Formula Suitability for Sensitive Skin and Adding Hydration Boosters

Regarding your formula of Shea Butter (40%), Cocoa Butter (40%), and Beeswax (20%), and your questions about sensitive skin suitability and adding MOIST72 or WaterLock:

Suitability for Sensitive Skin

• Shea Butter and Cocoa Butter are generally well-regarded for their moisturizing and emollient properties, which can be beneficial for dry and sensitive skin. They help to nourish the skin and improve moisture retention.
• Beeswax acts as a thickener and can provide a protective barrier on the skin. While generally considered safe, its primary role in this formula is structural, contributing to a harder texture as noted by the staff.

Overall, the base butters (Shea and Cocoa) are often suitable for sensitive skin. However, individual reactions can vary, and a patch test is always recommended.

Adding MOIST72 or WaterLock

• MOIST72 and WaterLock are excellent ingredients for boosting skin hydration and helping the skin retain moisture.
• MOIST72 is a water-soluble sugar molecule that mimics the skin's natural moisturizing factors.
• WaterLock (Polyquaternium-51) is also water-soluble and helps prevent transepidermal water loss.

Your proposed formula is composed entirely of oils, butters, and wax, which are oil-soluble (lipophilic) ingredients. MOIST72 and WaterLock are water-soluble (hydrophilic). You cannot easily mix water-soluble ingredients into an anhydrous (water-free) oil/butter/wax base without using an emulsifier and incorporating a water phase. Doing so would fundamentally change the type of product from a balm/butter to a cream or lotion.

Therefore, adding MOIST72 or WaterLock is not necessary for this specific anhydrous formula, and it is not feasible to incorporate them without a complete reformulation to include a water phase and an emulsifier.

As the staff mentioned, your current formula with Beeswax will likely result in a hard, balm-like texture, not a whipped butter. To achieve a whipped texture, you would typically mix butters with a liquid oil, such as Fractionated Coconut Oil, and whip the mixture as it cools, omitting the Beeswax.