by Marie | Jun 10, 2021
Generally speaking, I would encourage you to ask your physician about the sorts of things that are suitable for children, especially very young ones. I am not a parent or a physician, and I rarely formulate anything for very young children.
That said, you are hoping to make something to use on a young person, make sure you are watching your preservatives and essential oils.
Some preservatives are not allowed for use on those under 3, or if they are, they are only allowed in rinse-off products. You can learn more here. I would recommend looking at commercially available products made by large corporations and see what they use to preserve their baby products.
When it comes to using essential oils on babies, I will refer you to Robert Tisserand. Please visit this page and scroll down to the “Children” section (please read the entire page, but that section is especially relevant). Out of an abundance of caution, I would generally choose not to use any essential oils in products for very young children. I would leave the product unscented or get the scent from ingredients like cocoa butter, coconut oil, or hydrosols. Sensitization to essential oils is often life-long, and I wouldn’t want to accidentally inflict that on a very young person.
Beyond preservatives and essential oils, I would recommend sticking to quite gentle, benign ingredients. Avoid high-strength actives (babies don’t need retinol or acidic peels!) and anything that could potentially be irritating. Babies have far more delicate skin than adults and they definitely don’t need any anti-ageing anything! Again; I would recommend looking at commercially available products made by large corporations and see what ingredients they use in their baby products.
by Marie | Jan 28, 2021
Not really, simply because I almost never do. I share two new formulations a week—if I made a big batch of everything I’d be run out of my home by tubs of lotion and body butter in less than a year 😂
If you’re looking for information on how to scale a formulation up or down, I have two helpful posts (with partner videos) on that:
But when it comes to manufacturing, I never make anything in amounts that might be called “bulk”. If I’m making body butter, I rarely make more than 30–50g. My lotion batches tend to top out around 200g, though they’re usually smaller. Hand wash might go up to 500g. Bath bombs batches are typically around 800g, and my biggest batches of things are usually soap, around 1500g.
If you’re looking at equipment for making big batches, I really can’t help you—I specifically seek out equipment to help me make smaller batches! I want tiny mixers and super-precise scales so I can make a 20g batch, not a 20kg batch.
by Marie | Aug 20, 2020
I don’t answer questions like this.
If you intend to sell to the public, you need to be able to answer all these questions yourself. No worries if you can’t yet, but if that’s the case, I’d say you aren’t yet ready to sell to the public. Selling your handmade creations to the public is a big deal—please read this to learn more 🙂
If selling is your goal, I’d really recommend taking a full course from a school that will teach you not only formulation, but the regulatory side of things. I have a Diploma in Organic Skincare Formulation from Formula Botanica and they cover both of those areas; you can read my full review here. I also have a Diploma in Organic Haircare Formulation from Formula Botanica, but that course does not address regulatory requirements as knowledge of them is a pre-requisite.
Also, please read this: Can I sell things made from your recipes?
Happy making!
by Marie | Jun 29, 2020
Thankfully no! If our skin did absorb everything, just think of all the problems we’d encounter in our day-to-day life!
- After a long soak in the tub, you’d be incredibly bloated and have to pee for hours afterwards.
- Using alcohol-based hand sanitizer while out running errands? Be careful not to get a DUI!
- You could easily get your entire daily calorie allotment from a generous application of body butter (as it’s pure fat).
Our skin is an amazing barrier that protects us from the outside world—so much so that formulating products that do penetrate the skin and enter the bloodstream is very difficult, as the product has to work around a series of very robust and complex defence mechanisms. Here’s a great post from LabMuffin on the topic.
So, rest assured that applying a lotion is not at all the same thing as eating it, and there is no reason to limit the ingredients you use in your skincare to ones you would also eat.
You can learn more about ingredient safety here.
by Marie | Mar 3, 2020
There’s no way to say if a product definitely will or won’t clog pores. I highly recommend this post & partner video from Lab Muffin; she does a great job of explaining the flaws in the commonly referenced “comedogenicity” ratings.
With all things, if you know something to be problematic for your skin that’s a very different matter, but don’t write off an ingredient simply because it has a high rating. Also, keep in mind that wash off products are significantly less likely to be comedogenic than leave-on ones, and comedogenic-ness is going to be less important in something like a foot cream than a face cream.
by Marie | Apr 1, 2019
I’m afraid I really can’t—that is not an area I feel at all qualified to advise on, and it’s also not one that interests me. I love to teach people how to make things for themselves, their friends, and their family. If you wish to sell I’d encourage you to join a guild (like the Handcrafted Bath & Body Guild in Canada, or the Handcrafted Soap & Cosmetics Guild in the USA) for professional support. It’s also a good idea to take a course, like the ones offered by Formula Botanica (read my review of their Diploma in Organic Skincare Formulation here). For further personalized advice, you could consider hiring a business coach.
I have created two pieces of content regarding selling things/owning a DIY business as I did run one for just over two years (and I really, really didn’t like it).
- So, You Want to Sell the Things You Make
This is a very practical overview of many of the things you should consider before selling things you create. I learned these lessons in the process of setting up my own selling-stuff business.
- I QUIT! Why I Stopped Selling Stuff
This is a YouTube video where I tell the story of Humblebee Beauty & Skin and why it is no more. It is my personal story of what I didn’t enjoy and the things I intentionally did not do because I did not want my handmade business to grow and take up more of my time.
Something I can do, though, is branding and graphic design! I am a professional graphic designer with a Bachelor of Design Honours from York University & Sheridan College and I love working with small businesses to create a visual identity that really lets their products sing. If you’d like to review my portfolio you can do so here. If you’d like to contact me for a quote, there’s contact information on my portfolio website.
