This silky smooth, light-as-a-feather solid facial serum is really neat. It has all the satiny, lightweight loveliness of a liquid serum, but it’s easier to transport (no leaks!), and application is even easier thanks to the elimination of the dropper bottle. Lightweight, super-glidy cetyl alcohol transforms olive and evening primrose oils into an oh-so-cool solid facial serum, and I may be a dweeb, but I think this is super exciting.
Ever since I did my cetyl alchol and liquid oil experiment, I’ve been really intrigued by the ability of cetyl alcohol to create what can only be described as thick or solid oils. When you combine a liquid oil with wax to thicken or solidify it the wax (somewhat obviously) adds some waxy characteristics to the mix.
Beeswax is creamy and slower to absorb, candelilla and carnauba waxes are thin and glossy, and there’s no escaping that if you’re working with a wax. Sometimes this is awesome and exactly what you want, but sometimes it’s not. Sometimes you just wish your favourite oil wasn’t liquid, but you don’t want to add wax—especially for use on the face. With warmer days sort of here (knock on wood), I don’t want thick, creamy beeswax on my face. I don’t want a balm—I want a solid serum!
Now, before anyone asks—yes, it must be cetyl alcohol. That’s the whole point! You could use different liquid oils if you like, but using a wax or stearic acid instead of cetyl alcohol will create a drastically different final product. From what readers have shared of their experiences with cetearyl alcohol, you may be able to use it instead of cetyl alcohol, but I haven’t worked with isolated cetearyl alcohol, so I’m not at all sure if (or how) that would work out.
I learned something really neat about using cetyl alcohol as as thickener/solidifier at this level while working on this recipe—it likes to crystallize and separate a bit if left to its own devices. For my first go I simply poured the melted liquid into the jar and popped it in the fridge to set up. When I pulled it out I had a very firm top, but once I pressed through it there was a core of runny honey like oil in the middle. Like a Cadbury Creme Egg! That was pretty neat, but not exactly what I was going for. So, try two—melt it, and then stir as it cools. You’ll get some crystals and a sort of apple-saucey visual texture, but the melting point is so low that it feels silky smooth to the touch.
Let’s talk oils! Olive oil is rich in antioxidants and squalene, and it’s pretty inexpensive, which is always nice. Evening primrose oil is rich in two special fatty acids—linoleic (~72%) and gamma linoleic acid (~10%). Gamma linoleic acid “has been shown to be one of the most effective agents for the treatment of skin disorders and for the maintenance of healthy skin… based on the strong research showing that it is of benefit in the treatment of various skin conditions, including dry skin, eczema, inflammation, wounds, and dermatitis” (Source). Evening primrose oil has done some pretty amazing things for my skin, so I’m always looking for ways to include it in assorted concoctions in ways that help mask some of its less desirable traits (it’s quite heavy and smells pretty oily).
I chose South African Chamomile (Cape Chamomile/Eriocephalus punctulatus) as my essential oil for this because I cannot get enough of the way it smells. It’s quite different from Roman and German chamomiles; I find it to be very apple-y and bright, without the strong herbal note of Roman and German chamomiles. It is a bit hard to find these days, though, as New Directions discontinued it (boo), so if you don’t have it, feel free to use a few drops of an essential oil or two that your face loves. Lavender, tea tree, rosemary, cedarwood, and carrot seed oil would all be good choices, depending on what you have and what your skin needs.
I’m loving this lightweight serum, not least of all because it’s impossible to spill. The chamomile scent, silky texture, and gamma linoleic acid are all brilliant for my skin, and I definitely think you should give it a try 👌🏻
Solid Olive Primrose Facial Serum
23g | 0.81oz olive oil (pomace) (USA / Canada)
7g | 0.25oz evening primrose oil
11g | 0.39oz cetyl alcohol (USA / Canada)
2 drops Vitamin E MT-50 (USA / Canada)8 drops South African chamomile or other essential oil of choice
Weigh the olive oil, evening primrose oil, cetyl alcohol, and vitamin E into a small heat-resistant glass measuring cup. Place the measuring cup in your prepared water bath to melt everything through.
