Custom Skincare Formula Adjustments and Usage Questions

Question

I have a 50g custom skincare formula and would like advice on several points: Ingredient Adjustments: How should I adjust ingredients like Vitamin B5, Beta Glucan, Safe-B3™ (Vitamin B3, Niacinamide), Bio Yeast, N-Acetyl Glucosamine, Pure MSM™ (Methylsulfonylmethane), L-Carnitine, Matrixyl, and Metabiotics Resveratrol? Preservative: How much additional preservative do I need for a 50g formula, considering the preservative already present in the Aloe Vera Gel base? Solvents: Are glycol solvents necessary for dissolving ingredients in this formula? Would adding Ethoxydiglycol at 5-10% help with skin penetration? Ingredient Availability: What is the status of Soy isoflavones 40%? Are there any new ingredients being tested for future sale, such as Kinetin, Tranexamic Acid (Trans-White™), or MOIST72™? Skin Condition: My skin is flaky in the morning and then becomes oily. How can I address this? What is the role of Salicylic Acid (BHA) in reducing oiliness? Eye Area Usage: Can this formula be used around the eyes? Specifically, is Lemon Peel Bioferment (Lemon Skin™) suitable for the eye area?

MySkinRecipes Expert · Accepted Answer

Summary and Recommendations for Your Skin Formula

Based on your questions and the advice from MySkinRecipes staff, here is a summary and further recommendations for your formula:

Initial Formula Adjustments

The staff recommended adjusting your 50g formula by:

Reducing/removing Vitamin B5 and Beta Glucan as you do not have issues with irritation or sensitivity, and B5 can feel sticky on oily skin.
Increasing the amount of Safe-B3™ (Vitamin B3, Niacinamide) to 5% (2.5g) and Bio Yeast to 2% (1g) for enhanced efficacy.
Considering adding N-Acetyl Glucosamine at 4% (2g) to help with skin brightening.
Adding Pure MSM™ (Methylsulfonylmethane) at 5% (2.5g) to help control oiliness, or potentially using Pure MSM™ at 3% (1.5g) together with L-Carnitine at 3% (1.5g) if you have a pH meter.
Choosing either Matrixyl or Metabiotics Resveratrol as you had originally specified.

Preservative

You need to add an additional 0.16g of preservative to reach a total concentration of 1% in the 50g formula (as there is approximately 0.34g of preservative already in the 34g of Aloe Vera Gel base).

Solvents (Glycol)

The ingredients in your formula are water-soluble, so glycol solvents are not necessary for dissolution. However, if you wish to improve skin penetration, you can add Ethoxydiglycol at 5-10%.

Discontinued and New Ingredients

Soy isoflavones 40% has been discontinued because the manufacturer reduced its concentration.
New ingredients currently being tested for future sale include Kinetin (Super Anti-aging), Tranexamic Acid (Trans-White™) (Whitening that can work with Azelaic acid), and MOIST72™ (Provides 72 hours of moisture). Kinetin is expected to be available in a few weeks.

Morning Skin Condition (Flaky then Oily)

If the flaking is from your skin itself (not from the product), the staff suggested reducing the amount of exfoliating ingredients like Salicylic Acid (BHA) or AHA. Using Salicylic Acid (BHA) can help reduce oiliness to some extent, but the decrease in oiliness you've observed is likely due to the combination of several oil-controlling ingredients in your formula.