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Making Creams With Olivem 1000

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
380 views26 pages

Making Creams With Olivem 1000

Uploaded by

Arlene Vargas
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 26

® http://curious-soapmaker.

com

Email: [email protected]

January, 02, 2013

Cream making
with
Olivem 1000

Cream making basics (about emulsions, sanitizing, preserving)

Introducing Olivem 1000

Recipes with detailed instructions & photos included!


Making creams with Olivem 1000 2

Table of Contents
I. Introduction ................................................................................................................. 3
II. Cream making basics ............................................................................................... 4
II.1. What is cream (about emulsions and emulsifiers) ........................................... 4
Emulsifiers ................................................................................................... 5
II.2. Making a cream/emulsion .................................................................................. 8
II.3. Cream ingredients ................................................................................................ 9
II.4. What affects cream characteristics ................................................................ 11
II.5. Good practices or how to extend the product shelf life (about sanitizing,
preserving and rancidity)....................................................................................................... 11
Preserving mold/bacteria ..................................................................... 12
Preserving rancidity ................................................................................ 14
III. Olivem 1000............................................................................................................... 15
IV. My favorite Olivem 1000 recipes............................................................................ 17
Simple cream with vanilla and orchid............................................................. 18

Protective anti-wrinkle cream with hyaluronic acid and coenzyme Q10 . 20

Universal vanilla body butter with panthenol ................................................ 22

Pregnant belly cream with rosehip oil ............................................................ 25

After shave with marigold ................................................................................. 26


3 Making creams with Olivem 1000

I. Introduction

I am not an Olivem 1000 distributor – as you can see, I do not sell any ingredients on
my website/blog - nor is this a sponsored advertisement.

I just happen to use Olivem 1000 quite often in my formulations and was asked by
multiple friends to give them some guidelines on how to use it. Instead of writing it
over and over again, I decided to put it on the paper and when this nice
document was born, it was natural to share it with everyone interested.

I hope you will find it useful, and will love to hear your feedback – just leave me a
comment in my blog or send me an email!

This document took some effort to write, so feel free to share it as is, or any part of it,
under the condition you recognize my authorship and cite my blog, thanks!

Disclaimer: I am not a licensed cosmetologist, physician, pharmacist or chemist. All


the recipes and information contained in this document should be interpreted
carefully and used on your own risk and with regard to all your medical conditions
you may have. I am not responsible for any action that can be taken based on the
material and information in this document or for any possible consequences.
Making creams with Olivem 1000 4

II. Cream making basics

If you have never made a cream


(emulsion), please, read this section
thoroughly.

In the following subsections, I try to explain


all the important basics for cream making. I
do not go to details on the characteristics
of oils, different water flowers, powders,
actives, as this information can be found
pretty much elsewhere and would be out
of scope.

II.1. What is cream (about emulsions and emulsifiers)

Cream is an emulsion – homogenous mix between water and oils.

There are many types of emulsions, but the two we find in creams are water in oil
(w/o) and oil in water (o/w) (Figure 1).

W/O emulsions contain usually 10-35% of the oil phase and are the most common –
e.g. day creams, body milks, etc. They are less greasy.

O/W emulsions contain 45-80% of the oil phase and have more greasy feeling. Here
belong mainly cold creams, night creams, ointments.

It might seem that it is the proportion of water to oils that makes the difference, but
in reality it is more complicated and it depends on the type of emulsifier.

Figure 1. Schematic representation of the oil in water (O/W) and water in oil (W/O) emulsion
5 Making creams with Olivem 1000

EMULSIFIERS

Water and oils do not really like each other – worse – they are repulsed - and
therefore do not mix well (try to pour oil in some water and stir).

An effort is needed to make them stick together and make the emulsion:
mechanical and chemical.

The mechanical one is the stirring – by hand, or better using blender. The stronger
the mixing, the finer the droplets will be created and the more stable the emulsion
will be.

However, simple mechanical mixing does not make the emulsion stable in long term
and under different temperatures.

That is why a third guy needs to come to the party (I call him the icebreaker). The
icebreaker is a chemical molecule that has lipophilic and hydrophilic tail.

