Finishing Cosmetic Bases FAQ

Finishing Cosmetic Bases FAQ :::

 

Can I add fragrance / essential oil?
How do I mix my base?
Can I dilute your cosmetic bases?

What does “establish the threshold” mean?

To establish the threshold is a term used to describe the most reliable steps for determining the suitability and aesthetic impact of any desired ingredient additions to any base or formula. To do this you will use the manufacturers posted range for the ingredient's usage and start with two trial samples; one using the lowest amount, that would deliver your desired impact, and another using the highest amount or if you have no experience with the ingredients then you may want to add a third sample using an amount in the middle of the range. Let your samples stabilize and then check for desired performance or aesthetics. You may get lucky and one of the your samples be perfect and exactly what you wanted however, in most cases you'll find that you need to be somewhere in between and if that is the case then you'll take the one that is closest to what you want, and still stable, and you'll begin to increase the additional ingredient to the maximum amount that you can add and maintain stability. When making your additions do so in small increments, mixing well between each addition, and continue only until you reach the highest amount or the point where it begins to de-stabilize the base or formula. Now you will know exactly how much you may add without compromising the base or formula. This is one of the most important steps to reduce your cost of research and development (R&D) as you can make your determination with minimal trial batching.

Tip ::: If you plan to add more than one additional ingredient then you may prefer to pre-combine your additional ingredients, making a single solution, which you will then add as a mixture while you establish the threshold … this will save a lot of the cost of R&D rather than making the determination for each ingredient.


Can I add fragrance / essential oil?

Yes. In almost all cases our cosmetic bases are designed and formulated with the expectation that fragrance will be added to achieve the targeted texture and mobility. In fact, when you plan to offer the bases unscented we recommend the addition of some super light oil to compensate and take it to the desired texture. For super light oils we suggest: CCT, Argan, Moringa … or a light oil substitute: Alkyl Esters, Ester Silk … keep in mind that while these are super light oils they will still be much heavier than a fragrance or essential oil. Start at about 20% of the recommended fragrance amount and proceed to establish the threshold until you reach the desired fragrance level. In all cases you will use the mixing technique appropriate for the base or formulation.

TIP ::: If you have trouble with some fragrance / essential not incorporating into your base then you may try using a solvent such as NatureSilk or PS80, depending on your philosophy. In both cases the best approach is to combine your fragrance / essential oil into the solvent and then add that solution to your base or formulation.


How do I mix my base?

You will always match the mixer head and torque with the base or formulation because proper mixing is the most important step in controlling the aesthetics and maintaining stability.

• Emulsions (which would be any product that contains a stable blend of oil and water soluble ingredients) ::: you will want to use high shear (which would be a immersion or stick blender)
• Cleansers (which would be any product which contains surfactants or other foaming ingredients)
• You will want to use gentle mixing (which would be paddle, sweep, or folding). You never want to apply high shear to a cleansing system because you will create too much foam and it will take a significant amount of time to get the foam to break down and re-incorporate back into the system. If this happens then you can try gently rocking the batch or using a sweep mixer to help speed the process. Until the foam is re-incorporated your base or formulation will look like it's separated because there will be two distinct layers with one containing the air and the other just the ingredients that do not hold the air. Be patient with this process, the air and foam will break downin time
• Single systems (which would be any base or formulation which contains all water or oil) ::: These may be mixed as you prefer and are the only systems where shaking is always appropriate.

TIP ::: With all cleansing and emulsion systems in general, but especially with Ingredients To Die For systems, you don't ever want to shake to blend because we use some specialized emulsifiers and technologies which can be compromised by a shaking motion, the exception would be shaker plates.

Can I dilute your cosmetic bases?

In most cases no, and this is especially true for all Ingredients To Die For bases, but for all bases in general. When these bases are developed they are built using active ingredients at the proper levels to deliver the desired performance and when you dilute them beyond the simple addition of fragrance / essential oil (which was anticipated when the formula was developed) you will also dilute the actives and in some cases jeopardize the performance target. Also, and equally as important, all bases or formulas will contain ingredients that have established safety limits and efficacy minimums and unless the base or formula is developed with the intention of additional ingredients then when you dilute the base or formula you will also be diluting those minimums and if you try to estimate an additional balancing ingredient then you may exceed the limit such as with a preservative which has a very small range of efficacy within the safety parameters.

TIP ::: In all cases, except where it is specifically noted otherwise on the item page or description you will make your additions at room temperature to avoid compromising the stability of an emulsion. If you are adding an ingredient which requires heat then you will separate a small amount of the base or formula (in most cases no more than 20%) and gently heat only that portion to incorporate your additional ingredient and then gently add the mixture back to the main base or formula, using the appropriate mixing technique.

TIP ::: Some Ingredients To Die For bases are specifically developed as 'concentrates' and are designed for the addition of other ingredients and as long as you follow the posted guidelines for those additional ingredients, establishing the threshold  as you go, it should be fine.