Modifying Your Formula

Adding foundation properties, Silk Mica Powder, and vitamins to your sunscreen formula is definitely possible! To do this, you will need to adjust the percentages of your existing ingredients to make space for the new ones, ensuring the total still adds up to 100%.

Here's a breakdown of how you can approach this:

Your current formula is:

• TiO2 liquid 10%
• ZnO liquid 10%
• Silicone Blender 3%
• Glydent plus 1%
• Silicone Gel 28%
• Purified Water 47.85%
• Beige Iron Oxides EasyMix™ 0.15%
• Total: 100%

To add new ingredients like Silk Mica Powder and vitamins, and potentially increase the foundation effect by adding more colorant, you will need to reduce the percentage of other ingredients. The most common ingredients to reduce are the base ingredients, which in your formula are the Silicone Gel and Purified Water.

Here's how to incorporate the new ingredients:

1. Increase Foundation Effect (Beige Iron Oxides EasyMix™): Your current formula uses 0.15% of Beige Iron Oxides EasyMix™, which provides a very light tint. To achieve more noticeable foundation coverage, you will need to significantly increase this percentage. You can start by increasing it to 1-5% or even higher depending on the desired level of coverage. Remember that Iron Oxides are pigments, so increasing the percentage will increase the color intensity and coverage.
2. Add Silk Mica Powder: Silk Mica Powder (like the Mica Powder (20 Micron, Methicone Coated)) can improve the texture, feel, and natural concealing effect of the formula. You can add Silk Mica Powder at a percentage like 1-10%. Start with a lower percentage and increase it gradually in test batches until you achieve the desired feel and effect.
3. Add Vitamins: The percentage of vitamins to add depends entirely on the specific vitamin(s) you choose. Each vitamin has its own recommended usage rate and solubility (water-soluble or oil-soluble). You will need to select the vitamins you want to add and follow their recommended usage percentages. Ensure the vitamins you choose are compatible with the rest of your formula ingredients.

Adjusting Percentages

Once you have decided on the percentages for the increased Beige Iron Oxides EasyMix™, Silk Mica Powder, and the chosen vitamins, calculate their total percentage. This total percentage must be subtracted from the percentages of your base ingredients (Silicone Gel and Purified Water).

For example, if you decide to:

• Increase Beige Iron Oxides EasyMix™ by 2% (from 0.15% to 2.15%)
• Add Silk Mica Powder at 5%
• Add vitamins at a total of 2%

The total percentage of new/increased ingredients is 2% + 5% + 2% = 9%.

You would then need to reduce the Silicone Gel (currently 28%) and Purified Water (currently 47.85%) by a combined total of 9%. You could, for instance, reduce Silicone Gel by 5% (to 23%) and Purified Water by 4% (to 43.85%).

Important Considerations:

• Testing: It is crucial to make small test batches after adjusting the percentages. Observe the stability, texture, color, spreadability, and feel of the product. You may need to make further adjustments based on your testing.
• Stability: Adding new ingredients and changing percentages can affect the stability of the emulsion. Ensure the formula remains stable over time (no separation).
• Texture: The amount of Silk Mica Powder and the adjustments to Silicone Gel and Water will significantly impact the final texture and feel of the product.
• Coverage and Color: Adjust the percentage of Beige Iron Oxides EasyMix™ (and potentially add other Iron Oxides like yellow, red, or black in small amounts) to achieve the desired skin tone match and coverage level.
• Vitamin Compatibility: Research the compatibility of your chosen vitamins with the other ingredients in your formula, especially the UV filters and preservative.

By carefully adjusting the percentages of your base ingredients (Silicone Gel and Purified Water) to accommodate the addition of more Beige Iron Oxides EasyMix™, Silk Mica Powder, and your chosen vitamins, you can create a customized foundation-sunscreen product.