Question: Are you getting what you think you're getting when you buy ingredients?

In this post, Always Looking 4 1 More writes:
In regards to your comment, "If you see something like aloe vera, odds are really good that it's aloe vera liquid or extract, not the gel, because the gel doesn't get used all that often."

I've come to the conclusion that not much of what we find in the way of aloe vera is what is says it is in ANY form. Have you ever smelled the gel (often referred to as "meat, or "inner fillet") of an aloe vera plant. It retains its natural smell no matter what form it's in, when it is allowed to remain in its natural state, without anything else added to it or taken away from it. I've smelled it, felt it, and even licked it right off the leaf (yick!). I smashed it, blended it, and strained it so all that was left was just "juice" (hardly any slime at all). No matter what I've done to it, the natural smell remains.

So I wonder what the aloe vera products I see in the stores by various suppliers really are when they have no smell whatsoever-- yet they claim on the labels to be "natural", or some say "no preservatives and nothing added", etc. Maybe they're not adding anything to the original gel, but I guess what they're not saying is how they "take away" the smell. It's the "take away" part that they leave out :-/

This is one of the things that drives me crazy, and why I encourage everyone to ask questions of our suppliers and our manufacturers because the information they provide isn't always completely accurate. It could be that they don't know about an ingredient - I'm perpetually surprised when I ask a question about something like an emulsifier and the supplier can't offer me a suggested usage rate! - or the manufacturer hasn't provided them with completely accurate information. For every ingredient I use, I insist on having a data sheet, data bulletin, and - at the very least - the INCI name. (Click here and here for two posts on INCI names!)

I use aloe extract from Voyageur, which is listed as being "A 100% (1:1) concentrated Aloe Vera Liquid Extract in a glycerin and water base" and has an INCI of Aloe Barbensis Leaf Extract (and) Glycerin (and) Aqua. It doesn't claim to be aloe vera juice at 100% and it's easy for anyone wanting to buy the product to see what it is - it's an extract with glycerin and water. (I am a little worried about it not having a preservative listed, but I am sure there's one there lurking in the glycerin because I can have a bottle of this in my workshop for a few months after opening and not see any grosssness there!)

Compare this to what Lotioncrafter advertises as aloe vera juice 1x - it has an INCI of Aloe Barbadensis Juice and it's noted that it has a preservative (Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Sulfite, and Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid as a pH adjuster). I have no idea how this smells, but it claims to be 100% aloe vera (well, 99.something and preservatives, which, to me, is better than 100% aloe vera juice) and I imagine it has a smell to it?

Or compare this to what you might find at Brambleberry. They have two products - aloe vera extract, which contains water, glycerin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, citric acid, potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate and aloe vera juice, which contains Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe) Leaf Juice with nothing else listed.

I bought some aloe vera - listed as natural and pure - from Wal-mart. That stuff smelled really strong in the bottle, but not in my products, and it went bad in about two weeks. I guess they were telling the truth about the not having preservatives part, but they failed to tell me about the putting it in the fridge part. It had a layer of black/brown mould on the bottom of the bottle with bits floating in it! Ewwww!

We're seeing a lot of aloe vera based drinks reaching our stores, and I imagine they must only use a titch of it or they've found a way to deodorize it!

Having said all of this, we have an aloe vera plant in my house and I don't find the smell of the gel distasteful. It's a bit musty smelling, but it's not really that offensive. Are there different types of the plant that are smellier than others? Does it depend upon the size, because our plant is very small?

If you want to read more about ingredients that aren't quite what they seem, click here for a post on floral waters vs. hydrosols! 

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Thickener: Behenyl alcohol

I do love working with thickeners in my products! We know that cetyl alcohol can produce something slicker and silkier than stearic acid, and that cetearyl alcohol can offer those same qualities with a little more waxiness, so what does behenyl alcohol bring to the party? First, a review....

Cetyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol that contains 16 carbons on a long chain. Because it's saturated, it will have a long shelf life, at least two years! It has a required HLB of 15.5. We add it to our lotions to thicken the product and give it some extra glide. It has a melting point of about 49˚C.

Cetearyl alcohol (also known as cetostearyl alcohol and cetylstearyl alcohol) is a blend of cetyl and stearyl alcohols that we can use at up to 25% in our creations. It can be a 30% to 70% cetyl alcohol to stearyl alcohol or 30% to 70% stearyl alcohol to cetyl alcohol, but you might find 50-50 from some manufacturers. (I have no idea which version I have, but it looks a lot like Lanette O, which is 50-50.) It has an HLB of 15.5 and is used as a thickener. Its melting point is 49˚C to 58˚C. It's also saturated, so it will have a long shelf life.

Both cetyl alcohol and cetearyl alcohol are oil soluble, meaning they would go in the heated oil phase of our products, and they will thicken our lotions, creams, body butters, and other emulsified products when we use them in this way. Fatty alcohols are great in our conditioners because they boost the substantivity of the cationic ingredient, meaning you get more conditioning without having to add more conditioner!

Behenyl alcohol is a chain of 22 carbons with a melting point of 65˚C to 73˚C (as we increase the number of carbons, we see an increase in the melting and boiling points of our fatty alcohols). It is also saturated, and has an HLB of 15.5. It is also oil soluble, so it should be used in the heated oil phase of our products. It will boost the substantivity of our conditioners.

How am I going to use this ingredient? I'm going to try it out in my duplication of the Body Shop's Hemp Hand Protector in place of the cetearyl alcohol. So join me tomorrow for that recipe and my results!

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Question: BTMS-25 and products not emulsifying

Kathy wrote to me to ask why a recipe similar to this one wasn't working for her. I knew right away that BTMS-25 was the culprit!

