Guidance on Using Your Purchased Ingredients

Thank you for reaching out! It's understandable to be unsure how to use raw ingredients. You've purchased excellent ingredients for addressing dark spots and dullness: Safe-B3 (Niacinamide), GlucoBright (Acetyl Glucosamine), and Papaya Enzyme (Papain).

As we discussed, directly mixing these raw ingredients into your existing creams or lotions is generally not recommended. This is because:

• Compatibility: Ingredients need specific conditions (like pH) to remain stable and effective. Mixing them into a finished product can disrupt the formula.
• Concentration: It's difficult to accurately measure and achieve the correct, safe, and effective concentration when adding to another product.
• Stability & Preservation: Adding ingredients can affect the product's stability and introduce contamination, potentially reducing its shelf life or causing issues.

Instead of mixing into existing products, the best way to utilize these ingredients is to incorporate them into simple, homemade formulations.

Here's how you can use each ingredient:

Safe-B3 (Niacinamide) & GlucoBright (Acetyl Glucosamine)

These two ingredients work synergistically to help reduce dark spots and improve skin tone. They are water-soluble and can be combined in a simple water-based serum or toner.

• Benefits: Reduce hyperpigmentation, brighten skin, improve skin barrier, provide hydration, and can help with fine lines.
• Recommended Usage: You can use Safe-B3 (Niacinamide) at a rate of 1-10% (5% is often recommended and effective) and GlucoBright (Acetyl Glucosamine) at 1-8% (4% is recommended when combined with Niacinamide 2-4%). A common and effective combination is Niacinamide 5% + Acetyl Glucosamine 4%.
• How to Use: Dissolve the powders in the water phase of your formulation. Ensure the final pH is in the range of 3-7 (ideally 4.0-7.0 for Niacinamide and 3-7 for Acetyl Glucosamine, so aiming for 4-7 is good). Avoid prolonged heating above 40°C.
• Simple Formulation Idea: Create a basic serum using distilled water or a hydrosol, add your measured Niacinamide and Acetyl Glucosamine, and potentially a thickener and a broad-spectrum preservative (essential for any water-based product to prevent microbial growth).

Papaya Enzyme (Papain)

Papain is a potent enzyme that helps exfoliate dead skin cells, leading to brighter, smoother skin and helping to fade dullness.

• Benefits: Gentle exfoliation, improves skin texture and radiance.
• Recommended Usage: Use at a rate of 0.1-1.5% (1% is recommended).
• How to Use: Papain is sensitive to heat and pH. It works best at a pH of 5.5-7.0 and should not be exposed to heat above 40°C. Its activity decreases over time when dissolved in water. For best stability and shelf life, Papain is ideally used in powder-based formulations, such as a cleansing powder that is activated with water just before use.
• Simple Formulation Idea: Create a cleansing powder using gentle cleansing agents (like SCI or SCS powder), fillers (like rice powder or clay), and add your measured Papain. This type of formula is stable as a dry powder.

Making your own simple formulations allows you to control the ingredients and concentrations, ensuring the products are effective and safe for your skin concerns. It requires accurate measurement and understanding of basic formulation principles, especially regarding pH and preservation for water-based products.

We recommend exploring simple formulation guides or kits if you are new to making your own skincare. This will help you use your purchased ingredients effectively and safely to address your skin concerns of dark spots and dullness.