Formulation Review for Elderly Dry Skin

Here is a review of your two formulations, considering the user's dry skin and environment.

Formulation 1: Facial Foam

Your goal is a gentle facial foam suitable for dry, mature skin. Let's look at the ingredients and steps:

Ingredients:

• Sulfate Free Shampoo Base
• BabyFoam (Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate)
• Shea Butter (Melt)
• Glycerin
• Mild Preserved Eco
• Water

Compatibility and Mixing Steps:

The ingredients you've chosen are generally gentle, which is good for dry skin. However, there are a few points to consider regarding compatibility and the mixing process:

1. BabyFoam (Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate - SCI): This is a very gentle powder surfactant. While excellent for mild cleansing, it can be challenging to fully dissolve and keep stable in liquid formulas, especially without specific thickeners designed to work with it in liquid systems. It tends to work best in creamy or solid formulations.
2. Shea Butter (Melt): This is an oil. In a water-based foaming cleanser, oils typically need a proper emulsifier to be incorporated smoothly and prevent separation. Your formula does not include an emulsifier specifically for the oil phase. Adding Shea Butter Melt directly might cause the formula to separate over time or leave a greasy residue, potentially reducing foam.
3. Mixing Steps: Mixing the water-soluble/dispersible components (Sulfate Free Shampoo Base, BabyFoam, Glycerin) into water first is a logical start. However, incorporating the oil (Shea Butter Melt) and ensuring the BabyFoam powder is fully dispersed and stable without clumping or settling could be difficult with just stirring, especially without an appropriate emulsifier for the oil and suitable thickeners for the SCI.

Recommendation for Formulation 1:

To improve stability and performance, consider these adjustments:

• For Shea Butter Melt: Instead of adding Shea Butter Melt directly, you could use a water-soluble oil or add a suitable oil-in-water emulsifier compatible with foaming systems to help incorporate the oil phase smoothly.
• For BabyFoam: If keeping BabyFoam, you might need to adjust the mixing process or add a thickener recommended for stabilizing SCI in liquid formulas to prevent settling.
• Alternative: Consider using a pre-made gentle cleansing base that is designed to be easily customized with oils or butters, or simplify the formula to use primarily the Sulfate Free Shampoo Base with Glycerin and Mild Preserved Eco for a straightforward, gentle cleanser.

Maximum Percentage of Shea Butter Melt:

In a water-based foaming cleanser, the maximum percentage of oil like Shea Butter Melt that can be successfully incorporated depends heavily on the emulsifier used and the desired final texture. Without a proper emulsifier, even 2% might be unstable. If using an appropriate emulsifier, you might be able to include up to 5-10%, but higher percentages can negatively impact foam and cleansing ability. For this specific formula without an emulsifier, it's difficult to give a precise maximum, as stability is the primary concern.

Formulation 2: Cleansing Oil

Your goal is a cleansing oil for skin and hair.

Ingredients:

• Oilsify 30
• BabyFoam (Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate)
• Other oils (Shea Butter Melt, Olive Oil)

Compatibility and Effectiveness:

• Oilsify 30 and Oils: Oilsify 30 is an excellent oil-soluble emulsifier specifically designed for cleansing oils. It allows oils (like Shea Butter Melt and Olive Oil) to emulsify with water and rinse clean, effectively removing makeup, sunscreen, and impurities. Combining Oilsify 30 with your chosen oils is appropriate for a cleansing oil and should be effective for removing waterproof products.
• BabyFoam (Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate - SCI): Including BabyFoam in this formula is not compatible. BabyFoam is a water-soluble powder surfactant, not designed to dissolve or function in an oil-based system like a cleansing oil. Adding it will result in undissolved powder in your oil, leading to a gritty texture and instability. It will not contribute to the cleansing oil's function and should be omitted from this formula.

Recommendation for Formulation 2:

To create a functional cleansing oil, remove the BabyFoam. The formula should primarily consist of Oilsify 30 and your chosen oils (Shea Butter Melt, Olive Oil, etc.). You can adjust the percentage of Oilsify 30 within its recommended range (typically 8-15% for effective cleansing oil) and the remaining percentage will be your oil blend.

Revised Formulation 2 (Example):

• Oilsify 30: 10-15%
• Shea Butter Melt + Olive Oil + Other Oils: 85-90%

Mix the Oilsify 30 with the oils until fully combined. This simple mixture will emulsify with water upon contact and rinse away effectively.

General Advice for Elderly Dry Skin

For elderly individuals with dry skin, focusing on gentle cleansing and moisturizing is key:

• Cleansing: Use mild, sulfate-free cleansers. Avoid hot water, which can strip natural oils. Your choice of gentle surfactants in Formulation 1 is a good starting point, but ensure the final product is stable and non-drying.
• Moisturizing: Apply moisturizers regularly, especially after cleansing and bathing. Ingredients like Glycerin, Shea Butter, and Olive Oil are good emollients and humectants that help retain moisture.
• Environment: Air-conditioned environments can be drying. Using a humidifier can help. Applying moisturizer before and after spending time in air conditioning is also beneficial.
• Sun Protection: Continue using sunscreen, especially waterproof types if needed, but ensure it is removed thoroughly but gently at the end of the day (a properly formulated cleansing oil like your revised Formulation 2 is excellent for this).

Always perform small test batches when creating new formulations to check for compatibility, stability, and desired performance before making a larger batch.