Difference Between Skincare Formulation and Following DIY Recipes
A proper way of formulating your own skincare is to use percentage instead written in a mixture of measurements. Often, DIY recipes use a combination of measurements such as grams, ounces, cups, milliliters, teaspoons, etc. Recipes in such a combination of measurements for a few ingredients or without a mixture of different ingredient forms i.e., liquid and oil, in a relatively small amount is probably fine. However, when the formula consists of various phases or has different forms of ingredients, e.g., water, oils, and butters, such combination of measurements tends to be inconsistent resulted in inaccuracy. The volume of liquid ingredients varies depending on their density, and one cup of oil will not weigh the same from a cup of butter due to specific gravity differences.
A formula should be written or created professionally, showing the percentage of ingredients in your product. It should also include the different phases of the formula. This will help you to do the right mix of the ingredients at each step. Your formula must always equal 100%. So whenever you create a formula, you must always add up all the percentages and make sure it comes to 100%. If it does not, then you need to adjust it until it does. Record all your formulas as a percentage allows you to scale according to batch size, know precisely how much the ingredients in the right amount.
Our popular formulation calculator can be used to convert from percentages to weight easily. It also gives you warning alert if any of the category ingredients are out of recommended range to make sure the ratios between the ingredients are as desired.
The Benefits of Using a Formula and Not a Recipe
I mentioned earlier, measuring in grams is the most accurate way. It is consistent to ensure you use the right portion of ingredients for your formulated products and is scalable to any batch size.
And so what are the other benefits?
1. You can always tell at a glance whether the ingredients you use are at the safe levels or within recommended usage
2. Consistency is the key when it comes to formulating your own skincare. It does not only allow you to scale up and down to make different batch size but also eliminates mistakes.
3. When the formula is in percentage, it allows you to quickly adapt, vary, or perfect your formula. For example, in the lip balm formulation, if you wanted it to be a bit firmer, you can increase the amount of beeswax. And to do so, it is very straightforward to add on a couple of percentages to beeswax and minus off a couple of percentages from the carrier oil. It is very easy in a formulation to play around with the formula, adapt, and vary some of the ingredients amounts to perfect your products.
4. You can make products tailored to your specific skin needs and preferences. You might want to create vegan products. Or you are sensitive to certain Ingredient which you like to exclude, or use ingredients that will give you the results you want.
5. Lastly, if one day you decide to sell your products, you will be required to keep a file about each product, and the formulation will be one part of the documentation you need to provide. You need to test the formula, and the labs will need your formula. And of course, if you want to outsource the manufacturing of your products, you need to provide the formula. It is scalable on a small-scale individual if you like to start small and eventually scale up when your beauty business starts to grow!
You can express your creativity by formulating your own products. Working and experimenting with ingredients like butters, oils, essential oils, and botanical extracts is a huge amount of fun, too!