This means it likes both oils and water and can connect them into a homogenous
and stable emulsion (Figure 2)

Figure 2. Schematic representation of the function of emulsifier in the oil in water emulsion.
Emulsifier with hydrophilic (circle) and lipophilic (line) tails connects to water (blue) and oils (orange),
creating small oil droplets.
Making creams with Olivem 1000 6

The third guy is called emulsifier. There are many types of emulsifiers, you might
have heard about the emulsifying wax, for example. The type of emulsion that an
emulsifier creates can be estimated based on its HLB (hydrophilic-lipophilic
balance) value.

Emulsifiers with low HLB value create W/O emulsions and emulsifiers with high HLB
create O/W solutions.

More on HLB:

 Wiki definition
 The HLB system – a time saving guide to emulsifier selection - book

Beeswax + borax combination is used often used in US as a natural w/o emulsifier.

I do not use borax, as here in Europe it cannot be easily found. Even if I found it, I
am not sure if I would use it as it was found to have a genotoxic effect and is
potentially harmful for reproductive organs. However, the evidence is rather
controversial, many studies were provided on animals, lots are negative, some other
positive.

Lecithin is also an emulsifier. It does create nice emulsions, however mainly the w/o,
greasy type of emulsion, that is liquid. Beeswax has to be added in order to obtain
a thicker cream. Too much of lecithin gives the emulsion the characteristic lecithin
odor and stickiness.

Beeswax on its own is not a real emulsifier. As to my experience, it works for


emulsions with more than 50% of the oil phase, however, its action is rather
mechanical – by thickening it helps to stabilize the emulsion that is created by
strong mixing

Beeswax and lecithin are good natural emulsifiers for w/o emulsions.

The only easy-to-find/make and biodegradable emulsifier for o/w emulsions is soap.
Yes, soap acts also as an emulsifier – this is how it cleans – it binds to the dirt
(grease) by one tail of its molecule and the other one to the water – dirt is washed
away. However, soap based creams are often too basic (have high Ph, because
soap cannot exist at Ph lower than 8, that is its nature, in lower Ph it decomposes)
and can be irritating for skin.

Therefore, in order to create lighter, less greasy or non-greasy O/W emulsions, we


need to use more elaborated emulsifiers, or also called emulsifying waxes.
7 Making creams with Olivem 1000

There are hundreds of commercial emulsifiers.

For example TWEEN and SPAN 1: SPAN emulsifiers have low emulsifying HLB value,
which means they create W/O emulsions and TWEEN emulsifiers have high
emulsifying HLB value, creating rather O/W solutions. TWEEN are emulsifiers
composed of ethoxylated compounds and although these are considered safe for
use in cosmetics (according to a review from 2005 2), this is only under the condition
the impurities and byproducts such as ethylene oxide and 1,4 dioxane are
removed. These two chemicals are considered carcinogenic3.

The problem is that according to a report of the Environmental Working Group 4,5:
“Although companies can easily remove it from ingredients during manufacture, tests
documenting its common presence in products show that they often don't….”

Some more reading about the ethoxylated compounds:

 http://chemicaloftheday.squarespace.com/most-
controversial/2011/1/22/ethoxylated-compounds.html

The most common emulsifying waxes for homemade cosmetics contain ethoxylated
emulsifiers (e.g. Polawax, Emulsifying wax NF contain PEG20 (PEG60…), where PEG
stands for ethoxylated polyethylene glycol).

However, there has been a substantial effort in trying to find the non-ethoxoylated
alternatives and now there are many emulsifiers that are just simple esters of fatty acids
(present in oils) and sugars or glycerin. Such an emulsifier is Olivem 1000.

1 http://chemagent.ru/prodavtsy/download/849/968/19
2 Claudia Fruijtier-Pölloth (2005) Safety assessment on polyethylene glycols (PEGs) and their derivatives as
used in cosmetic products. Review. Toxicology. 214 (1–2), p.1–38
3 Julie A Stickney, Shawn L Sager, Jacquelyn R Clarkson, Lee Ann Smith, Betty J Locey, Michael J Bock, Rolf

Hartung, Steven F Olp. (2003) An updated evaluation of the carcinogenic potential of 1,4-dioxane. Regulatory
Toxicology and Pharmacology 38(2), p.183–195
4 EWG warns of 1,4-dioxane in cosmetics. (2007) Focus on Surfactants 4, p. 4
5 http://www.ewg.org/release/ewg-research-shows-22-percent-all-cosmetics-may-be-contaminated-cancer-

causing-impurity
Making creams with Olivem 1000 8

II.2. Making a cream/emulsion

To make a cream, we have to make an


emulsion. Here are the three basic steps.

