I’ve had several requests for a gel-cream this year, and I’m excited to share this Cranberry Orange themed one with you today! This cold-processed cranberry orange facial gel cream is focussed on hydration and barrier support, helping our skin be its best self through dry and dark winter days. It is silky and lightweight, leaving skin soft and glowing, and smells softly of tangy fruit and citrus zest. It’s really simple to make, too!
Want to watch this project instead of reading it?
For hydration, we’ve got luxurious hyaluronic acid and propanediol 1,3. Both are fabulous humectants, helping hold water to the skin and draw it up from the deeper layers of the skināsomething I can always use more of, especially in the winter.
Ceramides help support and strengthen the skin. Our body produces its own ceramides, which are the “mortar” in the brick and mortar structure of keratinocytes (skin cells) and ceramides that comprise our stratum corneum (the top layer of our epidermis). The ceramide complex we’re using today helps supplement our skin’s natural ceramides, as well as encouraging our skin to produce more of its own. In turn, this helps our skin be more resilient, reducing irritation and improving moisture retention. Panthenol, aka vitamin B5, is also wonderful for skincare, especially in the winter. It is anti-inflammatory, helps boost healing, and is also a wonderful moisturizer.
For oily things, I’ve used a combination of anti-oxidant rich cranberry seed oil and super-slippy, skin-protecting dimethicone 350. Cranberry seed oil is recommended for irritated skin and has a wonderful satiny finish. It also contributes a bit of colour to the end product as well as its characteristic tangy-fruity scent (though quite softly). Dimethicone 350 is a mid-weight non-volatile silicone that helps reduce the tack of this formulation (I find gels can be quite sticky on the skin) and offers further protection and moisturization to the skin. You can learn more about silicones in skincare with this great article from Lab Muffin.
I have included a smidge of orange essential oil, but it is optional. If you prefer your facial skincare to be mostly unscented you can replace the 0.1% orange essential oil with more cranberry seed oil. Because of the natural scent of the cranberry seed oil, this cream isn’t completely scent-free, but it is a very soft smell.
Our gelling and emulsifying ingredient is Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer (trade name: Aristoflex AVC). It’s a white powder that quickly and easily creates silky smooth, lightweight gels and will pseudo-emulsify oils. It can be hot or cold processed, but we’re cold processing today’s project as nothing needs to be heated or melted. If you don’t have it, please refer to the encyclopedia post for substitution suggestions.
The finished Cranberry Orange Facial Gel Cream is softly scented, the slightest bit yellow, and very light on the skin. I like it towards the end of my skincare routine, perhaps topped off with a similarly themed facial oil serum (hint hint, coming soon!).
Want to watch this project instead of reading it?
Cranberry Orange Facial Gel Cream
1g | 2% Aristoflex AVC (USA / Canada)
1g | 2% dimethicone 350 (USA / Canada)
3g | 6% cranberry seed oil
0.5g | 1% Propanediol 1,3 (USA / Canada)
2.5g | 5% ceramide complex (USA / Canada)
1g | 2% panthenol powder (vitamin B5) (USA / Canada)
0.25g | 0.5% Liquid Germall Plusā¢ (USA / Canada)
0.05g | 0.1% orange essential oil10g | 20% 1% low molecular weightĀ 1% hyaluronic acid solution
30.7g | 61.4% distilled waterWeigh the first eight ingredients into a small beaker and stir to combine. Add the hyaluronic acid solution and water, and stir again.
At this point, you have two options. 1) Cover the mixture with some cling film and leave it to hydrate for a couple of hours before stirring until smooth by hand. 2) Use some sort of battery-powered mini mixture to rapidly mix everything together until smooth (you may want to give it a couple of minutes to rest before blending to allow the panthenol to totally dissolve).
Once the gel-cream is thick, creamy, and uniform, you’re ready to package it up! I put one batch of the cream in a 50mL (1.69fl oz) jar and one in a 50mL (1.69fl oz) squeeze tube. I think I prefer the tube packaging for usage, but it’s definitely easier to get the product into a jar. This would also work well in a pump-top bottle.
Shelf Life & Storage
Because this cream contains water, you must include a broad-spectrum preservative to ward off microbial growth. This is non-optional. Even with a preservative this project may eventually spoil as our kitchens are not sterile laboratories, so in the event you notice any change in colour, scent, or texture, chuck it out and make a fresh batch.
Substitutions
As always, be aware that making substitutions will change the final product. While these swaps won’t break the recipe, you will get a different final product than I did.
- As I’ve provided this recipe in percentages as well as grams you can easily calculate it to any size using a simple spreadsheet as I’ve explained in this post. As written in grams this recipe will make 50g.
- To learn more about the ingredients used in this recipe, including why they’re included and what you can substitute them with, please visit the Humblebee & Me Encyclopedia. It doesn’t have everything in it yet, but there’s lots of good information there! If I have not given a specific substitution suggestion (panthenol, cranberry seed oil) in this list please look up the ingredient in the encyclopedia before asking.
- I do not recommend substituting the Aristoflex AVC. If you do, keep in mind that you will likely need to re-develop the formulation.
- Aristoflex AVC is very sensitive to electrolytes; do not add anything to this formula that contains electrolytes.
- You can replace the dimethicone 350 with a natural silicone alternative like LuxGlide 350, or a very slippy oil. A non-silicone alternative will likely make the end product more sticky.
- Please do not substitute the ceramide complex; it is key to the product’s performance.
- Vegetable glycerin would work in place of propanediol.
- If you’re like to use a different preservative, please review this page.
