I’m going to take you through my process of how I like to formulate with a, new to me, ingredient.
Things to keep in mind while working with a new ingredient;
Experiment first!
Make small batches (100 grams)
Expect to have several failed formula before having a success.
Use minimal ingredients.
Don’t use expensive ingredients along side it (they will be wasted from experiments & fails)
Don’t add in ingredients that may cause stability issues.
Try adding the New to you ingredient into a formula you already know you love and works.
Use Liquid Germall Plus as your preservative if it suits the formula.
When I want to use a, new to me ingredient, in this case it’s Kojic Acid Dipalmitate (KAD), I start by reading the formulating guidelines provided by the supplier I purchased the ingredient from.
I purchased my Kojic Acid Dipalmitate (KAD) from lotioncrafter.com, so this is where I will start my research.
I’ve read through all of the text and documents provided by lotioncrafter.com on this ingredient and have taken note of all the important things I need to know.
Kojic Acid Dipalmitate (KAD) Formulating Guideline Notes;
“Its effects have been boosted when used in combination with glucosamine derivatives like N-Acetyl Glucosamine (NAG).”
“Does not complex with metal ions and will not change color”
“Light and heat stable”
“Compatible with most cosmetic ingredients.”
“Is recommended to add Isopropyl Palmitate or Isopropyl Myristate to the oil phase containing KAD and heat to 80°C (167°F) and hold for 5 minutes until the KAD dissolves completely. Then add the oil phase to the aqueous phase and emulsify for about 10 minutes.”
“Stable from pH 3 to 10.”
“Typical usage rate: 1 - 5%, typically 3-5% in whitening products”
“Solubility: Insoluble in water, soluble in oil”
Everything above in “” is a copy & paste from lotion crafter.com about Kojic Acid Dipalmitate (KAD)
There is also a section listing what type of products Kojic Acid Dipalmitate (KAD) is usually found in. This is normally mentioned for most products, so take note of this as well when formulating with a new to you ingredient. This will help give you a better understanding of how it’s typically used. On lotioncrafer.com they have these listed.
“Applications
Sunscreens and after-sun products
Makeup products
Skin lightening products
Anti-aging products
Creams and lotions”
What if the supplier does not provide any formulating guidelines?
I would start my contacting the supplier and asking them if they have the information. The information should of been provided to them by the distributor they buy their raw materials from.
You could also try to find another supplier who sells the same ingredient and use their formulating guidelines. This one isn’t always okay to do because sometimes suppliers can sell an ingredient with the same name, but they are formulated with differently or may have a different suggested usage rate. For example MakingCosmetic.com sells a kojic acid ingredient, but it’s water soluble. So it’s used in a completely different way than the Kojic Acid from lotioncrafter.com.
If you can’t find another supplier who sells the ingredient, then google to see if there is any information online about how to use the ingredient.
What if you can’t find any info??? My last resort is to google the ingredients name with “chemists corner” at the end. chemistscorner.com is a website with a forum where cosmetic chemists will ask questions. So if you google the ingredients name with “chemist corner” the goal is that google might find a forum of someone asking how to formulate with the same ingredient you are trying to figure out.
What if you don’t have all the Answers?
It’s also important to remember that the formulating guidelines doesn’t always tell us everything. Sometimes we need to learn things through experimenting and that’s okay. So if you don’t know the answer to all your questions you can experiment to find the answer. For example, I know I need to use either Isopropyl Palmitate or Isopropyl Myristate to help dissolve the Kojic Acid Dipalmitate (KAD). Heat it to 80°C (167°F) and hold for 5 minutes until it’s dissolved, but how much Isopropyl Palmitate or Isopropyl Myristate should I use? The formulating guidelines doesn’t mention at all. So I will have to figure this out by experimenting. I will create a formula with 5% Isopropyl Myristate and another with 10% Isopropyl Myristate and see which one works best, then I will adjust the formula from there.
Writing your Formula
Once I have all the information I need to formulate with the ingredient, this is when I start to write my first formula. I always stick with using liquid germal plus as my preservative if it’s an aqueous product because this preservative does not cause stability issues. This is the preservative I recommend you using when experimenting as well. I also recommend sticking with using other ingredient you know you like, are easy to formulate with, and don’t cause stability issues. Here is my first two experiment formulas. As you can see they are extremely minimal formulas so I am not wasting ingredients if the formula does fail and if we have less ingredients in the formula, its easier to figure out what the issue may be than if it was filled with a bunch of different ingredients.
Experiment 1
Phase A
74.5% Distilled Water
5% Glycerin
Phase B
5% Emulsifying Wax NF
2% Cetyl Alcohol
5% Isopropyl Myristate
5% Caprylic Capric Triglyceride
Phase C
0.5% Liquid Germall Plus
Experiment 2
Phase A
69.5% Distilled Water
5% Glycerin
Phase B
5% Emulsifying Wax NF
2% Cetyl Alcohol
10% Isopropyl Myristate
5% Caprylic Capric Triglyceride
Phase C
0.5% Liquid Germall Plus
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