1) Heating the water and oil phase in


separate containers until 50°C or 70°C

Different authors give different


recommendations, I think higher
temperature is better, because it
might help to kill some bacterias and
because some of the emulsifiers and
waxes have higher melting point.

This happens usually in water bath as you wish to avoid overheating, for two
main reasons:
a. You will quickly evaporate part of your water phase and in case you use
floral waters, you could actually degrade/deactivate the goodies they
contain
b. Some oils – good examples are shea butter and cocoa butter – become
after overheating grainy – not something you wish to experience in your
final formulation

Reason for this step: It was found that emulsion is easier to make when both
phases are at the same temperature and that somewhere between 50°C-70°C
lies the renvers point that is crucial for the formation of an emulsion. Below this
temperature emulsion will not happen, unless special – cold emulsifiers are used.

Tip: Cover your water phase while heating otherwise it will evaporate (even at
70°C some water starts to evaporate)

2) When both phases reach the desired temperature, take both containers off the
heat and pour slowly the oil phase into the water phase, while continuously
stirring/blending.

I did not find any reasoning why oil phase in the water phase, and in my
experience, pouring water in oil works as well....

I know that for example Susan Barclay Nichols insists on using the heat&hold
method, which means heating both phases and holding for 20 minutes at the
desired temperature and only after mix the phases together. While it might help
to kill some more bacteria that might be present, I did not find this method
9 Making creams with Olivem 1000

necessary in order to make the emulsion more stable over time or increasing the
product shelf life. However, I did not make any elaborate experiments on the
subject (I might make), nor do I sell my products, so I cannot really make definite
claims about it and I mention this method as a potentially interesting concept
for everyone.

Reason for this step: Why to heat both phases separately? That is a very good
question. I did not really find answer to this, but I think that it is because some
emulsifiers need time to work and pouring one phase into another slowly makes
it easier for them. With some emulsifiers heating both phases together might
work pretty well – I have this experience with Olivem 1000. However, you might
need the blender.

Tip: If you are pouring oils to water, make sure your water container is large
enough to contain both phases.

3) When emulsion takes place (somewhere in between 50°-70°C), continue stirring


until the temperature drops below 50°C. At this point you may add all other, heat
sensitive ingredients – such as preservative, fragrance, actives (hyaluronic acid,
panthenol, coenzyme Q10…).

Mix well and then pour in containers.

Reason for this step: Stirring until the emulsion cools down ensures the emulsion
stability – in some cases if you cease stirring too soon, emulsion will separate
upon cooling.

Tip: Place your mixing bowl in cold water to speed the cooling.

II.3. Cream ingredients

While an emulsion that is the main part of a cream


constitutes of oil phase, water phase and emulsifier,
additional ingredients are added, mainly:

- Fragrances/essential oils
- Colorants
- Preservatives
- Actives – in principle everything else that was
added in order to have a desirable effect on
Making creams with Olivem 1000 10

the skin, usually in small quantities – panthenol, hyaluronic acid, vitamins,


hydrolyzed proteins, …

Majority of these additional ingredients are heat sensitive – which means can be
either evaporated or their function changed – therefore are added in the cool
down phase.

Emulsifiers are often added to the oil phase when heating, as they are often more
oil than water soluble.

Your cream will carry all the effects of the ingredients used. Instead of pure water
you can use floral/herbal waters or infusions as your water phase. You can infuse
your oils with herbs (e.g. maringold) or vegetables (carrot).

Adding fatty alcohols (cetearyl, cetyl alcohol) will add the product a good slip and
glide. These should be dissolved in the oil phase.

If you plan to add powders (e.g. zinc oxide in the natural deodorant that really –
but really - works!), do not forget that they will absorb some of the water phase and
thicken the cream. Adjust the cream consistency accordingly – by adding more
water and making more liquid emulsion.

Tip: Pay attention on the compatibility of ingredients and possible negative effects
that should be compensated for.