If you're using Incroquat BTMS as your emulsifier, please ensure you're using BTMS-50 - not BTMS-25 - as your emulsifier! BTMS-25 contains 25% behentrimonium methosulfate, the active ingredient in BTMS, whereas BTMS-50 contains 50% behentrimonium methosulfate. BTMS-25 can be used as a great conditioner, but it doesn't emulsify as well as BTMS-50. (Click here for some information on substituting BTMS-25 for BTMS-50 in hair care products!) If you're in doubt about what you're getting, check the INCI on your product, as some suppliers will alter the names of products to suit their company's theme or name.

To recap:
BTMS-50 is behentrimonium methosulfate (and) cetyl alcohol (and) butylene glycol.
BTMS-25 is behentrimonium methosulfate (and) cetearyl alcohol.

Click here for a post on INCI as it relates specifically to BTMS and here for how INCI names can make you a more awesome formulator!

This leads to a second question posed by Mya in this post: I am planning on making a conditioner with 25% natural oils and butters. My hair is very dry. I am going to be using Cupuacu butter, Argan Oil, and Avocado Butter. Do you think a combination of BTMS and Emulsifying Wax NF (Lipowax) would work? Last time I used BTMS alone and it did not turn out good. It was globby and part of the mixture was not emulsified.

If your product is not emulsified, there are three possible problems:
1. You aren't using the right BTMS. You're likely using BTMS-25 and not BTMS-50.
2. Your oil phase is too high for the amount of emulsifier you want.
3. You aren't heating and holding or mixing long enough.

The last two points are all about emulsification, and for it to occur we need a chemical emulsifier (the BTMS-50, in this case), heat (which is why we heat and hold), and something to mix it all together, such as a stick blender, Kitchenaid, etc (mechanical emulsification). If one of these things is missing, our emulsification will fail.

Unfortunately, there isn't a rule of thumb about how much BTMS-50 to use with specific oil phases, but my standard amount is around 7% for 15% oils, so for 25% oils, I'd look at something like 10% or so. The down side is that you might not want that much conditioning in your hair and 10% is really kinda wasteful when it comes to conditioners.

I'd like to suggest this - try making a 15% oil phase product with 7% BTMS-50 and 3.5% cetyl alcohol and see how you like it. Moisturizing dry hair isn't just about the oils; it's about the conditioning agents, humectants, and other things that can help make your hair less brittle and more lubricated. Also, consider using coconut oil. Studies have shown that..."coconut oil was the only oil found to reduce the protein loss remarkably for both undamaged and damaged hair when used as a pre-wash and post-wash grooming product...Coconut oil, being a triglyceride of lauric acid (principal fatty acid), has a high affinity for hair proteins and, because of its low molecular weight and straight linear chain, is able to penetrate inside the hair shaft." It's one of the least expensive oils and one of the greatest for our hair!

For more information on hair care products, click here for that section of the blog!

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Why did I buy that again? Pineapple extract

I write this post about how I'm back, then I forget to hit publish on yesterday's post! I guess I need more vacation time! 

Pineapple extract (INCI Ananas cosmosus fruit extract or powder) can be found in a powder form that is used at 0.5% in the cool down phase of your product. This extract can be used for skin conditioning and exfoliating, so you won't want to combine it with another exfoliating extract like white willow bark, salicylic acid, or papaya, for instance.

The main attraction in pineapple extract is bromelain, which is (to quote the University of Maryland website) "a mixture of protein-digesting (proteolytic) enzymes found in pineapples". This mixture has been shown to be good at debriding (removing dead skin) from third degree burns and can be used topically to reduce swelling from insect stings and bites (which I really need right now, stupid mosquitoes). Like the papain in papaya, bromelain can be used as an exfoliant in cosmetic products, which is why I suggest not using it with another exfoliant. It has some anti-bacterial benefits

In theory, bromelain would work reduce the adhesion between the dead skin cells on the surface of our skin and encourage them to slough off to reveal nice new skin cells, much like salicylic acid does. (Click here to learn more about desquamation!) Unfortunately, there has been very little study on how bromelain works with our skin (source) and the third degree burns study above appears to have used 35% bromelain as opposed to the 0.5% pineapple extract that we'd use in our products. There is no guarantee that there is enough bromelain in 0.5% pineapple extract to encourage desquamation.

Bromelain is used as a meat tenderizer because it breaks down proteins, and we can find it in a powdered form in grocery stores for this purpose. I was reading about a company that is using bromelain in their products as it "hydrolyses proteins into peptides and amino acids" (link to press release), although I'm not really sure why this would be a good thing in a product because our proteins are already hydrolyzed (like Cromoist) and I can get peptides and amino acids to put into my products. I guess I'm thinking more like a formulator and less like a consumer here, eh?

There are many reasons to take bromelain internally as it may be good at reducing pain, swelling, and water retention, but this isn't a blog about taking supplements, so we'll leave that topic alone. And there's some evidence that bromelain might be able to remove protein stains from laundry.

My mom's best friend used to put meat tenderizer on our bug bites and stings as a kid. I thought it was odd, but I trusted her because she was a nice adult. I guess she was right! 

There are other benefits to pineapple extract such as anti-oxidants that will retard rancidity in our products, anti-inflammatory properties to reduce redness, swelling, and inflammation, and possible anti-bacterial properties (but not enough to make it a preservative!). Pineapple extract can cause irritation to those with sensitive skin, so be wary before adding it to every facial product you own (in fact, if you want to use it, try it in one product - like a facial cleanser - before adding it to each product individually to avoid extreme exfoliation).

If you want to make a coconut oil and pineapple extract product and call it a pina colada lotion, have at it, but I don't think there's enough information yet that the amount of bromelain found in pineapple extract will benefit our skin.

When you're using fruit extracts - and, indeed, most extracts - you'll be adding them to the cool down phase at around 0.5%. For something like a shampoo, lotion, or other thick product, I like to pour a little heated water at 45˚C to 50˚C (the temperature of our cool down phase)  - not much, maybe 5 to 10 ml - into the powdered extract and mix until it dissolves. Then I add it to the product and mix well. If I'm adding it to something like a mister or toner - something that's pretty much all water - I don't bother dissolving it!

