In this post, I will share how to formulate a STABLE natural body lotion. Yes, this post is a bit of shade. I will include some percentages that you can customize to suit your needs. Lotions, at their core, consist of three main ingredients: water, oil, and an emulsifier. As you know, water and oil do not mix. They need something to aid in dispersing one into another. The emulsifier we will use today is Ritamulse SCG (INCI: Glyceryl Stearate, Ceteryl Alcohol, and Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate). This emulsifier is a complete emulsifier suitable for use in a pH range of 5-7.5. The maximum oil phase allowed is 25%. It is suggested that the usage rate is 2-10%. I have found through real-time stability testing that the target should be 6% or greater. In this formulation, I will be using 6%. 

In this post, I will share how to formulate a STABLE natural body lotion. I will include some percentages which you can customize. Lotions, at their core, are three different ingredients—water, oil, and emulsifier. As you know, water and oil do not mix. They need something to aid in dispersing one into another. The emulsifier we will use today is Ritamulse SCG (INCI: Glyceryl Stearate, Ceteryl Alcohol, and Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate). This emulsifier is a complete emulsifier that can be used in a pH range of 5-7.5. The max oil phase you can have is 25%. It is suggested usage rate is 2-10%. I have found from doing real-time stability testing that It should be 6% or greater. In this formulation, I am going to be using 6%. 

I am furthering the discussion from Instagram to the blog on if you need to be a chemist to formulate.
I have a broad audience that subscribes to this blog. From cosmetic chemists to brand owners to people who want to learn more. I need to be careful as I do not want to discourage people from formulating because they think they cannot do it. I want to encourage people to learn. I want you to refrain from following recipes. I want you to be able to learn and make your own formulations. It is such an empowering feeling.

Salicylic acid can be very hard to work with. It is not very soluble in water. In this post, will link to all my posts on salicylic acid for you to read through. I have learned a lot of tips to make it stay in solution and not crystalize out.

In this post, we will discuss the ideal pH level for our products. If you are unfamiliar with pH, please refer to this post (link) for more information. 

​I have been playing around with body scrub formulations. I thought that I would share my thoughts on what I have noticed. I have been trying to make a lighter scrub for warmer months. My first iteration was way too hard, which would be good for a solid exfoliating bar. I then reduced the thickeners, and it became really soft. I have different versions with different oils used.