Image Credit: Zellaroma I remember those days when it was extra challenging to find sellers of essential oils in the Philippines. These days, there are already several online sellers of essential oils but most of them offer imported brands that I find very expensive for such a small bottle.Fortunately, Zellaroma was established in late 2017 which aims to be a reputable source of high...

Continue Reading

 Recently, I’ve been studying how to formulate toners for different skin types. Facial toners are one of the easiest cosmetic formula to make if you’re only going to use water soluble ingredients. For this post, I decided to develop an alcohol-free facial toner specifically designed for people with oily and/or acne-prone skin.Normally, alcohol is used in oil-control facial toner for its astringent properties....

Continue Reading

 Image Credit: Christian Ferrer / Wikimedia CommonsINCI Name: Oenothera biennis (Evening Primrose) oilSource: SeedTypes: Refined / UnrefinedColor: Pale yellowAroma: Light odorViscosity: ThinAbsorption: SlowComedogenic Rating: 2Shelf Life: 6 months (if stored in cool, dry place and away from direct sunlight)SAP Value (for soap making): 180 - 195 (mg KOH), NaOH = 0.134 (g, oz or lb), KOH = 0.188 (g, oz or lb)Ideal for which...

Continue Reading

 Traditional cosmetic emulsifiers (a.k.a. hot process emulsifiers) are quite tricky to use for amateur cosmetic formulators like me. I can’t count the number of times that I wasted my raw materials because my lotion has separated after a few days. So when I finally got my hand on Novemer EC-2, making lotions and creams become easy peasy! It is a cold process emulsifier...

Continue Reading