Join me tomorrow more fun with why did I buy that ingredients!

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Why did I buy that? Banana fruit extract

I love bananas! They feel like a very silly fruit, all yellow and bendy, and they taste great. With high levels of potassium and Vitamin A, I try to eat one every single day! I've been playing around with powdered banana fruit extract lately, so I thought I'd share my thoughts!

Banana fruit extract (INCI Musa sapientum (banana) fruit extract) comes in a powdered form that is water soluble, so we'll want to add it at up to 0.5% in the cool down phase of our product. (I like to dissolve my extract in a little warm water before adding it to most of my products!) I've seen the same write up at far too many different suppliers, so I think it's important to quote what they're saying.

"Banana fruit powder extract is rich in potassium and Vitamin A. In formulations it has proven to be great for dry skin, and contains no known substance to aggravate or irritate the skin. Some users have used banana fruit extract by itself as a rich, moisturizing facial mask. The recommended usage rate should not exceed 0.5% of the weight of the final product."

What does this mean? Potassium is found in our stratum corneum in our natural moisturizing factor and it has has been found to reduce irritation to our skin when studied in Dead Sea Salts, so it could help reduce irritation to our skin.

Vitamin A is an oil soluble molecule that can improve skin barrier function, increase cell proliferation, increase thickening of the skin, and increase collagen production. It can also help increase skin's water retention, and it may be effective in preventing, retarding, or restoring changes associated with the aging process. It is also effective in wound healing. It is the most abundant vitamin in our skin (in the form of ester retinyl palmitate), which is hydrolyzed to form Vitamin A, which is then oxidized to produce retinoic acid (the active form).

I'm not sure about the sentence about containing no known substance to aggravate or irritate the skin. This is a bizarre thing to say in a world in which people have reactions to water, and it seems like everyone has some kind of allergy, sensitivity, or aversion to one ingredient or another. We know that too much Vitamin A can irritate our skin, and there's no evidence that other ingredients in bananas won't aggravate skin. But let's not dwell on this aspect.

Bananas themselves contain inulin, a polysaccharide that can behave as an emulsifier, stabilizer, and surfactant. (It's also a source of fibre you can find in those powdered Crystal Light beverages I like so much!) I don't know if you'll find it in this extract, but you can find it in bananas!

I've been playing with banana extract in my toners and I think I like it. I've been adding it at 0.5% in the cool down phase (dissolved with a little warm water, then added, although you could just add it directly to a toner), and I think it's making the toner a little more moisturizing. I hate to be so non-specific about it, but I put so much stuff into my toners it's sometimes hard to figure out what is causing what sensation. (Which is why I say to start simple, then add things.) I should play with this in the future with just some aloe vera, hydrosols, witch hazel, and preservative to see how it feels. I don't have dry skin, but I want moisturizing in that product!

Join me tomorrow for more fun with fruit extracts!

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Why did I buy that? Malic acid

Malic acid (aka hydroxybutanedioic acid) is an interesting ingredient. It's considered an alpha hydroxy acid found in things like apples and grapes. It was first isolated in apple juice, and we find a lot of it in unripe fruits, which is what gives those fruits the tartness we associate with lack of ripeness.

Alpha hydroxy acids are found in three categories according to the number of hydroxy groups. AHAs like glycolic acid are monocarboxylic acids, AHAs like malic and tartaric acid are dicarboxylic acids, and AHAs like citric acid are tricarboxylic acids. All three groups will behave like AHAs - making skin seem smoother, reducing the look of fine lines, possibly making pores seem smaller - but the latter two groups tend to be quite harsh on our skin, leading to side effects like rashes or sensitivity.

Most malic acid is derived from apples, so it's likely we'll find some AHA qualities in apple extracts (see yesterday's post). The pH of malic acid can vary between 3.0 and 5.0, so it would be useful as a pH adjuster in place of citric acid.

How do we use it? As a pH adjuster and nothing else. The Cosmetics Ingredient Review has determined that malic acid is only safe as a pH adjuster, and that there is "insufficient data to support other uses", such as use as an AHA. It is considered "safe with qualifications", and as such, we shouldn't be using malic acid in our products as anything but a pH adjuster. (If you'd like to see the official reports, click here (PubMed) or click here (CosmeticsInfo.Org) for more information.)

Join me tomorrow for more fun with fruit extracts - banana!

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Why did I buy that fruit extract? Apple!

How many cliches do we have about apples and health? An apple a day can keep the doctor away. Powersauce helps you unleash the power of apples!* Umm, okay, that's all I can think of at the moment, but you have to admit, there are few things that seem as wholesome as apples.

We can find three different versions of apple extract for our cosmetic formulating - the powder, the distillate, and the oil. I've found very little about the oil, so we'll concentrate on the powder and the distillate (hydrosol) for now, both of which are water soluble.

Apples and their peels contain a ton of polyphenols - quercetin, epicatechin, procyanidin, chlorogenic acid, coumaric acid, gallic acid, malic acid, catechins - but it's hard to know what's in the extract without specific information from the manufacturers (click here for a great study).

Quercetin is an anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and (possible) anti-viral found in a number of different fruits and vegetables - apples, tea, onion, citrus, tomato, broccoli, cherry, raspberry, cranberry, sea buckthorn, gingko biloba, olive oil, St John's Wort, mango, and grapeseed oil.

Procyanidins are part of the proanthocyanidins group, and occur as esters of gallic acid in green and black tea, grapes, and apples. They are quite unstable, reacting chemically in acid or base solutions, reacting thermally, and oxidizing easily. They are considered to have anti-viral, anti-microbial, and anti-HIV properties, as well as anti-oxidizing through free radical scavenging.

