Incorporating Shea Butter and Retinal into a Formulation

You are correct to be concerned about using heat with Retinal. While Shea Butter requires heat to melt and mix properly into the oil phase of a formulation, Retinal (Retinaldehyde) is sensitive to heat and should be added during the cool-down phase.

Here's how to handle these two ingredients:

1. Shea Butter (Ultra Soft): According to the product description for Shea Butter (Ultra Soft), it should be mixed into the oil phase of your formulation by heating to 60-70°C. This will melt the butter and allow it to dissolve and incorporate correctly into the oil phase before emulsifying with the water phase.
2. Retinal (Retinaldehyde): The product description for Retinal (Retinaldehyde) explicitly states to avoid using heat. If your recipe requires heat for other ingredients (like melting Shea Butter and creating an emulsion), you should add the Retinal at the very end of the process, during the cool-down phase, after the emulsion has formed and the temperature has dropped significantly (typically below 40°C, or as specified by the ingredient supplier). Blend it in gently until dissolved without applying heat.

Therefore, the previous advice suggesting Retinal needs heat to dissolve is incorrect based on the product information for Retinal (Retinaldehyde). Always follow the specific instructions for each ingredient.

When adding Shea Butter to your existing formula, remember that you will need to adjust the percentages of other ingredients (likely reducing the water phase or other oil-soluble ingredients) so that the total percentage remains 100%. Since your original formula was incomplete, it's difficult to provide exact adjustments, but the principle is to add Shea Butter to the oil phase and add Retinal during the cool-down phase.