clinical trial using a moisturizing gel with 3% was tested and the results were pretty freakin' amazing. There was a decrease in the appearance of fine lines and an increase in skin firmness, as measured in a variety of ways but mostly along the jaw line. The results were seen as early as 2 weeks - although it was noted that skin was perceived to look better in 15 minutes - and continued to improve over the 16 week trial.

What's interesting about DMAE is the almost complete lack of irritation for subjects using this even at 3%, the maximum suggested usage. It is considered safe for all skin types, and those with sensitive skin are supposed to be able to use it (as usual, test your skin's reaction first before making a 32 ounce batch of lotion!)

How does it do it? DMAE is a synethetic analogue of choline (a B vitamin). It might stimulate the synthesis of phosphatidyl choline, which is an important component of cell membranes, or it might stimulate epidermal keratinocytes to contract, which will result in visual tightening or firming of the skin. Right now the mechanisms of how DMAE works isn't really known, but the results are incredibly promising based on this study and other smaller studies that show this tightening effect.

This would be a wonderful addition in your facial moisturizers at 1.5% to 3% in the cool down phase with two disclaimers. One - you might need to reduce the pH of your product as it does have a pH of 10, so check with your meter or strips to ensure you don't end up with something alkaline. (Click here for ideas on how to increase and decrease pH in your moisturizers.) Two is that although this seems like it would be a great addition to an AHA lotion - reduce the look of aging skin now and prevent it later - it doesn't play well with acidic ingredients. You want to keep this lotion at pH 6.0 to 7.0 or you'll neutralize the DMAE and make it pretty much pointless.

DMAE is a fairly low cost cosmeceutical. I found it at the Personal Formulator for $7.16 for 4 ounces (120 grams). So if you're using 3% in a 100 gram lotion you're looking at a cost of 6 cents per gram! Considering some of our cosmeceuticals can run us $7.16 for 1/2 an ounce, this is pretty remarkable.

This is not an endorsement of the ingredient found at the Personal Formulator, but some information on where you can purchase it. If you have any other supplier information, please post it in the comments. I will check the posts to ensure this is a genuine recommendation from a satisfied customer as opposed to a cheap excuse to put ads on my blog! 

Join me tomorrow as we take a look at another cosmeceutical - GABA

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Cosmeceuticals: MSM (methylsulfonylmethane)

I wrote about MSM on February 25, 2010, but I thought I'd do an update. The new information is in italic! 

MSM (aka DSMO2, methylsulfone, methylsulfonylmethane, and dimethyl sulfone) is an ingredient that we see in various moisturizers, but what does it do?

Sulphur (or sulfur) is an element found in every cell of our body and we need it to live. It is considered an anti-parasitic, anti-itching, blood vessel dilating, anti-oxidizing element when used cosmetically. Its main use is in the treatment of acne or really oily skin. It can reduce sebum production and is keratolytic (exfoliating) at 3 to 10%. It's used in the treatment of dandruff in the same way. It can be quite irritating to skin, and it may actually aggravate oil production, so use with caution. It is oil soluble and can be used to 10%, although this can be irritating to most skin types.

Sulphur is also used for collagen synthesis, so it keeps collagen fibres bouncy and elastic, which encourages skin pliability and elasticity. It helps with wounded or damaged skin repair. And it helps with wound healing. When we have a scar, it can be caused by excessive cross linking patterns of collagen, and sulphur can help make that cross linking pliable and less scar-like. (As a teenager, I had this weird concoction for my acne treatment consisting of sulphur that I had to mix in two phases before using. It reeked of sulphur and it dried out my skin, but it worked!)

Some of the worst stenches are caused by sulphur, found as thiols and sulphides in fruits and vegetables. (The brassica family of vegetables contains a lot of sulphur, and I won't eat a single one of them - cabbages, broccoli, mustard!)

So back to MSM. MSM is considered to have many of the cosmetic qualities of sulphur - it offers a reduction in oiliness, can help with scar and collagen flexibility, and increase blood flow. In addition, it is supposed to help with inflammation, helping with the treatment of aches and pains. It is used in arthritis related creams and ointments and hair care products intended for dandruff or oil control.

Does it stand up to scrutiny? Yes, and no. It can aggravate sebum production in products, so keep it below 5% in hair and skin care products intended for this purpose. Although studies are showing promise for MSM taken internally, there have been few studies on topically applied MSM. Initial results are showing it can increase circulation and there are self-reports that it offers pain relief, but we may need more research to say anything definitive about MSM.