Chlorogenic acid acts as a low level anti-viral and anti-fungal addition to our creations. It offers anti-bacterial properties, which is one of the reasons it is suggested for acne related products. It's a good anti-inflammatory. And, of course, it is a great anti-oxidant.

Catechins are a type of flavonoid, also called condensed tannins. They offer anti-oxidizing features - they have been shown to be more effective than BHT, which is incredibly effective - as well as anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties.

Apples contain Vitamin C, which is a great anti-oxidant, and it behaves as an free radical scavenger, astringent, and exfoliant. A 100 gram apple has about 6 grams, but I'm not sure how much would be found in the powder or the distillate. 

It's hard to know how much of anything is in the powdered extract, so I suggest you ask your supplier for their data sheets as we can't get information from manufacturers easily any more. There are some claims that has some salicylic acid like properties for acne, and I've seen claims that it can help with stretch marks. I've been able to confirm that it is an exfoliating ingredient - thanks to the malic acid - which means you don't want to combine it with other exfoliating extracts like papaya or white willow bark - but I can't confirm the anti-stretch mark properties. We can see that any apple extract will be filled with anti-oxidant and free radical scavenging properties and will likely have some anti-inflammatory properties. 

I've been using the apple fruit distillate from Lotioncrafters for a while now, and I love the smell of it! It's a steam distilled water that can be used at 5% to 100% in your products (it's preserved, so you can use it in a spritzer for a lovely apple-y fragrance). There are no claims for this specific product, other than the wonderful fragrance of apples. It has a pH of 5.0.

I think this would be a great addition to a facial product for someone with oily skin. Combine it with something like honeysuckle extract at 0.5% and rosemary extract or hydrosol and you've got yourself an anti-oily party going on! (I'll be writing up more recipe ideas for these extracts when I reach the end of the series in about a week! Look for more ideas then!) As with other powdered extracts, you'll want to use apple extract in the cool down phase at 0.5%. I'd suggest dissolving it in a little warm (45˚C to 50˚C) water before adding it to your product.

As a side note, there is a cosmeceutical on the market called PhytoCellTec Malus Domestica, which is an anti-aging product derived from apples. "PhytoCellTec™ Malus Domestica is a liposomal active ingredient based on stem cells from the Uttwiler Spätlauber apple." To learn more, please click here or here. I understand you can buy it at LotionCrafter!

And finally, you can find out more information about the apple seed oil here (a short summary). Sounds interesting.

*I keep thinking about Homer's Powersauce bars and how they contain 6 types of apples! When you put the apples in bar form, you unleash their power! "Oh, this just in...Powersauce is amazing!" 

Join me tomorrow for an aside on malic acid before we take a look at banana extract!

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Why did I buy that fruit extract? Strawberry

Happy first day of summer! I guess there's no better way to celebrate summer than to talk about fruit! Fruit extracts offer so much to our products - phytosterols, polyphenols, vitamins, flavonoids, and anti-oxidants - and they sound lovely on a label! Just think about it for a moment. Peaches and cream, raspberries & apricot, strawberry kiwi - don't these sound just lovely! So I thought I'd take a look at some of the extracts - fruit and otherwise - you've suggested in the why did I buy that? post! 

When you're using fruit extracts - and, indeed, most extracts - you'll be adding them to the cool down phase at around 0.5%. For something like a shampoo, lotion, or other thick product, I like to pour a little heated water at 45˚C to 50˚C (the temperature of our cool down phase)  - not much, maybe 5 to 10 ml - into the powdered extract and mix until it dissolves. Then I add it to the product and mix well. If I'm adding it to something like a mister or toner - something that's pretty much all water - I don't bother dissolving it!

Here's a blast from the past (March 10, 2010) with a post on strawberries!

Strawberries are outstanding! We have local strawberries every year, and I can't help but buy a basket at the farm drive-throughs to be eaten the moment I get home (although not this year! SIGH!) And I love strawberry extract (INCI: Fragaria vesca (strawberry) fruit extract), which we can find in a powdered and liquid form (the liquid generally contains water or a humectant and the powder).

This extract is recommended for oily skin to help with sebum production and large pores. It is an astringent powder, thanks to the hydroxybenzoic acid gallic acid, a great wound and burn healer as well as an astringent. Chlorogenic acid is recommended for acne prone skin as it offers anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidizing properties.

The phytosterol kaempferol offers amazing anti-oxidizing and free radical scavenging properties, as well as anti-inflammatory help for reddened skin, an increase in skin's barrier protection abilities, a reduction in transepidermal water loss (TEWL), a reduction in itching and dry skin, and help improving the quality of weather damaged skin.

Strawberry extract contains Vitamin C, a great anti-oxidizing and chelating ingredient.

One of the main features of strawberry extract is the ellagic acid, which you might remember from pomegranate and borage oil and mango butter. It is being used as a post-sun exposure ingredient to prevent freckling and spots that might arise after UV exposure. It appears ellagic acid is a tyrosine inhibitor (tyrosine plays a role in melanin synthesis or melanogenesis). It can also reduce the destruction of collagen and act as an anti-inflammatory. One bonus is ellagic acid can help regenerate skin cells, which may lead to thickened skin, which can help reduce the look of aging.

Strawberries contain anthocyanidins and anthocyanins (not to be confused with proanthocyanidins and procyanadins from green tea extract), which are water soluble flavonoids that give colour and protection to plants. (They are anthocyanins when they contain a glucose molecule, anthocyanidins when they don't.) They are very good anti-oxidants, scavenging those free radicals that lead to rancidity and spoilage. The colour is dependent upon pH - when the solution is below ph 3 (very acidic), the colour is red. At neutral pH (7), they show violet, and above pH 11 (very basic) they show blue. (They can be used to determine pH level at home!) Strawberries contain between 15 to 20 mg of anthocyanidins and anthocyanins in 100 grams of fruit.

