Advice on your DMAE Anti-Wrinkle Serum Formula

Hello! It's great you're creating your own anti-wrinkle gel. This formula looks promising, especially using a gel base which is often preferred for oily skin.

Here's some feedback on your proposed formula:

• Gel Base: Using Xanthan Gum to create a gel is a good choice for oily skin as it tends to feel lighter than creams.
• Active Ingredients: Centella Asiatica, DMAE, and Gladback are popular ingredients known for their potential anti-aging and skin-firming benefits. The concentrations you've chosen seem reasonable.
• Humectants (Propylene Glycol, Glycerin): The total humectant level (13%) is good for hydration. However, for very oily skin, this concentration might feel slightly sticky or heavy to some people. If you find this is the case after making it, you could potentially slightly reduce the Propylene Glycol or Glycerin in future batches, but keep in mind this might slightly reduce the hydrating feel.
• CRITICAL - Preservation: Your formula contains a large amount of water (72% plus humectants). It is absolutely essential to add a broad-spectrum preservative system to prevent the growth of bacteria, mold, and yeast. Without a preservative, the gel can become contaminated very quickly, which is unsafe to use on the skin. Please research and add a suitable cosmetic preservative according to the manufacturer's recommended usage rate.
• pH Adjustment: DMAE can be alkaline, and the final pH of your gel will be important for skin compatibility, ingredient stability, and preservative efficacy. After mixing, you should check the pH and adjust it to be skin-friendly, typically between 5.0 and 6.0. You can use dilute solutions of citric acid or lactic acid to lower the pH, or sodium hydroxide to raise it if needed.
• Mixing: Ensure you properly disperse the Xanthan Gum in a small amount of liquid (like glycerin or propylene glycol) first before adding it to the water phase to avoid clumps. Dissolve other water-soluble ingredients in the water phase.

Remember to mix ingredients carefully and hygienically. Always test the final product on a small patch of skin before applying it widely.

Good luck with your formulation!