Evaluation of Your Multi-Concern Formula

Thank you for sharing your formula aiming to address whitening, dark spots, freckles, acne, and wrinkles. You have included many ingredients known to target these concerns.

As the staff member advised, this formula is indeed very complex, especially for someone new to formulating. Combining this many active ingredients can lead to several challenges, including:

• Stability Issues: Interactions between ingredients can affect their efficacy and the overall stability of the product over time.
• Texture and Feel: A high concentration of various ingredients can result in a texture that is heavy, sticky, or unpleasant to use.
• Irritation Potential: Many of the ingredients you selected are potent actives. Combining multiple exfoliants (BHA, LHA, MSM at 5%) and whitening agents (Activated Resorcinol, GlucoBright, B3) along with a tightening agent like DMAE significantly increases the risk of skin irritation, redness, or sensitivity.
• Formulation Difficulty: Some ingredients have specific solubility requirements (BHA needs a solvent, LHA and Activated Resorcinol are oil-soluble and may need heat) and mixing instructions (Light Cream Maker has specific requirements, especially with electrolytes like DMAE). Getting the pH right for optimal efficacy and stability of multiple actives (BHA, LHA, B3, GlucoBright, Activated Resorcinol, Licorice) simultaneously can be very challenging.

Let's look at some of the ingredients you included:

• BHA (Salicylic Acid) and LHA (Capryloyl Salicylic Acid) are effective exfoliants and help with acne by dissolving clogged pores. Note that BHA is not water-soluble and requires a solvent, while LHA is oil-soluble and needs heating to dissolve.
• MSM (Pure MSM) can help control oil and provides exfoliation at higher concentrations (like the 5% you used).
• B3 (Safe-B3) and GlucoBright (Acetyl Glucosamine) work together for whitening and reducing dark spots, and B3 also helps with oil control and skin barrier function.
• Activated Resorcinol is a potent whitening agent for dark spots and melasma. It is oil-soluble, light-sensitive, and requires careful formulation, including pH control and the addition of Disodium EDTA to prevent discoloration. It can also be irritating, especially at 1%.
• DMAE (SkinTight MD™ Liquid) and L-Tyrosine (Wrinkle-Fill™) are included for their potential anti-wrinkle and skin-tightening effects.
• WaterLock™, Glycerin, and Sea Kelp Extract provide hydration and moisture.
• Licorice Extract (Licochalcone A 1%) is primarily for reducing inflammation, redness, and oiliness, not specifically for whitening according to its description.
• Light Cream Maker™ is your emulsifier, and LipidSoft™ C1215 is an emollient.
• Phenoxyethanol is the preservative.

Given the complexity and potential for issues, the staff's recommendation to split the formula into two simpler ones is a very good approach for a beginner. For example:

1. Acne/Oil Control Formula: Focus on ingredients like BHA, LHA, MSM, B3, and Licorice Extract.
2. Whitening/Anti-Aging/Moisturizing Formula: Focus on ingredients like B3, GlucoBright, Activated Resorcinol, DMAE, L-Tyrosine, WaterLock, Glycerin, Sea Kelp, and Lipidsoft.

Even when split, each formula would still require careful consideration of ingredient compatibility, solubility, pH, and mixing procedures. Starting with simpler formulas with fewer active ingredients is highly recommended to gain experience and ensure better results.

This current formula, while containing beneficial ingredients, is likely to be challenging to stabilize, may have an undesirable texture, and carries a high risk of causing skin irritation due to the combination and concentrations of multiple potent actives and exfoliants.