So what does this all mean for us when we use strawberry extract? We can use it at up to 0.5% in water containing creations when we dissolve it in warm water and add it to the cool down phase for some great anti-oxidant, astringent, and anti-bacterial features. A huge down side for strawberry extract - it is really hard to preserve.

POINT OF INTEREST! I'm a good preserver: I have had the odd batch of product go off after a long period of time, but strawberry extract is a mould magnet! I can make a toner with strawberry extract today and two weeks from now it will start to grow ick (and you know there's ick in there long before I can see it!), so I suggest that you use strawberry extract only in products you can refrigerate or use in a really short period of time. You can try using two preservatives together to keep it nicer longer (for instance 1% Germaben II and 0.5% Germall Plus) but it is an extract that doesn't play well with water. And don't even think about using it in a clay mask unless you make it every single time! Clay is a great breeding ground for ick, and combined with strawberry extract it will go bad very very quickly no matter how well you preserve it.

Is it worth it given all these problems? I say, yes! Strawberry extract not only has great label appeal - everyone loves strawberries! - but it's a great inclusion in facial cleansers or toners meant for oily, large pored, or acne prone skin. It's probably not the best ingredient for newbies who are unsure about their ability to preserve, but if you're a confident formulator, you can work with strawberry powder in your products. I personally wouldn't use it in a lotion as there are too many things that can go wrong. Stick to toners, sprays, cleansers, and surfactant mixtures with strawberry extract. Or consider using it in a gel toner just for a change from the liquid stuff!

Are you working with strawberry extract? What do you find works for you? Share your thoughts!

Join me tomorrow for more fun formulating with fruit extracts! 

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Why did I buy that again? Cetearyl ethylhexanoate, decyl glucoside, phytokeratin, and esters

In the why did I buy that post (either this one or the other), I've noticed requests for ingredients for which I've already written posts. So here are a few posts you might have missed...

Decyl glucoside (click, and scroll down a bit) is a very mild non-ionic cleanser that works well as both a primary or secondary surfactant as it is a good foamer. It has an alkaline pH - 7 to 9.5 - so you'll have to bring your pH down with citric acid or another acidic ingredient to ensure it reaches the right pH for skin and hair. (Another data sheet states the pH is 11.5! EEK!) It is about 48% to 52% active ingredients in the surfactant, and the suggested use is 4% to 40%. This is a great ingredient for a conditioning shampoo or body wash as it improves the cationic conditioning in your products, as well as offer foam stabilization.

Click here for more information on how to adjust the pH in your products. 

A few recipes with decyl glucoside...
Philosophy's Purity Made Simple Cleanser
Creating cleansing wipes

Phytokeratin is a proprietary blend of soy, corn, and wheat proteins designed to be the best of all worlds. It has elements with low molecular weight for penetrating skin and hair, and it offers substantivity and film forming through the higher molecular weight molecules. As with other proteins, it is water, glycerin, and alcohol soluble, so this is for products containing water - anhydrous products are right out! Include any proteins in your cool down phase at 1 to 5%. (Having said this, LabRat suggested putting in the heat and hold phase, so I'm going to suggest that as well.) Click on the link to learn more and see some sample recipes!

AquaEm is very much like Caprol Micro Express, and you can use it in the same way, as a solubilizer for oils into water soluble products.

I'm not sure why you bought rooibos tea for your products, but it is lovely to drink. (I'm currently enjoying a pot of praline champagne rooibos tea and it's very tasty!) I don't suggest using it in your products - please read this post - as it is really hard to preserve teas and infusions!

And Jackie asked about esters! If you click here and scroll down, you'll see all the posts on esters from this blog. Or you can click here to get to the start at the beginning of the series and click "newer post" to continue.

Join me tomorrow for more fun with why-did-I-buy-that ingredients!

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Why did I buy that? SCS-CAB blend (sodium coco sulfate - cocamidopropyl betaine blend)

Tara suggested the SCS-CAB surfactant blend as one of those why did I buy that ingredients (if you'd like to make a suggestion, please click on the link and leave a comment there!)

SCS-CAB blend is a surfactant blend of sodium coco sulfate and cocamidopropyl betaine (about 34% to 37% surfactants). It has a pH of about 6.0 to 7.5 (great range for making products) and the suggested use is at about 10% to 40% in our shampoos, body washes, and other lathery products.

Sodium coco sulfate is related to the most hated of surfactants - sodium lauryl sulfate - with some differences. Whereas SLS is derived from lauryl alcohol (from coconuts), SCS is derived from coconuts (hence the "coco" part of the name), but contains a number of different fatty alcohols in the mix, like lauryl, cetyl, and stearyl alcohols.

Because of these extra fatty alcohols and because of the increased molecular weight, SCS is more hydrophobic and less water soluble than SLS, so it feels more moisturizing and conditioning on our skin (the way SCI feels). It's a great foamer in hard water and boosts the foam of other surfactants. It's easy to thicken with salt and things like Crothix.

SCS has a Green Star Rating of 58 (rounded from 57.7%), which is a measure of renewable resource content in an ingredient.

When we find SCS in the flake or noodle format (I have the noodle format), it is considered a good thickener and pearlizer for our products. The pH ranges between 9.5 to 12.0, so make sure you test the pH if you're using this as a substitute for SCI (sodium cocoyl isethionate), which has a pH that ranges from 4.5 to 6.5 or so.

I've seen SCS used as a substitute for the SLSa and SCI in shampoo bars. If you're planning to do this - and I do plan to do it in the near future just out of curiosity - test the pH when you're still in the melty gloppy stage of the product. If you need to increase or decrease the pH of the product, please consult this post for more information.

The SCS in this product is found in liquid form (because it's in a liquid medium - water) and is combined with cocamidopropyl betaine. When SCS is combined with cocamidopropyl betaine, our products should have increased clarity, mildness, and foam volume, as well as some thickening.