Gifting Disclosure
The cranberry seed oil was gifted by Essential Wholesale. The Aristoflex AVC was gifted by Windy Point Soap Making Supplies. The hyaluronic acid was gifted by Pure Nature NZ. Both the soft tube and the jar were gifted by YellowBee.
Wowwwww!!! This sounds amazing! Thank you Marie:) Iāve finished about 3/5 of the sweet grass gel moisturizer (itās amazing! I did a 100g batch) and Iāll probably whip this up after itās finished haha
Yay! I hope you love it when you make it, and I’m stoked you’re loving the sweetgrass gel moisturizer as well š Thanks for DIYing with me, and happy making š
Mixed this up this morning and left to hydrate. Will finish it up when I get home. Can’t wait to try it out! I just finished up the batch of Rose Ceramide Gel I made, so the timing is perfect!
Wow, I think that might be a new record from posting to making! With the hydration time thing, it’s the skincare equivalent of setting up a stew in a crock-pot before you head to the office, ha š Thanks for DIYing with me, and happy making š
LOL! Pays to be a Patron! I was going to mix it up last night but didn’t get around to it. š
Ah right, I forgot you had a 24-hour head start! š
Oh wow, a new gel cream! My fiance and I love your sweetgrass gel inspired gel cream + oil serum combo. Both of us prefer it over any lotion. ā¤ļø
This review about a ceramide cream & sensitive skin came to my mind. Couldn’t find it in english.
https://katjakokko.com/urang-korealaista-ihonhoitoa-herkkaihoisille/
Thanks, Johanna! š
Just in case, great article about another promising copolymer (sodium acrylates copolymer and lecithin). Apparently cold process and available in UK/Europe:
https://www.botanicalformulations.com/blog/lecigel-an-experiment
Thanks!
Thank you, Johanna, for this very usefull link!
Thanks!
This turned out the most beautiful product. Easy to create. Thank you, Marie.
I’m so thrilled to hear it, Laurie! Thanks for DIYing with me, and happy making š
I am also obsessed and in love with your fantastic gel creams! They both fascinate my brain and sooooothe my skin š Question, do you think a formula like this could be adapted for a lip balm / lip cream moisturizer? I’m hoping to find something light with lovely slip (as you have in all of your lotions)
I keep coming across these silky creamy almost pudding like texture in skin care… do you think it’s possible for lips? Thank you as always, you are THE BEST and a creative genius / awesome generous person!
Hey Becca! I’m sure it’s possible, the thing you’ll need to find is a lip-safe preservative that works with your formulation š
Thank you as always! In case itās not said enough your posts make my week!
Thank you so much! š
i made this today and its really lovely, the texture is beautiful and its sits so well on my skin. it appears to be very hydrating and my skin needs that, i really want to make the serum now and use them both together! Thank you so much for this. im well and truly addicted…
I’m so thrilled that you’re loving it! Thanks for DIYing with me, and happy making š
This is really lovely indeed. I made it with a bit of blood orange hydrosol (as part of the water %) instead of the EO, and it turned out really beautiful and soothing. Love the consistency of it, will definitely make more! Thank you for the recipe.
That sounds absolutely stunning! Thanks for DIYing with me, and happy making š
Hi
I really love this recipe and I want to try it . I have been looking for gel based cream for a long time …!!! This is amazing …!!! The problem is I can’t find Aristoflex in India …!!! Will carbomer work …??? Or any other substitute…??? It would be a great help if I find an alternative …!!!
Hey! Please refer to the substitutions list below the formula and the encyclopedia entry for Aristoflex š
You’re officially an influencer for me re: dimethicone. I’ve shunned it for years and even have the articles to back me up, but I just read the more updated take that you provided with LabMuffin’s article on silicones, and after several months of ongoing consideration, I’m going to give it another try…
I’ve been ogling this gel cream, the Winter Solstice Facial Gel Cream, and your Silky Cream Foundation recipes, so will make my LotionCrafter order this weekend, and take a dive back into its exploration and revisit it with fresh eyes.
I know I always liked it’s performance, and when converting to more “natural” and “safer” approaches to skin care and makeup, I did find there to be a compromise on performance, mostly in the longevity of the “greener” foundations. Makeup breakup does happen after about 8 hours…I just accepted this fact to maintain my hardline principles…Will be interesting to find out what’s on the other side of this turnaround!
Hey Holly;
I KNOW! LabMuffin reminded me of just how much my skin loves Vaseline. Not to mention a number of other things as well. MArie wrote this article a few years ago and it still rings very true these days. Give it a gander as you might find it very informative.
Glad to see you here!
Barb
This is such a great product. I immediately fell in love with it. I also made a version for my husband, with oak moss, pine and cypress, and I called it ‘Super masculine shaving balm’ š !!!!
Thank you Marie.
Hooray! Thank you so much for sharingāI’m thrilled you and your husband are enjoying it ā¤ļø And that scent blend sounds DIVINE!
Awesome recipe, I’m making it for 2 year now. Is it possible to make it a cream (lotion) ?
Hello! I’ve been following you for a bit now and have made several recipes that I am loving! I have an area of all new ingredients now, besides my cold process soap ingredients two questions! One related to hyaluronic acid and the other to the spatulas you use
1) can you make a facial gel with HMWHA, SLMWHA, Vitamin C and a hydrosol and keep it gelled? It seems the SLMWHA turns it watery…
2) I would love to know where you get your spatulas that you use! Weird question
Thank you for everything you do and teach!
1) You and I discussed this in the Patreon Q&A, so I’ll leave that discussion there for simplicity š
2) Check out this post!
Happy making!
Iām sure itās probably a long shot, but would it at all be possible to add niacinamide to this gel cream? Iāve made it without it and love it, but was wondering if that could be an addition?