Lipstick Formula Adjustment

Based on your formula, the reason your lipstick turned out too soft is likely due to the high proportion of liquid oils and emollients compared to the waxes. Your formula contains 79% oils/emollients (Jojoba Oil, Fractionated Coconut Oil, Squalene, Isododecane) and 15% waxes (Candelilla Wax, Carnauba Wax).

To achieve a firmer lipstick, you need to increase the total percentage of waxes and proportionally decrease the percentage of the oil/emollient phase.

You can adjust your formula by increasing the wax content by 5-10%, as suggested by the staff. This additional wax can be:

• Natural White Beeswax: Adding 5-10% Beeswax will help increase the hardness and provide a natural option.
• Polyethylene Wax (Very Hard): Adding 5-10% Polyethylene Wax offers excellent hardness, improves color payoff, and provides a smooth texture.

When you add 5-10% of either Beeswax or Polyethylene Wax, you should reduce the total percentage of your oil/emollient phase (Jojoba Oil, Fractionated Coconut Oil, Squalene, Isododecane) by the same amount to keep the total formula at 100%. You can adjust the ratio of the individual oils within this reduced percentage as you prefer.

For example, if you add 5% wax:

• Reduce the total oil/emollient percentage from 79% to 74%.
• Keep Candelilla Wax at 10% and Carnauba Wax at 5%.
• Add 5% of either Natural White Beeswax or Polyethylene Wax (Very Hard).
• Keep ReadyMix Color at 5% and Vitamin E at 1%.

Your adjusted formula structure would look like this:

• Jojoba Oil, Fractionated Coconut Oil, Squalene, Isododecane: Total 74% (adjust individual percentages as needed)
• Candelilla Wax: 10%
• Carnauba Wax: 5%
• Added Wax (Natural White Beeswax or Polyethylene Wax (Very Hard)): 5%
• ReadyMix Color: 5%
• Vitamin E: 1%

Regarding the color dispersion, using a ReadyMix color like ReadyMix Iron Oxides Red is a good approach if you don't have specialized equipment, as they are pre-dispersed in an oil base and are easy to incorporate by simply stirring.

By increasing the wax content and reducing the oil phase, your lipstick should become firmer.