For example grapefruit seed extract and xanthan gum are not compatible – create
bizarre white strains in the final product, like on the picture of strawberry peeling I
have made below:
11 Making creams with Olivem 1000

Other ingredients (including some emulsifiers) make the final product too basic
(high Ph) and therefore a bit of citric acid should be added in order to lower the Ph.

Or, some preservatives are active under different Ph conditions – again, they
have to be chosen with regard to other ingredients.

II.4. What affects cream characteristics

Cream effect on skin definitely depends on its


ingredients – see section II.3.

The cream feeling depends on the:

 Proportion of oil vs. water phase and type of


emulsion (more oils and W/O emulsion usually
results in more greasy feeling)
 Type of oils used (e.g. lighter oils give less
greasy creams)
 Type and proportion of emulsifier – each emulsifier has different properties,
some of them can make cream more protective and waxy, other give more
penetrating emulsions. Amount of the emulsifier can important play role.
 Other additives – e. g. adding isopropyl myristate in the oil phase diminishes
the greasiness of each cream

Cream consistency depends on the:

 Type and proportion of emulsifier – some emulsifiers, like lecithin give mainly
liquid emulsions, others, like Olivem 1000 mainly thicker creams.
 Oil type – butters will give thicker creams than liquid oils
 Other additives – adding beeswax or other waxes can thicken the cream
 Oil vs. water phase proportion – this is dependent on the type of emulsifier,
too - with some emulsifiers more water means lighter and more liquid
emulsion, in others this does not matter much (e.g. lecithin or Olivem 1000)

II.5. Good practices or how to extend the product shelf life (about
sanitizing, preserving and rancidity)

There are basically three things that can happen to your cream over time:

- the water and oils will separate – choosing a good emulsifier for your
formulation can postpone this for years
Making creams with Olivem 1000 12

- it will grow bacteria/mold


- it will go rancid

PREVENTING BACTERIA/MOLD

Bacteria and mold are everywhere and the last thing you wish is them using your
natural, handmade cream full of goodies as a food supporting their growth and
expansion.

Both need water to grow; therefore this kind of contamination will occur in every
formulation that contains a water phase – in other words in any emulsion and
therefore cream.

There are two main ways how to keep them out for as long as possible:

 Do not let them in:


a) by sanitizing all your working area, tools and containers that you use
while making cream (see below)
b) by minimizing the contact between fingers and the formulation
 Make them not liking it:
c) add preservatives

a) Sanitizing your working area, tools and containers

It is boring, mainly when you have this super idea and you really want to start…
but necessary - unless you want your super formulation to get green from mold or
change its scent and color because of bacterial growth (not always traceable by
these changes).

Choose one of the three methods:

 Boil the tools for 15 minutes in a distilled or soft water (if hard, calcium
will deposit on your tools):
o No need to buy chlorine or alcohol
o Not suitable for plastics that are not heat proof

 Use chlorine pastilles – just dissolve a chlorine pastille in water


according to instructions and soak in all your tools for 5 minutes
o Effective
13 Making creams with Olivem 1000

o Need to dry – use paper towels

 Rub everything with 70% alcohol


o Fast and easy
o Difficult to reach all small places – soaking is better

b) Minimize the contact between fingers and cream


 Use clean spatulas instead of fingers to take the cream
 Where possible, choose a container with a pump instead of wide
opening cream container

c) Add preservatives

There are many options on the market, some considered more natural than
others. For example Optiphen, Cosgard, Germall, Naticide.

Different preservatives have different spectra of activity against different


bacteria and mold.

Grapefruit seed extract was longtime considered a good natural


preservative, but it seems its function was due to additional preservations added
[REF]. I have been using it quite successfully and I do not mind that it might contain
other preservatives that do the job – mainly when I am out of stock of other
preservatives.

It seems that good preservatives are not natural and natural preservatives
are not good [REF]. In any case:
d) Always check your preservative compatibility with other components in
your formulation and follow the recommended percentage of use
e) If you sanitized well your tools and avoid direct finger contact when
using it, it can survive without preservatives if kept in refrigerator for a
month (own experience)
f) While for yourself you can still try no-preservative formulations, if you sell
or give away your products, do ALWAYS add a preservative. You have
no control how your friends/customers will stock and use your product.
Making creams with Olivem 1000 14

PREVENTING RANCIDITY

Rancidity means decomposition of fatty acids into shorter molecules by


oxidation. The short molecules have often distinctive and unpleasant odor and so
does the rancid oil. Changes in color – mainly darkening – occur simultaneously.

