Formulation Review and Recommendations

Thank you for providing your face cream formulation. Let's review the ingredients and address the issues you're experiencing.

Here is the formulation you provided:

1. Grape Seed Oil (Refined) 15%
2. Palmaria Palmata Extract 2%
3. Vitamin C Ester (Ascorbyl Palmitate) 2%
4. Safe-B3™ (Vitamin B3, Niacinamide) 4%
5. Activated Resorcinol™ 1%
6. Light Cream Maker™ 1.5%
7. Mild Preserved Eco™ 1%
8. Fragrance 1.5%
9. Water up to 100%

Analysis and Recommendations

Based on the ingredients and the issues you described (white flakes and stickiness), here is an analysis and some recommendations:

1. Ingredient Incompatibility (Vitamin C Ester and Safe-B3)

• Issue: The most significant issue in this formula is the incompatibility between Vitamin C Ester (Ascorbyl Palmitate) and Safe-B3 (Niacinamide). According to the product descriptions, these two ingredients should not be used together in the same formula as they can react and form Niacin, which may cause skin flushing or irritation.
• Recommendation: You must choose either Vitamin C Ester or Safe-B3 for this formulation. Alternatively, you could replace Vitamin C Ester with a different, compatible form of Vitamin C, such as Ascorbyl Glucoside or Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, which can be used with Niacinamide.

2. White Flakes

• Potential Causes: White flakes can result from ingredients that are not fully dissolved or properly dispersed in the formula. In your case, both Vitamin C Ester (Ascorbyl Palmitate) and Activated Resorcinol™ are powders that need to be dissolved in the oil phase.
  • Vitamin C Ester (Ascorbyl Palmitate) dissolves better in oil with gentle heat (around 70°C), while Activated Resorcinol™ should be dissolved in oil without heat.
  • The Light Cream Maker™ description also mentions that insufficient blending or stirring can lead to a flaky texture.
• Recommendations:
  • Ensure both Vitamin C Ester and Activated Resorcinol™ are completely dissolved in the oil phase before combining it with the water phase. You might try dissolving the Vitamin C Ester first with gentle warming of the oil phase, then cooling slightly before adding and dissolving the Activated Resorcinol™.
  • After combining the oil and water phases with the Light Cream Maker™, ensure thorough blending or stirring to properly emulsify and disperse all ingredients.

3. Stickiness

• Potential Causes: Stickiness can be caused by several factors, including the total oil percentage, the type and amount of emulsifier, humectants, and other additives like fragrance.
  • 15% Grape Seed Oil is a moderate amount of oil, which could contribute to the feel.
  • Light Cream Maker™ at 1.5% is at the higher end of the recommended usage rate (1-1.5% for typical viscosity), which might affect the texture.
  • Mild Preserved Eco™ contains ingredients that can have a slightly humidifying or potentially sticky feel at higher concentrations.
  • 1.5% fragrance is a relatively high percentage for a face cream and could contribute to stickiness.
• Recommendations:
  • Reduce the percentage of Grape Seed Oil. Try reducing it to 10% or even 5% to see if the texture improves while still providing desired emolliency.
  • Consider slightly reducing the Light Cream Maker™ percentage, perhaps to 1.0-1.2%, if reducing the oil phase doesn't sufficiently reduce stickiness.
  • Reduce the fragrance percentage. For a face cream, 0.1-0.5% is often sufficient and less likely to cause texture issues or irritation.

4. Grape Seed Oil vs. Grape Seed Extract

• Question: Can Grape Seed Extract replace Grape Seed Oil?
• Answer: No, Grape Seed Extract cannot replace Grape Seed Oil in this formulation. Grape Seed Oil is an oil-soluble ingredient that forms part of the oil phase of your cream (an emulsion). Grape Seed Extract is a water-soluble liquid extract. Replacing the oil with the extract would fundamentally change the formula's structure and properties. Grape Seed Extract provides antioxidant benefits and is used in the water phase, while Grape Seed Oil provides emolliency and skin conditioning properties and is used in the oil phase.

Additional Recommendation:

• Activated Resorcinol™ Stability: The description for Activated Resorcinol™ recommends adding 0.2% Disodium EDTA to the formula to help prevent discoloration. Your formula does not include this. Consider adding 0.2% Disodium EDTA to improve the stability of the Activated Resorcinol™.

In summary, the primary issue is the incompatibility of Vitamin C Ester and Safe-B3. You need to reformulate by removing one or replacing the Vitamin C Ester with a compatible alternative. Addressing the dissolution of powders and potentially reducing the oil phase and fragrance percentage should help with the texture issues.

Hope this helps!