One small study took a look at the use of silymarin and MSM for rosacea. The results look promising in that after 20 days there was a reduction in redness, papules, itching, hydration, and skin colour in those using the lotion. There is no indication of how much of each ingredient was used in said study, but given where the MSM shows up on the ingredient list (before propylene glycol and just after the first emollient), it seems like they used quite a bit. 

It is hygroscopic - meaning it is a humectant - and we buy it in a white powdery form that is water soluble, so it is easier and less stinky to use than sulphur powder. We add it in the heated water phase of our lotions and other creations so it will dissolve properly. When added to lotions and other emulsified things, it can cool down and leave shards behind that are most unpleasant on the skin if not properly dissolved (it's a lot like allantoin in that way). Start at 1% and see how you like it in your products - you can use it up to 5% for products intended for oily hair or skin related products, up to 10% for pain relief.

One thing to consider with MSM is its stability. Thanks to those two lovely oxygen atoms, it can oxidize a lotion with it quicker than a lotion without it. In other words, we need to include some anti-oxidants to increase its shelf life. But don't use Vitamin C! This normally wonderful vitamin can actually speed up the oxidation when combined with MSM! 

Join me tomorrow for another exciting cosmeceutical - DMAE! I'm going to be formulating with a few of these cosmeceuticals next week, but I thought we should go over how to do it first!

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Learning to formulate: What are cosmeceuticals?

I realized that I hadn't really addressed the concept of cosmeceuticals before diving right into the topic. This is partially because my brain has been addled by the stomach flu and partially because I didn't have 'net access for three days. So let's take a step back...

So what exactly are cosmeceuticals? There is no legal definition for these ingredients, but I found this definition, which I think works quite well. Cosmeceuticals are "cosmetic products with properties very similar to a pharmaceutical product (drug-like benefits)". (p. 295, Handbook of Cosmetic Science and Technology.) In other words, they are active ingredients we add to our products to offer a specific benefit, usually anti-aging. The problem is that there are no known proven ingredients that will reverse photo-aging, but we can include ingredients that will help reduce or slow down what we consider the signs of aging skin.

A note on this last sentence…Most of the tests done on these ingredients are done with skin cultures in a lab or with very small groups of women. We can say that the ingredients show promise, but not that they definitively stop or eliminate the signs of aging. Take a look at your favourite moisturizer commercial some time. You'll see that the disclaimers say things like "from women's reports after 28 days" or "subjective reports", not information on the clinic trials of the product. 

There are ingredients that have been tested extensively, like retinoids, AHA, salicylic acid, and anti-oxidants, and all of them show promise but aren't the magic bullet for removing every line and wrinkle from our skin. Clinical studies have shown very good results for plant anti-oxidants like the polyphenols in green tea (specifically the EGCG), soya isoflavones, tannins in pomegranate, and resveratrol in grape seeds. Other well studied anti-oxidants include Vitamin C, Coenzyme Q10, alpha-lipoic acid, and niacinamide.

Not all cosmeceuticals are exotic, expensive ingredients found only at specific suppliers. I'm sure you have a few in your workshop right now. Panthenol behaves as a hygroscopic ingredient, offering an improvement in skin's elasticity and cell regenerating features. Vitamin C offers anti-oxidant properties as well as stimulation of collagen synthesis in our skin. Soy bean oil contains isoflavones that can even skin tone and improve pigmentation. And think of all those lovely botanical extracts like green tea and grape seed that offer a ton of anti-oxidant benefits.

The problem in formulating with cosmeceuticals is that you must make sure that the lotion or serum or other product you are making is compatible with the cosmeceutical you wish to use. AHAs work best at a pH of 4.0, but you don't want to go below 3.5 if you are using esters in the mix or they will hydrolyze and smell really awful. But some of our preservatives and emulsifiers don't work well in fairly acidic environments. Some ingredients, like retinoic acid and Vitamin C, need to be kept in an opaque container away from oxygen, which is fairly difficult for large companies, let alone homecrafters!

If you really want to make moisturizers with cosmeceuticals, you will want to ensure you have a pH meter on stand-by and that you know your ingredients and how they interact with other ingredients very well. And you want to make sure you are using these ingredients at the recommended rates. It's always wise to stay within the formulating guidelines listed by the manufacturer or supplier because we don't want to waste our supplies, but in the case of ingredients like AHA or salicylic acid we want to make sure we aren't putting too many exfoliating or skin regenerating ingredients together in one place.

This is one of the reasons we want to be careful when combining extracts in our products. It's one thing to combine grape seed and green tea extract in the same product; it's another to combine papaya and white willow bark (two exfoliating ingredients). When it comes to cosmeceuticals, we can't be too careful. 

