Formulation Inquiry: Adding Actives and Oil to Ready-to-Use Aloe Vera Gel for Combination, Dehydrated, Sensitive Skin with Wrinkles

Question

I am 44 years old with combination, dehydrated, sensitive skin and age-related wrinkles. I would like to order a ready-to-use base and add the following ingredients:

Base: Pure Aloe Vera Gel (Ready-to-Use)
Added Ingredients:
- Moisturizer:
  1. Shea Butter Light Oil 10%
  2. water lock 2%
  3. Rice Vitamin 3%
- Anti-Irritant:
  1. Calendula Extract 5%
  2. Bisabolol 1%
- Anti-oxidant: Greentea 5%
- Anti-aging: PhytoHormone 5%

I have the following questions:

Are the ingredients listed above sufficient to moisturize, strengthen the skin, and help with wrinkles?
What will the resulting texture be after mixing? Will it be a very liquid water gel or a thick gel?
The formula includes Shea Butter Light Oil, which is an oil. Can it be mixed directly into this formula? Is an emulsifier needed? If an emulsifier is needed and it's not available with the ready-to-use base, do I need to order it separately and mix it at home, or can the company add it when mixing? Is it possible to add it as the final step?

MySkinRecipes Expert · Accepted Answer

Analysis of Your Proposed Ready-to-Use Formulation

Thank you for providing your proposed formulation for your combination, dehydrated, sensitive skin with age-related wrinkles. Here is an analysis based on the ingredients you plan to use:

1. Sufficiency for Your Skin Concerns

Moisturizing and Dehydration: The combination of Aloe Vera Gel, Shea Butter Light Oil, Water Lock, and Rice Vitamin provides a good foundation for hydration. Aloe Vera Gel and Rice Vitamin are excellent for providing moisture, while Shea Butter Light Oil helps to nourish and reduce water loss. Water Lock is specifically designed to prevent transepidermal water loss, which is beneficial for dehydrated skin.
Sensitive Skin: Aloe Vera Gel, Calendula Extract, and Bisabolol are well-known for their soothing, anti-inflammatory, and anti-irritant properties. These ingredients should help to calm sensitive skin and reduce redness or irritation.
Wrinkles and Anti-aging: Calendula Extract offers some anti-aging benefits by helping to strengthen the skin barrier and promote skin renewal. Green Tea extract is a potent antioxidant that can help protect against damage that contributes to aging and improve skin elasticity. The effectiveness for wrinkles will also depend on the specific PhytoHormone product you intend to use, as its properties are not available in the product descriptions.

Overall, the formulation has strong potential for moisturizing, soothing sensitive skin, and provides some anti-aging support. For more targeted wrinkle treatment, you might consider adding a specific peptide or other proven anti-aging active, depending on the properties of the PhytoHormone.

2. Expected Texture of the Mixture

Mixing an oil like Shea Butter Light Oil directly into a water-based gel like Aloe Vera Gel without an emulsifier will likely result in the oil separating from the gel. The final texture will not be a stable, smooth gel or cream, but rather a separated mixture with an inconsistent, potentially oily and watery feel.

3. Mixing Shea Butter Light Oil

Yes, Shea Butter Light Oil is an oil and requires an emulsifier to be properly mixed and stabilized within a water-based product like Aloe Vera Gel. Without an emulsifier, the oil and water phases will separate.

Since the ready-to-use base does not include an emulsifier, you cannot simply mix the Shea Butter Light Oil into it and expect a stable product. To create a stable mixture that incorporates the oil, an emulsifier is needed to form an emulsion (like a lotion or cream).

If you wish to have a finished product that includes Shea Butter Light Oil and the other ingredients, you would need to inquire with the company if they can create a custom emulsified product for you, as mixing it yourself at home into the gel base without an emulsifier will not work.