Rancidity is a potential problem of every formulation containing oil phase. This


includes creams.

The oxidation shelf life of a formulation is the same as of the oil with the shortest
shelf life in it, unless you added an anti-oxidant.

Unsaturated fatty acids contain one or more double bonds between carbon
atoms (Figure 3). Double bonds are easy to break by oxidation and therefore
unsaturated fatty acids are faster to go rancid than saturated (no double bonds)
acids.

Figure 3. Double bond between two carbon atoms in fatty acids

In direct consequence oils containing mainly unsaturated fatty acids (these are
also liquid at room temperature) have shorter shelf life than oils containing mainly
saturated fatty acids (solid at room temperatures).

In order to increase the shelf life of the formulation against rancidity follows
these three steps:

a) Use only non-rancid and fresh oils


b) Add antioxidants. A typical example is Vitamine E (which is a mix of
tocopherols).
c) Keep your product in dark containers and in a cool place – warm and
light accelerate oxidation (this step is optional as usually the product is
used up before this happen)
15 Making creams with Olivem 1000

III. Olivem 1000


INCI: Sorbitan olivate & Glyceryl stearate

Olivem 1000 is an emulsifying wax approved for


use in natural cosmetics formulations, EcoCert
France certified and considered more natural
alternative emulsifying waxes containing
ethoxylated compounds.

It is a self-emulsifying wax, what means it can


be used on its own, without the help of other
emulsifiers that would stabilize the emulsion.

It is a mix of two components:

 sorbitan olivate – an ester of sorbitol (a sugar) and olive oil fatty acids
 cetearyl olivate – an ester of olive oil and cetearyl alcohol

Although its production is industrial, it is considered an acceptable for natural


cosmetics, mainly.

Its’ HLB is 9, although it is claimed that it does not act on the basis of HLB, but on the
basis of forming crystals.

It is delivered in form of white pellets and has no distinctive odor.

Usage: As to my experience, Olivem 1000 is good mainly for creating less-liquid


creams/emulsions.

According to the excellent data sheet from aroma-zone.fr (please, use google
translate from French to English, it is really worthy) the recommended usage rate is
between 3-8%, where 3% gives light (but still not pourable) cream and 8% gives
thick, more protective type of cream.

Of course the resulting cream is dependent on the percentage of the oil phase in
the solution and type of oil used and the emulsion stability depends on Olivem 1000
and oil phase proportion in the formulation (e.g. if we have 30% of oil phase, 3% of
Olivem 1000 in the formulation won’t create an emulsion)

As to my experience, working with Olivem 1000 can be tricky – while it is without


problems if a blender is used, manual stirring can result in phase separation if not
stirred until the emulsion cools below 28°C. I experienced this problem mainly after
adding cetyl alcohol. I think this is due to Olivem 1000 containing another fatty
alcohol (cetearyl alcohol).
Making creams with Olivem 1000 16

Some people find it little waxy, but this depends on the amount (more makes
cream waxier).
17 Making creams with Olivem 1000

IV. My favorite Olivem 1000 recipes


When making the recipes, feel free to change the types of oils and water phase
(distilled water / mineral water / flower waters…).

However, some of the oils have important function (for example rosehip oil in
pregnant belly cream), so keep in mind that creams might change their effects and
consistency substantially (e.g. if adding)

If you do not have some of the active ingredients from the cool down phase, just
leave them out of the recipe.

All the recipes are in % percentages. The easiest way to converting into grams or
ounces is just to substitute g or oz for the % sign, so 10% becomes 10g or 10oz.

Of course, in ounces the recipes might become too large, so feel free to divide the
amount accordingly (e.g. if a recipe counts for 100 oz, divide all quantities by 10 to
get 10 oz recipe)
Making creams with Olivem 1000 18

Simple cream with vanilla and orchid

I was asked by a friend to make a simple


cream with Olivem 1000 so that she knows,
what does it feels like.

And so I did it, trying to use only basic


ingredients that would not change in
a substantial way the cream feeling and
show at maximum its. I had a vanilla infusion
in sunflower oil and another friend brought
me from Thailand orchidea essential oil, so
I used these.

