Clarifying Ingredient Amounts and Water Content in a 100g Gel Formula
Question
I would like to create a gel formulation using HYA as the base and peptides as actives. The formula for 100g gel is as follows:
- Double hya 0.5% (0.25+0.25 for nano as active)
- Argireline 10%
- Matrixyl™ 3000 8%
- DMAE Liquid 4%
- Water 77%
- Preservative 0.5%
I have the following questions:
- For
Argireline 10%, how many grams of the product should I use to achieve a 10% concentration? I am unsure if using 10 grams is correct. - For
Matrixyl™ 3000 8%, how many grams of the product should I use to achieve an 8% concentration? The product's INCI is Glycerin (and) Water (and) Butylene Glycol (and) Carbomer (and) Polysorbate 20 (and) Palmitoyl Oligopeptide(and) Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7. Since the raw material from myskinrecipes contains water, should this water content be added to the 77% water listed in step 5 of my formula, or does it count towards the total water? - For
DMAE Liquid 4%, is it correct that I should use 20 grams?
Answer
Formulation Clarification for 100g Gel Formula
Let's clarify the amounts needed for your 100g gel formula and address your questions about ingredient concentrations and water content.
In a formulation, percentages typically refer to the weight percentage of the ingredient as supplied in the total formula weight. For a 100g formula, the percentage directly translates to grams.
Double Hyaluron Liquid 0.5%: You would use 0.5 grams of the Double Hyaluron Liquid product. Please note that the recommended usage rate for Double Hyaluron Liquid is typically 1-20%, so 0.5% is below the suggested range.
Argireline 10%: To achieve 10% Argireline in your 100g formula, you would use 10 grams of the Argireline liquid product (Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 (eq Argireline)). Your understanding for this ingredient is correct.
Matrixyl™ 3000 8%: To achieve 8% Matrixyl™ 3000 in your 100g formula, you would use 8 grams of the Matrixyl™ 3000 product (Pal-GHK, Pal-GQPR (eq Matrixyl 3000)). However, please note that the recommended usage rate for this Matrixyl™ 3000 product is 3-5%. Using 8% is above the recommended maximum concentration.
DMAE Liquid 4%: To achieve 4% DMAE liquid in your 100g formula, you would use 4 grams of the DMAE (SkinTight MD™) Liquid product. Your calculation of 20 grams is incorrect; 20 grams would result in a 20% concentration, which is far above the recommended maximum usage rate of 10% and likely to cause significant skin irritation. The recommended usage rate is 1-10%, with 3% being recommended, as concentrations above 5% may cause irritation.
Regarding the water content in Matrixyl™ 3000 (and other liquid ingredients like Argireline, Double Hyaluron Liquid, and DMAE Liquid): Yes, the water present in these ingredients contributes to the total water content of your formula. The 77% water you listed is the amount of additional water you would add to reach a total of 100g when combined with all other ingredients, including the water already present in the liquid components.
In summary:
- Argireline 10%: Use 10g of the product.
- Matrixyl™ 3000 8%: Use 8g of the product. Be aware this is above the recommended maximum usage rate of 5%.
- DMAE Liquid 4%: Use 4g of the product. Be aware that 4% is above the recommended 3% and may cause irritation; 20g is incorrect and would be highly irritating.
- The water in liquid ingredients counts towards the total water content of the formula.
Related Products Mentioned
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 (eq Argireline)
Pal-GHK, Pal-GQPR (eq Matrixyl 3000)
Double Hyaluron Liquid