Okay, back to our regularly scheduled programming...

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Cosmeceuticals: Niacinamide

Niacinamide (aka Vitamin B3 or nicotinic acid) is an absolutely fascinating cosmeceutical and one that has a lot of science to back up the claims! It's a water soluble vitamin that can be found as a powder we add to the heated water phase of our products. So what can this amazing vitamin do?

The claims for niacinamide are pretty substantial and they are backed up by studies and good science. Studies have shown that 2% in a facial moisturizer can increase skin's keratin, ceramides, and barrier lipids which results in a reduction of transepidermal water loss and an increase in collagen synthesis. 2% can result in a 23% reduction in sebum production and pore diameter. It can reduce hyperpigmentation of age and sun spots. And it can reduce the damage from environmental causes, which reduces the irritation, inflammation, and skin redness from things like the sun, cold, or weather as well as application of straight SLS.  Even at 5%, there's a lack of irritation and redness on our faces ('cause sometimes niacin can make our skin flush, but not at 2% or 5%). It can reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and decreases skin blotchiness and "pebbling" or roughness on facial skin. All of these great things can happen in a short period of time. In one study, all of these results were seen within 12 days (the first time they checked, so it could have been a shorter period of time) and continued to work with application of the moisturizer daily.

This seems like a great inclusion for just about every skin type from wrinkled to oily to normal!

Take a look at this article on the awesome power of niacinamide! It's even more amazing than you think!

I've found this ingredient in a few locations - at Lotioncrafter and MakingCosmetics.com - and it's not that expensive considering the suggested usage is 1% to 6% (check with your supplier for their specific recommendations) As the studies I've quoted above used 2% in their products, it seems that this is a good amount for our products!

Please note, listing these links does not constitute an endorsement of these suppliers. If you know of any others, please link in the comments section. I will be reviewing every link to ensure they are true recommendations for a supplier and not an advertisement for one.

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Learning to formulate: Some thoughts about cosmeceuticals

As I mentioned, I feel like I've tweaked moisturizers to death, so here are a few ideas for ingredients you can include in your products. I can't stress enough the idea of making a basic moisturizer then adding ingredients once you see if your skin likes it - give it a week before deciding, unless you're really having problems - then add a new ingredient and leave it another week. I also recommend reading the posts on skin chemistry and types to see what your skin might like or hate.

There are so many ingredients out there claiming to be good for wrinkles or dark circles or age spots, and the best thing you can do when you come upon a claim like this is to research it. Some anti-aging ingredients are very well documented (like AHAs), some are dubious, and some need more research to come to any conclusions.

Let's say you come upon a listing for Coenzyme Q10 (ubiquinone). It's listed as an anti-oxidant that promotes collagen and elastin synthesis. It is part of our skin's lipophilic make up, and that generally means our skin can benefit from it. It sounds pretty great, but if we take a closer look at this ingredient we see that it has a high molecular weight, which means it isn't likely to penetrate our skin very well. Having said this, one study found that it can penetrate our skin enough to help reduce wrinkle depth and prevent the negative effects of UV exposure.

There is a synthetic analogue called idebenone that is a lower weight molecule that will penetrate our skin more effectively than Coenzyme Q10 and studies have shown that 0.5% to 1% can help reduce the signs of aging, such as a reduction in skin's roughness and dryness, the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and the appearance of sun damage. It is known to be a good anti-oxidant that can replenish Vitamin E's anti-oxidizing abilities and a good anti-inflammation reducer.

Or look at a humectant like hyaluronic acid (HA - scroll down after clicking for more information). It's another ingredient we can find in our skin, but the actual HA molecules we apply to our skin won't penetrate it as it's far too large. This doesn't mean it can't behave as an awesome humectant, but it won't be able to do the things you hope because it won't actually get into the layers of skin that need it.

When you're researching an ingredient, one of the important questions you should ask yourself is can it penetrate our skin? Something might sound really awesome, but if it only works if you eat it or if it can penetrate your skin, it's probably pointless to put it in a lotion. Look for information on the topical application and skin penetration of the ingredient to see if it's worth the expense.

Another thing to consider is that a lot of times, the ability for a specific cosmeceutical ingredient to work depends upon the formula and the version of the ingredient you're using. As we saw in the post on Vitamin C, only certain types of this ingredient are stable in our products. So if you wish to use this ingredient, can you put it into your normal lotion recipe with your normal processes or do you have do something specific?

Are there cosmeceuticals that interest you? Post them here and I'll do some research. Or do some research on them yourself and post your findings in the comments! Join me tomorrow for some information on niacinamide (this one sounds interesting!)

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