Recipe for ~100g of cream

Oil phase (37%) Water phase (60%) Cool down phase (3%)
GSE –
Vanilla infusion
grapefruit seed
in oil (in my case
20% 1.5% extract (or
it was Mineral
other
grapeseed oil) or
60% preservative)
distilled
10% Macadamia oil water 1% Vitamine E

7% Olivem 1000 0.5% Orchid EO

Tip: You can use any combination of oils, as soon as they are at 30% of the recipe
formulation.

Instructions

1) Sterilize your equipment, as instructed in the section II.5.


2) In water bath heat the water phase to 70°C (158°F).
3) At the same time, heat your oil phase until Olivem 1000 melts and the phase
reaches 70°C (158°F).
4) When both phases reach 70°C (158°F), take off the heat and add slowly the oil
phase into the water phase while continuously stirring.
IMPORTANT! 70°C is the temperature that ensures good emulsification. Lower
temperatures can cause separation of the two phases, higher temperatures would
unnecessarily prolong the stirring time.
19 Making creams with Olivem 1000

5) When emulsion occurs, place the bowl in cold water to accelerate cooling, while
still stirring.
6) When the temperature reaches 50°C (122°F), add the vitamine E, preservative and
orchid EO. Higher temperature could inactivate one of the actives or the
preservative.
Making creams with Olivem 1000 20

Protective anti-wrinkle cream with hyaluronic acid and


coenzyme Q10

In this recipe, I tried to make selection of oils


that are repairing (avocado oil, which is full
of phytosterols) and contain loads of anti-
oxidants to protect our skin (carrot tissue oil
contains -carotens).
However, because avocado oil is quite
greasy, I added fractionated coconut oil
that is very light, and absorbs well.
The anti-wrinkle actives are hyaluronic acid
and coenzyme Q10.

To notice – hyaluronic acid creates a gel


when mixed with water, and the final cream
is somewhat glidy and takes longer be absorbed by skin.

Recipe

Oil phase (29%) Water phase (68.2%) Cool down phase (2.8%)
5% Carrot tissue oil 1% Preservative
Mineral
36%+6.8%
8% Avocado oil water 1% Coenzyme Q10
Hyaluronic acid
mixed with
mineral water
Fractionated
8% 0.3% representing
coconut oil Rose
25.5% 6.8% of the
water
recipe
formulation
Fragrance oil of
8% Olivem 1000 0.5%
your choice

Instructions

1) Sterilize your equipment, as instructed in the section II.5.


2) Mix well the hyaluronic acid (a white powder) with the amount of water representing
6.8% of the recipe formulation. Pay attention to obtain smooth structure – add the
powder very slowly while intensly stirring. You shall obtain a transparent gel.
21 Making creams with Olivem 1000

3) Add to this gel coenzyme Q10 and preservative.


4) In water bath heat the rest of the water phase (36% + 25.5%) to 70°C (158°F).
5) At the same time, heat your oil phase until Olivem 1000 melts and the phase is at
70°C (158°F).
6) When both phases reach 70°C (158°F), take off the heat and add slowly the oil
phase into the water phase while continuously stirring.
IMPORTANT! 70°C is the temperature that ensures good emulsification. Lower
temperatures can cause separation of the two phases, higher temperatures would
unnecessarily prolong the stirring time.
7) When emulsion occurs, place the bowl in cold water to accelerate cooling, while
still stirring.
8) When the temperature reaches 50°C (122°F) you can add the phase prepared in
steps 1-2. Stir in thorougly. Higher temperature could inactivate one of the actives or
the preservative
9) At the very end add your fragrance – optional.

Tip: If you do not have hyaluronic acid , add 13g of mineral water to the water phase.
You can substitute oils for other, but this can affect the final greasiness.
Making creams with Olivem 1000 22

Universal vanilla body butter with panthenol – when little


goes a long way

I make this body butter regularly and am very


proud of it – originally I designed it as a cream
for my mother in law, who has dry skin. It was a
success and fortunately – I left some for myself
to discover how perfect this cream is.

It smells very gently of vanilla - thanks to vanilla


oil infusion I have made (and do make
regularly) – Let macerate 1 vanilla pod in 100
ml of oils – in this case I used macadamia oil –
for a week.