So what should we expect out of this surfactant blend? We should expect a really great foamer that will also boost the foam of other surfactants, increased mildness, some possible thickening of the product, and a mild detergent. If you're using this blend, you will not need to worry about the pH level as it ranges between 6.0 and 7.5, which is where we want it to be.

Where can you use this surfactant blend? Wherever you want! It would work in any body washes, shampoos, bubble baths, and other surfactanty products you like! I think it would be especially nice combined with SCI to create a very conditioning and moisturizing body wash, or combined with something like polyglucoside/lactylate blend to create a really really moisturizing product (probably too moisturizing in a facial cleanser or shampoo for us oily girls!)

Join me tomorrow for fun formulating with SCS-CAB blend!

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Why did I buy that? Ferulic acid - some recipe ideas

You might remember we took a look at ferulic acid, one of those ingredients we buy but never remember to use, but we didn't get around to making a lovely facial recipe with it. So let's take a look at a few products.

Ferulic acid is purported to be good for helping age spots, reducing wind and sun damage, moisturizing our skin, and behaving as an anti-oxidant. So it's a natural ingredient in toners or moisturizers, or even hand and body lotions. We use it at 0.5% to 1% in the heated water phase of our products, and it works synergistically with other anti-oxidants to offer more anti-oxidizing power from both.

I love toners (to read more about how much and why I love them, click here) and ferulic acid would be a great inclusion in a product of this nature. Since I don't use moisturizers - my skin is far too oily - I load my toner up with moisturizers, humectants, and other cosmeceuticals to make my skin feel awesome all day long! I'm going to modify my min-maxed toner to include some ferulic acid, but you could take any toner recipe you like, add 0.5% to 1% in the heated water phase, and have yourself an anti-oxidizing, moisturizing toner! (Click here for a min-maxed toner with cosmeceuticals!)

Click here for some information on modifying a toner for your skin type and the basics of making a toner. 


MIN-MAXED TONER WITH FERULIC ACID
HEATED PHASE
10.5% water
30% witch hazel
25% lavender hydrosol
10% aloe vera liquid
5% liquid green tea extract
2% sodium lactate
2% hydrolyzed protein
2% salicylic acid
0.5% allantoin
1% ferulic acid

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

Weigh the heated ingredients into a Pyrex jug and put into the double boiler. Let heat until it reaches 70˚C. Remove from the heat and allow to cool down to 45˚C to 50˚C, then add the cool down phase. Allow to cool down completely, then bottle.

You can put the powdered extracts into a little container, then add a little of the heated phase (when it reaches 45˚ to 50˚C) to it and mix well. Add to the cool down phase with the other ingredients.

Salicylic acid doesn't dissolve well in cold water, but does all right in heated water. If you have sensitive skin, consider removing this ingredient or the Multifruit BSC as the two ingredients together can be quite powerful. Try 1% Multifruit and 0.5% salicylic acid if you want to use the two together.

You don't have to make a complicated toner to make a nice toner. If you want to use something like witch hazel, aloe vera, water, and ferulic acid at 1%, go for it! I use all these ingredients because I don't use moisturizer on my very oily, rosacea prone skin and I'm trying to get all the goodness I'd get in a moisturizer in this product! If you plan to use a moisturizer after washing, then make a really basic toner (if you want one at all) and save the fancy ingredients for your moisturizer! 

If you want to use ferulic acid in a moisturizer, add it at 0.5% to 1% in the heated water phase and remove 0.5% to 1% water from the recipe. Here's a list of all the moisturizers you will find on the blog (and click "newer post" at the bottom of the page to see a few more!) Choose one and add your ferulic acid to one of them.

Remember, when we add any ingredient to our recipe, we generally take the percentage out of the water phase. In this case, when we add 1% ferulic acid to the recipe, we remove 1% water from the recipe to keep the final percentage at 100%. 

Join me tomorrow for more fun formulating with new ingredients!

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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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Why did I buy that? Glycol stearate

After reviewing yesterday's post, I realized I kinda covered a ton of products in the links for CME, so let's take a look at another ingredient! And sorry again for the late post - I'm going to be around 10! How am I sleeping in until 8? Does one person need 10 hours of sleep? Apparently the answer to this is yes, yes I do! And I had the coolest dream that I was the Doctor (from Doctor Who, the David Tennant version, not the Matt Smith). It was completely and utterly awesome! There's no reason the Doctor can't be a girl!  

In this post, Crystal asks the burning question - why did I buy glycol stearate? (If you'd like to post an ingredient you've bought but never used, do it in this post!)

Glycol stearate is an ester of stearic acid and ethylene glycol that we use as a low HLB emulsifier (2.9) in combination with a high HLB emulsifier (like polysorbate 80 or ceteareth-20) to create an emulsification system. We can also use it as a thickener in our products (but it's not a pearlizer, like glycol distearate...see note below). We see glycol stearate in a lot of commercial products in combination with the high HLB emulsifier as the emulsification system.

Don't confuse glycol stearate with glycol distearate - they are different products with a different HLB (1 vs. 2.9). 

Here are a few posts in which I've used glycol stearate as a low HLB emulsifier.
HLB: Using different emulsifiers and a formula. 
HLB: An example using glycol stearate

Join me tomorrow for more fun with new ingredients!

I will be getting more in depth with other ingredients, it's just that I've already covered those I've written about so far! And I will be writing a ton of posts on the weekend so I'm not writing things at the last minute, especially with this new and exciting sleeping schedule!

