Analysis of Your Anti-Aging Oil Formula

You've provided an ingredient list for an anti-aging oil and asked about non-essential ingredients, substitutions, and usage percentages. Based on the formula and the information from our staff, here's a breakdown:

Non-Essential Ingredients

Some ingredients in the list are not essential for the anti-aging efficacy of the formula:

• Fragrance Components: Ingredients like Fragrance (Parfum), Benzyl Benzoate, Citronellol, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Geraniol, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde, Hexyl Cinnamal, and Butylphenyl Methylpropional are primarily for scent and can be omitted if you prefer.
• PEG 40 Sorbitan Peroleate and Rosa Canina Seed Extract: Our staff indicated these are not available and can be omitted if you cannot source them. PEG 40 Sorbitan Peroleate acts as an emulsifier and helps dissolve some ingredients, but the formula is primarily oil-based, so it might not be strictly necessary depending on the final composition.
• BHT: While not providing anti-aging benefits, BHT is an antioxidant crucial for preventing the oils from going rancid and protecting sensitive active ingredients like Retinol and Ascorbyl Palmitate from degradation. It is highly recommended to keep an antioxidant in the formula for stability.

Substitutions

For ingredients not available, the staff mentioned that PEG 40 Sorbitan Peroleate and Rosa Canina Seed Extract can be omitted. They did not suggest specific substitutes for these.

For the base oils (Sweet Almond Oil, Grape Seed Oil, Camelina Sativa Seed Oil, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Sesame Seed Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Isopropyl Myristate, Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, Caprylyl Methicone, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Caprylic/capric triglyceride, Dimethicone, Hydrogenated Methyl Abietate), if you cannot find a specific oil, you could potentially substitute it with another lightweight, stable oil from the list or a similar cosmetic-grade oil. However, the staff's advice was to use the listed oils for the base.

Recommended Usage Percentages

The original formula does not provide specific percentages. The staff advised that the base oils and emollients should make up approximately 99% of the formula in total. You can adjust the ratio of these oils based on your desired skin feel.

For the active ingredients, you should follow the recommended usage rates for each specific ingredient. Based on the product descriptions:

• Vitamin E (Tocopheryl Acetate): The recommended usage rate is 0.1-1%. If used primarily as an antioxidant for other oils, 0.01% is recommended. If used as an antioxidant for the skin, 0.1-0.5% is recommended. Using more than 0.5% may cause a sticky feeling.
• Retinol:
  • For Retinol (100% Pure Powder), the usage rate is not more than 0.1%.
  • For Retinol (50% liquid), the usage rate is 0.1-0.2%.
  • Retinol is potent; start with a lower concentration if you are new to using it.
• Vitamin C Ester (Ascorbyl Palmitate): The recommended usage rate is 1-8%. Choose the percentage based on the desired efficacy, not exceeding 8%.
• Centella Asiatica Extract:
  • For Centella Asiatica Extract (Madecassoside 90%), the usage rate is 0.1-2% (1% is recommended).
  • For Pure-TECA™ Centella Asiatica Extract (TECA 95%), the usage rate is 0.1-2% (1% is recommended).

Remember to add the active ingredients at the recommended rates, and the remaining percentage (up to 99%) will be your blend of base oils and emollients. BHT (or another antioxidant) should also be included, typically at a low percentage (e.g., 0.01-0.1%).

Measuring Small Amounts

You asked about measuring small amounts like 0.1g for a 100g batch. As the staff suggested, using a scale with at least 0.01g precision is highly recommended for accurately measuring small quantities of potent active ingredients. Mixing larger batches can also make measuring small percentages easier.