Formulation Advice

Based on your current formula containing SKIN-DEFENSE, Acetyl glucosamine, Safe-B3 (Vitamin B3/Niacinamide), and PowderCream, here is some advice regarding your questions:

1. How to increase skin moisture?

Your current formula includes Acetyl glucosamine and Niacinamide, which offer some hydrating benefits and support the skin barrier. However, to significantly increase moisture, you can add dedicated moisturizing ingredients. Consider incorporating a humectant to draw moisture into the skin and/or an emollient to help retain moisture and soften the skin.

Recommended Moisturizing Ingredients:

• Humectants:
  • MOIST24: A humectant that helps retain moisture throughout the day and can improve formula texture, making it feel soft and absorb faster. Use at 1-10% (5-8% recommended for moisturizers).
  • MOIST72: Provides long-lasting moisture (up to 72 hours) and is similar to the skin's Natural Moisturizing Factor (NMF). It can be used on dry to very dry skin. Use at 2-5%.
  • Advanced Moisture Complex: A complex blend of moisturizers that provides immediate softening and 24-hour moisture. It also helps prevent water evaporation. Use at 3-10%.
• Emollients (for moisture retention and feel):
  • LipidSoft Moist: An emollient that moisturizes without feeling sticky or clogging pores. It also helps improve the spreadability of the formula. Use at 1-100%.

Adding one or a combination of these ingredients can significantly boost the moisturizing properties of your formula.

2. How to fix flaking after application?

The flaking issue you are experiencing might be related to the use of PowderCream in your formula, especially in a treatment product. PowderCream is a PMMA powder designed to give a powdery feel and absorb oil/water, and its description notes that it can cause flaking if the formula doesn't contain sufficient wax or coating ingredients. As suggested in the forum reply, PowderCream is often better suited for makeup products like foundations or sunscreens.

To address flaking and improve the overall texture, it is recommended to replace PowderCream with a suitable cream maker designed for treatment creams.

Recommended Alternative Cream Maker:

• Luxury Cream Maker: This is an emulsifier and thickener that creates a soft, heavy, and shiny cream texture that absorbs well into the skin. It is easy to use and suitable for treatment formulas. Replacing PowderCream with Luxury Cream Maker should help prevent flaking and provide a more desirable cream texture.

Additionally, increasing the overall moisture content of your formula by adding the recommended moisturizing ingredients in section 1 will also help prevent dryness-related flaking.

3. How to make the texture less sticky and more smooth/silky without clogging pores?

The stickiness and lack of smoothness could be due to the current combination of ingredients and the use of PowderCream. Replacing PowderCream with Luxury Cream Maker will likely improve the base texture, making it less sticky and more pleasant.

To further enhance the smooth and silky feel without clogging pores, consider adding an emollient known for its non-greasy slip or a powder that provides a silky touch.

Recommended Texture Enhancers:

• LipidSoft Moist: As mentioned for moisture, this emollient provides a soft and smooth feel without being sticky or clogging pores.
• SiliSilk 1.5Micron: A fine silicone powder that gives a very soft and smooth, silky touch to formulas. Use at 1-10%.
• SoftTouch 7: A PMMA powder (7 Micron) that improves texture, provides a soft and smooth feel, and can help with slip. Use at 1-5%.

By replacing PowderCream with Luxury Cream Maker and potentially adding LipidSoft Moist and/or a small amount of SiliSilk 1.5Micron or SoftTouch 7, you should be able to achieve a less sticky, more smooth, and silky texture that is suitable for a treatment cream and does not clog pores.