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Why did I buy that? Caprol Micro Express

Caprol Micro Express (INCI PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides (and) Polyglycerol-6 Dioleate (and) Glyceryl Caprylate/Caprate) is a non-ionic solubilizer that can create emulsions when you want to add something oily to something watery (so it's a bit like using polysorbate 20, polysorbate 80, or Cromollient SCE). It's water soluble, and it can be used at 10% to 15% in our products. It's reported to be less sticky than those other solublizers - which I can confirm as I've used it as a water soluble ingredient in toners and cooling sprays because it wasn't sticky - and it tends to create clear systems rather than cloudy ones.

As a note, the Herbarie carries a product called AquaEm that is very similar to CME with an INCI of PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides (and) Polyglyceryl 6 Dioleate. As far as I can tell, you'd use it the same way you'd use CME. 

How is Caprol Micro Express different than these other solubilizers? There are three main ways...
1. CME feels less sticky than the other ingredients (at least to me).
2. I wouldn't use CME in something like a bath oil, but I would use Cromollient SCE and the polysorbates for that purpose.
3. It is supposed to create clear systems, whereas polysorbate 20 and polysorbate 80 can create cloudy systems.

One of the main ways to use CME is as a solubilizer and emulsifier for body and room sprays, specifically for getting the fragrance or essential oil to emulsify into the water in these products. Here's an example from Lotioncrafter for a room and linen spray using CME as the emulsifier for the fragrance oil. As Jenny points out, you'll want to use 1 part CME to 9 parts water with 1% fragrance oil. If you want to go to 3%, use 15% CME and reduce the water accordingly. Southern Soapers has some great PDFs on the topic of using CME as an emulsifier. Check out their PDFs Making Room & Body Sprays with CME and Room & Body Sprays! 

I like to use CME as a water soluble emollient in things like my toners - click here to see an example of a toner I created using CME as a water soluble ester - and emulsifiers for small amounts of oils in those products. (Here's an example of a gelled toner I made using CME as an emollient for my oily skin.) You can use it anywhere you would use something like PEG-7 olivate or other water soluble emollients! Here's where I've used it in a conditioner, and here's some information (scroll down) on how I might use it in a body wash. Click here to see how I used it in a facial product suitable for dry skin.

Join me tomorrow for more ideas on how to use CME in various products!

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Why did I buy that? More from the other day's post!

Here are a few more ideas on how to use the ingredients we covered in the other day's post! (Sorry for the lateness of the posts, but for some strange reason I've decided to start sleeping in until around 9:00!)

Cromollient SCE can be used as an emollient and emulsifier. Here are a few ideas of how to use it in hair care products, a ridiculously moisturizing body wash with other esters (clear), and a ridiculously moisturizing body wash with other esters (opaque). Cromollient SCE can be used as a substitute for things like polysorbate 80 in bath oils (click here), although it is a very expensive substitution! And here's a recipe for how to make a clear, sprayable conditioning product with esters (which also contains PEG-7 olivate).

I love to use PEG-7 olivate in a products where I want to add some emolliency but don't want the hassle of using an emulsifier with the oil. (As a side note, I'm really enjoying using water soluble shea in similar products!) For instance, in facial products, in a body wash, in shampoo, in rinse off conditioners, and in leave in conditioners. I tend to add it to things like my summer time cooling spray as an emollient at up to 3% (I like my products to be multitaskers!) or in this apres sun spray at 3% in the water phase. Or think about adding it to a deodorant as an emollient that won't be as greasy as a regular oil.

As I mentioned, I woke up kinda late this morning so this is a short post as I have a hundred things to do to prepare for work this week. Join me tomorrow as we take a look at another new ingredient - Caprol Micro Express (CME). 

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Why did I buy that? A few ideas from yesterday's post...

Wow, I'm posting this late, but I slept in this morning until 9:00! I'm such a rebel! Next I'll be staying up past midnight, doing my crosswords in pen, and drinking milk straight out of the carton! (Okay, I won't be doing the last thing as I'm lactose intolerant, but it's the thought that counts, right?)

We took a look at some interesting and new ingredients yesterday - let's take a look at some applications this morning! (There will be at least two more posts on these ingredients as there were quite a lot of them!)

Here are a few recipes with disodium EDTA included. It might not be the most exciting ingredient in the world - it doesn't do anything for skin feel for functionality - but it's a great addition if you're trying to retard rancidity in your products!

Emu oil is reported to be good for pain relief, so I used it in a lotion bar for that purpose. I love the bar I've made, and I use it constantly. (Which is kinda sad that I have pain so regularly that I'm burning through these bars, but it's nice that they feel good!) You can use it in any application that requires oils, although you might want to consider who might be using the product as it is derived from animals, so vegans and vegetarians might take issue. (Click here for the answer to the burning question can I substitute one oil for another in a recipe?)

Argan oil is reported to be good for our hair, and you can add it to your conditioner at up to 10% in the heated oil phase or make a serum with about 5% argan oil, 85% cyclomethicone, and 10% dimethicone. (Click here for some information on the Moroccan oil products and my suggestions for replication!)

I've written quite a lot about IPM, so my suggestion is to click here and click here for a few ideas. IPM can be used where you would use any oil - put it into the heated oil phase - so try it in products you think could use just a little less greasiness.

Join me tomorrow for more fun formulating with ingredients we've purchased!

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Why did I buy that? Some posts I've already written

I asked the question - why did I buy that again? - and you answered with your list of ingredients you purchased for some project or recipe, the reason for which is lost in the mists of time! I thought I'd take a look at an ingredient one day, then how we'd use it in a recipe (or a few recipes) to give you a few ideas on how to use it. We'll all be learning along the way, as I have my own list of ingredients I bought but haven't used! Let's take a look at ingredients you've bought and I've already written about on the blog!

Look to your right! There's a long list there of ingredients that might pique your interest. And as I cover various ingredients, I'll update that section to include them! Or look under the "links to lists" section, which is slightly above those links. I've tried to group things so we don't have a list of ingredients a mile long in that sidebar! Or do a search, using the box in the upper left hand corner. 


