Learn the fundamentals of skincare formulation and discover how ingredients work together to create effective, stable DIY skincare products. From understanding percentages, emulsifiers, humectants, preservatives, pH, and shelf life to learning how water, oils, and other ingredients affect a formula, these guides will help you build your formulation skills step by step—from beginner basics to more advanced techniques.
When you first start making skincare products, one of the most confusing parts of formulation is figuring out which ingredients belong together. Why does glycerin usually go into the water phase? Why do emulsifiers and cetyl alcohol need to be heated? And why should some preservatives and active ingredients be added after a lotion has
Understanding Skincare Formulation Phases: How to Know What Goes Where Read More »
Have you ever found a DIY skincare recipe you love, only to realize it makes far more—or far less—than you need? Maybe you want to make a small batch of lotion to test the texture, prepare enough body butter to fill several jars, or turn a 100 g formula into a 500 g batch. The
How to Scale a Skincare Formula to Any Batch Size Read More »
When you first start making your own skincare products, a formula can look confusing. You might see ingredient names, percentages, weights in grams, phase labels, and processing instructions without knowing exactly what each part means. Once you understand how to read a skincare formula, those details become much easier to follow. A formula tells you
Body butter is one of my favorite DIY skincare products to make because it is rich, customizable, and relatively simple to formulate. But there is one frustrating problem that can ruin an otherwise beautiful batch: graininess. You whip your body butter until it looks smooth and fluffy, only to open the jar a few days
Why is my Body Butter Grainy and How do I Fix It? Read More »
Have you ever looked at a list of skincare ingredients and wondered how to turn them into a product that actually works? Understanding what an ingredient does is an important first step in DIY skincare formulation. But knowing that glycerin attracts water, shea butter adds richness, and an emulsifier helps oil and water combine is
If you’ve ever made a DIY lotion, body butter, scrub, or other skincare recipe and wondered how people come up with percentages like 5% emulsifying wax or 10% oil, you’re not alone. The good news is that converting a recipe to a formula is actually pretty simple. In this guide, I’ll show you how to
