Converting Serum Formulation to Cream and Adding Oil-Soluble Ingredients

Converting Serum Texture to Cream Texture

I understand you want to change the texture from serum to cream because you experience acne breakouts when using gel/serum textures. This might be due to certain ingredients in the gel or serum base that are not suitable for your skin type. Switching to a cream texture might help reduce this issue.

1. Making Your Own Cream and Cream Maker Options

You can purchase ingredients to make your own cream texture. There are two main approaches: using a Cream Maker or using a Cream Base.

• Using a Cream Maker: This is an ingredient that helps bind the water and oil parts together to form a cream texture (emulsion). Some Cream Makers require heat during the mixing process for the ingredients to combine well, while others can be used via a Cold Process (without heat).

  • Cream Makers requiring heat: Examples include Soft Cream Maker™ (requires 60-70°C), SureCream™ (requires 80°C), Sucrose Cream Maker™ (requires heat). This group of Cream Makers generally provides a stable cream texture and can incorporate a higher percentage of oils. Some are also tolerant to electrolytes, which is suitable for formulas with various ingredients.
  • Cream Makers not requiring heat: Easy Cream Maker™ can be added in the final step without heat. However, it has limitations: it is not tolerant to electrolytes (ingredients with charge, such as salts or some natural extracts) and can only incorporate up to 10% oil in the formula. If your formula contains ingredients with electrolytes or you wish to add a significant amount of oil, Easy Cream Maker™ might not be suitable.

• Using a Ready-to-Use Cream Base: This is a pre-made cream base. You simply add the Active Ingredients you have into it. Adding Active Ingredients to a ready-to-use Cream Base usually does not require heat, making it convenient and easy for beginners. Interesting Cream Base options include Absolue Soft Cream Base, Skin Barrier Cream Base (this one already contains Niacinamide and Allantoin), and Moisturizing Cream (Compare to Cerave).

Recommendation: If you prioritize convenience and want to avoid using heat, a Ready-to-Use Cream Base is the easiest option. You can simply mix the Active Ingredients you have (Alpha-Arbutin, Allantoin, Green Tea Extract EGCG, Vitamin B3) into the Cream Base.

If you want to experiment with making cream from a Cream Maker and are comfortable with using heat, Soft Cream Maker™, SureCream™, or Sucrose Cream Maker™ are good choices as they can handle a wider range of ingredients and provide good stability, especially if your formula contains electrolytes.

2. Adding Oil-Soluble Ingredients

When you use a Cream Maker or a Cream Base to create a cream texture, which is fundamentally an emulsion (a mixture of water and oil phases), you can add oil-soluble ingredients to your formula.

• When using a Cream Maker: Oil-soluble ingredients are typically mixed into the oil phase before combining it with the water phase using the Cream Maker to form the cream.
• When using a Ready-to-Use Cream Base: You can gradually add oil-soluble ingredients to the Cream Base and mix until well combined.

Therefore, if you switch to a cream texture, you will be able to add oil-soluble ingredients, such as various natural oils, to your formula.

Your Current Ingredients

The ingredients you have, including Alpha-Arbutin, Allantoin, Green Tea Extract EGCG, and Vitamin B3 (Niacinamide), are mostly water-soluble. These can be easily mixed into a Ready-to-Use Cream Base or incorporated into the water phase if you are using a Cream Maker that requires creating an emulsion.

Regarding Kojic Acid and Ceramide Complex, which you mentioned are looking forward to being available, both are popular active ingredients in skincare products and can also be incorporated into cream formulations once they are available for purchase.