Review of Skincare Formula for Combination/Sensitive Skin

Subject: Review of Skincare Formula for Combination Skin

Thank you for submitting your skincare formula for review. This formula is designed to nourish, strengthen the skin barrier, and tighten pores for combination, sensitive skin.

Your proposed ingredients and percentages are:

1. Double Hyaluron Liquid (ID 404) - 2%
2. Vitamin B5 (Panthenol) (ID 111) - 3%
3. Vitamin B3 (Niacinamide) (ID 74) - 2%
4. Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) (ID 212) - 3%
5. MOIST24 (Glycereth-26) (ID 1053) - 5%
6. WaterLock (Polyquaternium-51) (ID 258) - 2%
7. Calendula Extract (ID 123) - 3%
8. Witch Hazel Distilled Alcohol-Free (ID 162) - 20%
9. Pro Polymer (Acrylate Crosspolymer) (ID 234) - 1%
10. LipidSoft Lite (Oil-Free Emollient) (ID 391) - 2%
11. Bisabolol (ID 78) - 1%
12. Moringa Oil (ID 640) - 5%
13. Phenoxyethanol SA (Preservative) (ID 155) - 1%
14. Distilled Water (ID 838) - 50%

Total: 100%

Ingredient Compatibility and Suitability:
The ingredients you've chosen are generally compatible and include many beneficial components for your skin type and concerns:

• Ingredients like Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamin B5, MOIST24, WaterLock, LipidSoft Lite, and Moringa Oil provide hydration and support the skin barrier.
• Vitamin B3 (Niacinamide) is excellent for strengthening the skin barrier, reducing redness, improving pore appearance, and helping to balance oil production, which is great for your oily T-zone.
• MSM supports skin structure.
• Calendula Extract and Bisabolol are known for their soothing properties, beneficial for sensitive skin.
• Witch Hazel is often used for its astringent properties to help with pores. However, at 20%, even the alcohol-free version might be too high for sensitive skin and could potentially cause dryness or irritation.

Overall, the selection of active ingredients aligns well with your goals of strengthening the skin and addressing pores.

Mixing Procedure:
You asked if the mixing procedure is correct.

• Your initial Step 1 was corrected by the staff: You should mix ingredients 1-8 with the Distilled Water (14) first until clear, then add Pro Polymer (9) to form the gel. This correction is correct.
• Your Steps 2 and 3 involve mixing the oil phase (10, 11, 12) and adding it to the water phase. However, your procedure is missing a crucial step: emulsification. Pro Polymer is a thickener, not an emulsifier. To combine the oil phase (LipidSoft Lite, Bisabolol, Moringa Oil) with the water/gel phase and prevent separation, you need to add a suitable emulsifier to the formula. The amount of oil phase is about 8% (2+1+5), which requires an emulsifier to create a stable product.

Recommendations for Adjustment:
Based on your skin type (combination, sensitive, oily T-zone) and the staff's helpful feedback, here are some recommendations:

1. Adjust Moisturizers/Oils: As the staff suggested, reducing the percentage of some moisturizing/oily ingredients can help prevent the T-zone from feeling too oily. The staff recommended reducing Double Hyaluron Liquid (1), Vitamin B5 (2), WaterLock (6), and Moringa Oil (12) by half.
   • Revised percentages:
     • Double Hyaluron Liquid (1): 1% (from 2%)
     • Vitamin B5 (2): 1.5% (from 3%)
     • WaterLock (6): 1% (from 2%)
     • Moringa Oil (12): 2.5% (from 5%)
2. Increase Vitamin B3 (Niacinamide): The staff recommended increasing Vitamin B3 (3) to 5%. This is an excellent suggestion for combination skin as Niacinamide at 4-5% is effective for oil control, pore appearance, and barrier strengthening.
   • Revised percentage: Vitamin B3 (3): 5% (from 2%)
3. Recalculate Water: With these adjustments, the percentage of Distilled Water (14) will need to be increased to bring the total back to 100%.
   • New sum of ingredients 1-13: (1 + 1.5 + 5 + 3 + 5 + 1 + 3 + 20 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 2.5 + 1) = 47%
   • New Distilled Water (14) percentage: 100% - 47% = 53%
4. Add an Emulsifier: You must add a suitable O/W emulsifier to your formula to combine the oil and water phases. The type and percentage will depend on the specific emulsifier chosen and the total oil load (8% in the original formula, slightly less with the oil reduction). Please consult the product information for suitable emulsifiers for your desired texture (gel-cream, lotion, etc.) and how to incorporate them.
5. Consider Witch Hazel: While targeting pores, 20% Witch Hazel might be high for sensitive skin. If you experience any dryness or irritation, you might consider reducing this percentage in future batches, perhaps to 5-10%.

Revised Mixing Procedure (with Emulsifier - Example):
Assuming you choose an emulsifier suitable for your oil phase and desired texture (e.g., a gelling emulsifier or one that works with Pro Polymer):

• Phase A (Water Phase): Combine ingredients 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 14 (Distilled Water). Mix until clear. Add 9 (Pro Polymer) and mix/stir until a smooth gel forms.
• Phase B (Oil Phase): Combine ingredients 10, 11, and 12.
• Phase C (Emulsifier Phase): Prepare your chosen emulsifier according to its instructions (e.g., add to water phase, oil phase, or heat separately if required).
• Combine Phase A and Phase B (incorporating Phase C as per emulsifier instructions). Mix thoroughly until a stable, uniform emulsion is formed.
• Add ingredient 13 (Phenoxyethanol SA) and mix until uniform.

Remember that formulating requires testing. The suggested adjustments are based on general principles and the staff's advice for combination skin. You may need to fine-tune the percentages further based on how your skin responds.