Formulation with Rose Hip Oil, Activated Resorcinol, and Bisabolol

Regarding your formulation using Rose Hip Oil, Activated Resorcinol, and Bisabolol, the staff's advice is correct. A formula consisting of 98% Rose Hip Oil, 1% Activated Resorcinol, and 1% Bisabolol is feasible as an oil-based product. Since the active ingredients are soluble in oil, an emulsifier is not necessary for this specific mixture. Gentle warming (around 50°C) can help dissolve the Activated Resorcinol if needed.

Preservatives

For a purely oil-based formulation like this one, which contains no water, a traditional preservative is generally not required. Preservatives are typically needed to prevent microbial growth in the water phase of a product.

Activated Resorcinol Stability and Color Change

Activated Resorcinol is known to be sensitive to light. Exposure to light can cause the formula to intensify in color. While the description doesn't explicitly state that a color change makes the product unusable, it often indicates degradation or reduced stability of the active ingredient, which could lessen its effectiveness. To help prevent discoloration and maintain stability, it is recommended to store the finished product away from light, ideally in an opaque container. Using an antioxidant like ActiveProtec™ OX at around 0.6% in the formula can also help prevent discoloration.

Achieving a Cream Texture

The formula discussed (Rose Hip Oil, Activated Resorcinol, Bisabolol) is an oil serum/mixture because it contains only oil-soluble ingredients and no water. To create a cream texture, you would need to formulate an emulsion, which requires both a water phase and an emulsifier (often called a cream maker). This would fundamentally change the composition of your formula and would require selecting a suitable cream maker and potentially adding a preservative (as water is present). The current oil-based formula will not turn into a cream.