Formulating Bar Soap with BabyFoam, Waxes, and Oils

Hello,

Thank you for your questions regarding your bar soap making process. I understand you're looking for guidance on preservatives, foaming agents, and formulation. Let's address your points:

• Preservative (Mild Preserved™): Mild Preserved™ (Ethylhexylglycerin + Caprylyl Glycol) is an oil-soluble preservative blend. It should be mixed into your melted oil and butter phase to ensure even distribution. It cannot be dissolved directly in BabyFoam™ as BabyFoam™ is typically a solid ingredient.
  • The recommended usage rate for Mild Preserved™ is generally 0.5-1.0% of the total formula weight. For your formula totaling 57.5g (50g base + 7.5g Oil Milk), this would be between 0.2875g and 0.575g. Using only 0.2g is likely too low to provide effective preservation, especially since the soap will come into contact with water.
• Setting Time: The time it takes for your bar to set depends on the ratio of hard ingredients (like beeswax, cocoa butter, shea butter, mango butter) to liquid oils. If your bar is too soft after a week, increasing the amount of beeswax or other hard butters in your formula will help it harden faster and result in a firmer bar.
• Oil Milk Concentration: You can certainly adjust the concentration of Oil Milk based on your preference and skin feel. If 15% felt drying, using a lower percentage is a reasonable approach to reduce this effect. The optimal amount will depend on the specific product and the desired lather/feel.
• Distilled Water: Traditional bar soap making (using lye) requires water to dissolve the lye for saponification. However, based on the ingredients you listed (oils, butters, beeswax) and your note that the main components are fats without water, your base seems anhydrous (water-free). In such anhydrous or low-water formulations, distilled water is typically not needed in the main phase, unless it's required to disperse or dissolve a specific ingredient (like some forms of surfactants) before adding it to the oil phase.
• Formulation Method: As mentioned by cosmeceutical7, combining ingredients like BabyFoam™ (a surfactant) with an oil/butter/beeswax base without a standard soap-making process (like saponification) or a specific technique for creating surfactant bars can be complex. The effectiveness of cleansing and the final texture can be significantly impacted. To ensure your product functions as a cleansing bar, it's important to follow a suitable formulation method for the ingredients you are using. BabyFoam™ itself is a good choice for gentle cleansing suitable for children.

Other preservative options suitable for products for children, as previously recommended, include nano silver Pure™, Global Guard™ (for pH below 7), Mild Preserved™ (Ethylhexylglycerin), and a blend of Phenoxyethanol + pentylene glycol.

I hope this helps clarify your questions!