Formulation Questions Answered

Here are the answers to your formulation questions:

1. Scaling Down Vitamin C E Ferulic Pre-Mix Kit

Your calculation for scaling down the Vitamin C E Ferulic Pre-Mix Kit is correct. To make a smaller batch while maintaining the original ratio, you can indeed calculate the required amount of each component based on the desired final weight of the batch.

• Original Kit Total Weight: 85g (Base) + 15g (Powder) = 100g
• Desired Batch Weight: 20g
• Scaling Factor: 20g / 100g = 0.2

So, to make a 20g batch:

• Amount of Base: 85g * 0.2 = 17g
• Amount of L-Ascorbic Acid Ultra-Fine Powder: 15g * 0.2 = 3g

Mixing 17g of the base with 3g of the powder will give you a 20g batch with the same concentration of L-Ascorbic Acid as if you had mixed the entire original kit.

2. Mixing Ingredients Individually for Allergy Testing

Your confusion about mixing ingredients in stages to test for allergies is understandable. The standard way to test for potential allergic reactions to individual ingredients in a formula is not to build the final formula step-by-step, but rather to test each ingredient separately, usually diluted in a simple base at the concentration it will be used in the final product.

Let's use your example formula (Water 85%, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein 5%, Panthenol 10%, total 100g) to explain the concept:

• Final Formula (100g):
  • Water: 85g
  • Hydrolyzed Rice Protein: 5g
  • Panthenol: 10g
  • Total: 100g

If you want to test Hydrolyzed Rice Protein for allergies, you should prepare a small sample containing Hydrolyzed Rice Protein at its final concentration (5%) in a simple base like water. For example, you could mix 0.5g of Hydrolyzed Rice Protein with 9.5g of Water to get a 10g sample containing 5% Hydrolyzed Rice Protein.

Similarly, to test Panthenol, you could mix 1g of Panthenol with 9g of Water to get a 10g sample containing 10% Panthenol.

This method allows you to test the reaction to each active ingredient individually at the intended usage concentration without the complexity of building the full formula in stages.

Regarding your mixing methods:

• Method 1 (Water 85g + Hydrolyzed Rice Protein 5g = 90g total): As the previous reply explained, this gives you a 90g mixture. The percentages within this 90g mixture are Water 94.4% (85/90) and Hydrolyzed Rice Protein 5.5% (5/90). While the ratio of Water to Hydrolyzed Rice Protein is the same as in the final formula (85:5), this is not the final 100g batch.

• Method 2 (Water 95g + Hydrolyzed Rice Protein 5g = 100g total): This mixture contains 5% Hydrolyzed Rice Protein (5g out of 100g total), but the Water percentage is 95%, not the 85% needed for the final formula. This is not the correct composition for your final formula.

To reach your final 100g formula (85% Water, 5% Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, 10% Panthenol) by adding to the 90g mixture from Method 1, you would need to add the remaining ingredients to bring the total weight to 100g while achieving the target percentages. Since you already have 85g Water and 5g Hydrolyzed Rice Protein (total 90g), you would need to add 10g of Panthenol to reach a total of 100g. In this final 100g mixture, you would have 85g Water (85%), 5g Hydrolyzed Rice Protein (5%), and 10g Panthenol (10%), which matches your target formula.

However, as mentioned, mixing in stages like this is complicated and not the best way to test for individual ingredient sensitivities. Testing each ingredient separately in a simple base is more straightforward for allergy testing.

3. Adding Ingredient to a Finished Tester

Yes, if you add Panthenol (or any ingredient) to a finished tester product, it will dilute the original formula. The total weight of the product increases, but the amount of the original ingredients remains the same, thus lowering their percentage concentration in the final mixture. For example, if you have 100g of a tester and add 5g of Panthenol, you now have 105g of product. The original ingredients are now spread across 105g instead of 100g, making their individual percentages lower than they were in the original tester.

I hope this explanation helps clarify the concepts! Feel free to ask if you have more questions.