As a secondary note, I share this information to make it easier to find things!. I know there are a lot of posts on this blog and I don't expect you to go through all 1289 to find what you want! If I didn't have my search through the "manage posts" sections, I wouldn't be able to find things as easily as I do! 

Disodium EDTA: Chelating and sequestering agent.

Emu oil: An oil from emus that is reported to be good for pain.

Argan oil: An oil that you'll see in hair care products.

IPM (isopropyl myristate): An light, easily spreadable, non-greasy ester we use in our products to reduce the feeling of greasiness.

Cromollient SCE (Di-PPG-2 myeth-10 adipate): A PPG ester that is water dispersible and oil and surfactant soluble.  A lot of people get this product to make dispersible bath oils in the place of polysorbate 80, but it has so many other purposes!

PEG-7 olivate: A water soluble olive oil derivative we can add to water based products to offer emollience.

PEG-7 glyceryl cocoate: is a non-ionic, low ethoxylated monoglyceride that can behave as an emulsifier, emollient, foamer, and skin conditioner in our products. It is a thickening polymer, meaning it will thicken your surfactant mix when used with anionic surfactants. It is emollient, which means it will reduce skin irritation from other surfactants, and will re-fatten your skin when you are bathing or shampooing. It can make the foam feel slippery, which is a nice thing in a body wash. It's not really a detergent type surfactant - you'd never use it as the primary or even co-surfactant because it's meant to boost the qualities of your surfactant mix. Use it at 2% to 10% in cleansers and shampoos.

Lactic acid: It's a type of alpha hydroxy acid.

Laureth-4: It's a non-ionic solubilizer with an HLB of 9.7. It's used at 1 to 5%. This is mostly for surfactants, but it can be used in lotions in combination with a low HLB emulsifier. Laureth-3 is also a non-ionic solubilizer with an HLB of 7.9 or 8.1 (depending where you find your information) that should be used at 0.5% to 5%. Both of these are able to thicken our surfactant mixtures. Emulsifiers with an HLB of 8 to 10 will produce "stable milky dispersions" when not coupled with a low HLB emulsifier in an emulsion. In other words, if we use laureth-3 or laureth-4 in a surfactant mixture, it will solubilize our oils and possibly create a milky type consistency emulsion.

Polyquat 44: A cationic polymer is a positively charged or cationic polymer that we use in hair and body care products to increase conditioning and film forming. Because it's cationic, it will be substantive and adsorb to our hair our skin to increase lubricity and moisturizing. In hair care products, cationic polymers will help our cuticle scales resist uplift when stressed, which keeps our hair in better condition. Adding a cationic polymer to our products will increase the mildness of our surfactant based products. Polyquat 44 comes in a liquid form of about 6% to 7% active ingredient. It should be used at 0.1% to 0.2% for fine to normal hair and up to 0.5% for damaged hair in the water phase of your product. Polyquat 44 was found to produce the least build up and best conditioning on hair when tested against polyquat 7, 10, 11, and cationic guar gum

If you'd like to see the posts, click here and here. If you'd like to make a suggestion an ingredient, please click and comment in this post!


Join me tomorrow as we take a look at a few recipes that include some of these ingredients! 

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Marsh cudweed: What's in it?

There's been an ongoing debate about the everlasting flower absolute in the Lush Afterlife moisturizer. It's not helichrysum but this wonderful plant, the marsh cudweed. After quite a bit of research, I found some reasons why this plant might be found in a moisturizer.

It contains caffeic acid, which is a powerful anti-oxidant, a great anti-inflammatory, and it might help protect our skin after sun exposure. We can find it in horsetail, comfrey, honeysuckle, rosemary, and cucumber extracts as well as in coconut oil (which we're including in the duplicate recipe), pumpkin seed oil, and mango butter. So add 0.5% of those extracts or use those oils and you've got yourself some caffeic acid in the product! (And my husband has just found a breakdown of the phenolic components in the marsh cudweed, so I should have more information shortly!)

It contains chlorogenic acid, which is acts as anti-oxidant anti-inflammatory as well as a low-level anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal. You can find it in honeysuckle extract.

It contains coumarins, which can behave as an anti-inflammatory that reduces redness and oedema, as well as an anti-bacterial and anti-fungal. You can find these in liquorice extract.

And it contains tannins, which can make our products feel a little drier, and they can behave as very effective anti-oxidants and have anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties. They are often used as astringents, and you can tannins in many of our oils and extracts, including witch hazel, grapeseed oil, and green tea extract.

I'm starting to think that this might be part of the preservative system as well as an ingredient that can behave as an anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory. If you want to include this in your Lush Afterlife moisturizer duplicate, I would include 0.5% green tea extract or honeysuckle extract in the cool down phase. You'll get the feeling of a drier lotion from using evening primrose oil, and if you want it to feel drier still, increase that oil and decrease the others (or use BTMS-50 as your emulsifier).

So there are my thoughts on this ingredient!

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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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An aside...beeswax is not an emulsifier

Beeswax is not an emulsifier. We can use it as a thickener in our products - in lotions, scrub bars, lotion bars, and so on - but it will not emulsify your lotions. I know I've mentioned this before - in the how can I tell if it's a good recipe post - but the only time beeswax is considered an emulsifier is if it's combined with borax in a water in oil type lotion (and what we make are oil in water type lotions).

If you are using beeswax as the only emulsifier in a lotion, cream, or anything else that contains water, and it has worked for you, it won't be for long. Odds are good that you have kept that lotion together through the heat and mechanical emulsification because you don't have any chemical emulsification going on there. It will fail on you in the very near future, leaving you with a mess of water and oil that isn't considered a lotion.

I know people are searching for more natural emulsifiers, but beeswax isn't one of them. I know there's some confusion about "e-wax" vs "bee-wax" but the simple fact is that beeswax will not emulsify any product that contains water. It might thicken it, but it won't emulsify it.

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