What I love about this cream is that it gives the perfect feeling and is less-greasy, thanks
to the selection of the oils: macadamia oil and jojoba oil. At the same time I find it very
nutritioning and repairing – thanks to the macadamia oil, avocado oil - that contains
loads of phytosterols - and added panthenol (provitamine B5).

The cethyl alcohol gives the butter the glide and slide – a silky, conditioning feeling. It
can be used for face, hands or all over the body and a little of cream goes a long way!
The oil composition makes it suitable for all skin types.

In conclusion – this is the type of all purpose - all body – cream for all the family that will
get used up before you know it. My darling uses it sometimes as an after shave… what
can I say more?
23 Making creams with Olivem 1000

Recipe

Oil phase (35%) Water phase (60%) Cool down phase


10% Jojoba oil 1% Preservative
Vanilla infusion
10% in macadamia 2% Panthenol
61.5%
oil
Distilled water
5% Avocado oil Vanilla
7% Olivem 1000 0.5% absolute
3% Cethyl alcohol (optional)

Instructions

1) Sterilize your equipment, as instructed in the section II.5.


2) In water bath heat the water phase to 70°C (158°F).
3) At the same time, heat your oil phase until Olivem 1000 melts and the phase
reaches 70°C (158°F).

4) When both phases reach 70°C (158°F), take off the heat and add slowly the oil
phase into the water phase while continuously stirring.

IMPORTANT! 70°C is the temperature that ensures good emulsification. Lower


temperatures can cause separation of the two phases, higher temperatures
would unnecessarily prolong the stirring time.
Making creams with Olivem 1000 24

5) When emulsion occurs, place the bowl in cold water to accelerate cooling,
while still stirring

6) When the temperature reaches 50°C (122°F), add the preservative, panthenol
and vanilla absolute. Higher temperature could inactivate one of the actives or
the preservative.
7) If hand stirring – still until complete cool down, otherwise a separation may
occur! If this happens, re-heat gently your emulsion and use a blender.
8) Pour into jars and store in cool place.
25 Making creams with Olivem 1000

Pregnant belly cream with rosehip oil

This cream contains rosehip (seed)


oil which contains vitamin A, omega
3 and omega 6 fatty acids, and is
used for its properties as a skin
repairing oil in anti-aging creams
and scarf healing creams. It makes it
ideal for pregnant belly to prevent
stretch marks.

Recipe

Oil phase (38%) Water phase (60.8%) Cool down phase


Rosehip seed
15.5%
oil 1% Preservative
Rose
15.5% Jojoba oil 60.8%
water
7% Olivem 1000 0.2% EO rosewood

Instructions: Follow the instructions for Simple cream with vanilla and orchid.

Tip: You can apply rosehip seed oil also directly on your skin

Of interest: Rosehip seed oil has a characteristic odor that some people find
unpleasant. If you feel so, just change the proportions of oils to 5% rosehip and 26%
jojoba oil.
Making creams with Olivem 1000 26

After shave cream with marigold

For the after shave cream, I have selected jojoba oil


for it is similar to human skin sebum, castor oil for its
moisturizing properties and marigold flower petals
infusion in sunflower oil for its excellent skin repair
actions.

In water phase I choose rose water for its skin


soothing effect and nice smell and the aloe vera
juice for its antibacterial and antifungal, and skin
repairing effects.

In this cream, I also used only 5% of Olivem 1000, as I wanted a bit lighter and more
easily penetrant cream.

Recipe

Oil phase (35%) Water phase (64%) Cool down phase (1%)
18% Jojoba oil
44% Rose water 0.8% Preservative
7% Castor oil
Mix of EO:
Marigold oil cedarwood,
5% Aloe vera
infusion 20% 0.2% ylang-ylang,
juice (not gel)
clove bud,
5% Olivem 1000 santalwood

Instructions: Follow the instructions for Simple cream with vanilla and orchid.

Common questions

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Isopropyl myristate, when added to creams, reduces greasiness by improving the fluidity and penetration of the oil phase, enhancing the cream's sensory attributes by making it lighter and more spreadable . Beeswax, meanwhile, acts as a thickening agent, providing body and stability to the emulsion . This ingredient's mechanical properties help stabilize emulsions with significant oil phases, creating a cream that is thicker and more cohesive, ideal for formulations needing a firm texture . These additives must be balanced with the cream's overall formulation goals, such as desired feel and application consistency, to effectively enhance product performance .

Different oils affect a cream's texture and greasiness. Lighter oils result in less greasy creams, while oils like butters produce thicker products . The proportion of oil relative to water also plays a significant role: more oils in a W/O emulsion increase greasiness, whereas balanced proportions in an O/W emulsion yield a lighter feel . Additionally, specific oils can influence the cream’s nutritional and skin-repairing benefits, such as avocado oil's contribution of antioxidants and phytosterols to anti-wrinkle creams .

Mechanical processes involve stirring or using a blender to create fine droplets and distribute the oil and water phases evenly . However, this alone is insufficient for long-term stability. Chemical processes involve adding emulsifiers, molecules with both hydrophilic and lipophilic parts that blend the oil and water into a homogenous mixture . The emulsifier acts as an interface stabilizer, preventing the droplets from coalescing, thereby stabilizing the emulsion under various conditions .

Preservatives are critical in preventing microbial contamination in creams, particularly those with a water phase, which is conducive to bacterial and mold growth . They function by creating an environment hostile to microbial life, thus extending the cream's shelf life and maintaining its safety and efficacy. Effective use of preservatives requires compatibility with the cream's pH and other ingredients to prevent chemical interactions that could degrade either the preservative or the cream . Without preservatives, creams are at risk of spoilage, rendering them unusable and potentially harmful .

Choosing appropriate emulsifiers and ingredients is crucial to ensure the desired consistency, feel, and stability of the cream. The type and proportion of emulsifiers affect whether the emulsion is W/O or O/W, impacting the cream's greasiness and absorption properties . Poor selection of emulsifiers could lead to phase separation, an unfavorable texture, or even irritation if the cream's pH is not controlled . Ingredients like preservatives also play a role in preventing microbial growth, ensuring the product remains safe and effective over time .

Water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions typically contain 10-35% of the oil phase, making them less greasy and more common in products like day creams and body milks . In contrast, oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions contain 45-80% of the oil phase, resulting in a greasier feel, suitable for cold creams and ointments . The choice of emulsifier, determined by its hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) value, dictates the type of emulsion formed. Low HLB value emulsifiers create W/O emulsions, while high HLB value emulsifiers result in O/W emulsions .

When selecting emulsifiers for homemade cosmetics, safety is paramount, considering potential carcinogens like ethylene oxide from ethoxylated compounds . It is essential to ensure they are free from impurities and byproducts to mitigate health risks. Environmentally, natural and biodegradable emulsifiers, such as those based on fatty acids and sugars, are preferable for their lower environmental footprint compared to synthetic, petroleum-based emulsifiers . Thus, the challenge lies in balancing effectiveness with safety and ecological responsibility, favoring emulsifiers that align with these values .

Temperature control is critical during emulsification to ensure the ideal formation and stability of the emulsion. For Olivem 1000, both the oil and water phases must be heated to 70°C (158°F) to achieve good emulsification. Lower temperatures risk the separation of the phases, while higher temperatures unnecessarily prolong the stirring time, possibly degrading temperature-sensitive ingredients . This precise temperature ensures a uniform mixing of phases, essential for the stability and consistency of the final cream product .

Soap-based emulsifiers work by binding oil and water, but they inherently result in products that have a high pH, making them more basic. This basicity can be irritating to the skin, which limits their use in creams intended for facial or sensitive skin applications . Additionally, while effective in cleansing products, soaps are not the best choice for creams where a neutral pH and gentle action are desired, necessitating the use of more advanced or elaborative emulsifying waxes that can handle various active ingredients .

Natural emulsifiers such as lecithin and beeswax offer the advantage of being biodegradable and safer for the environment . Lecithin creates W/O emulsions, providing a rich, greasy texture preferred in certain cream types . Beeswax, often used with lecithin, helps thicken these emulsions . However, lecithin's strong odor and stickiness can be limitations, and beeswax alone is not a true emulsifier, acting more as a thickener than an emulsifying agent . Despite these limitations, their natural origin appeals to consumers seeking greener cosmetic products.

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