Once the mixture has melted through, remove it from the heat and stir it as it cools; we’re doing this so the mixture keeps together rather than separating out as it’ll do if left to its own devices. At first this will take a while, so give it a few minutes between stirs. When you start to see some solid bits accumulating around the edges and on your spatula, scrape ’em down and stir more frequently. You’ll eventually end up with something that looks like it has a applesauce-y consistency, but is silky smooth and melts instantly when touched.
When you’re at the applesauce stage, stir in your essential oil(s) and transfer the mixture to a small jar or tin. I used two of these cute 25mL/0.85 fl oz jars. Let the serum set up the rest of the way in the fridge.
To use, glide your finger over the surface of the serum; you’ll pick up quite a lot of it straight away as the melting point is quite low. Massage that into your face, taking care to spread it around well so you don’t look oily when you’re done. Enjoy!
Makes 41g (1.45oz).
Shelf Life & Storage
Because this salve is 100% oil based, it does not require a broad-spectrum preservative (broad spectrum preservatives ward off microbial growth, and microbes require water to live—no water, no microbes!). Kept reasonably cool and dry, it should last at least a year before any of the oils go rancid. If you notice it starts to smell like old nuts or crayons, that’s a sign that the oils have begun to oxidize; chuck it out and make a fresh batch if that happens.
Hi, that sounds lovely! I definitely have to make this. If I understood everything right, because you recommend stirring it while it cools down, it’s not really appropriate for a solid bar, right?
Thank you and greatings from Luxembourg
Given how incredibly low the melting point is I don’t think it would make a good solid bar—it would start liquefying as soon as you picked it up, and would be very messy on a hot day!
What a brilliant idea. I’m going to make some right away. My face is looking forward to it 🙂
Woo! I look forward to hearing what you think 😀
Hey
I’ve already made this recipe twice,also for my mom and friends of course 😉 its relatively simple and i really like the texture and the absorption on the skin. I wondered if i can add to this recipe vitamin C (ascorbyl palmitate) same as the vitamin E or can it ruin the mixture?
Thanks and have amazing week (by the way the new body almond wax recipe is amazing )
From my research, it looks like it could work beautifully. Recommended usage rates vary from product to product, so make sure you check with your supplier for the particular one you have. Making Cosmetics says this of their version: “Add to hot fat phase or emulsifier phase of formulas; if it does not dissolve completely add vitamin C and some oil to a mortar and blend the mixture thoroughly with
the pestle; usual final concentration 0.5-8 %. For external use only.”
As always, start small and take lots of notes. Happy making!
I whipped this up this morning and it does feel very nice on the face especially after a few minutes. I would call it mattifying and soft. I ran out of evening primrose oil and only have olive pomace so I used rice bran and argan. I whisked it continuously until it cooled and appeared homogeneous. Its now sitting in the fridge to see if it will become any more solid. I would love if it were solid enough to put in a small deodorant tube but I’m afraid that would mean beeswax and I don’t want that. Thanks for a really nice formula Marie. I love cetyl alcohol. I left the vitamin E out and would probably replace it with carrot seed eo in the future.
Wow! I think this may be a speed record I think the solid-enough bit will likely depend on the ambient temperature where you are as the melting point of cetyl alcohol is much lower than that of waxes.
Hi Marie,
Thanks all your lovely recipes!!!
I would like to know how this feels differently from things made with cera bellina.
Thanks
Renee
Hey Renee! It’s pretty much the exact opposite of things made with cera bellina. Both are smooth, but that’s where the similarities stop. Cera bellina things tend to be thick, slow absorbing, and heavy. This is thin, fast absorbing, and light!
love this! i make infused chamomile/calendula olive oil, is it ok to use that on my face? I made lotion with it but i think i put too much olive oil, it clogged my pores.
If your face likes it, go for it! And I wouldn’t necessarily blame the olive oil outright—this is a good read.
Hi Marie! I want to try this! Is this only for night use? Can i use evening primerose oil during the day? It is not light sensitive?
I usualy put on my base every day, this serum will make my skin to slipery so the base will not attach?
This happens to me when i use to oily creams.
I tried using the serum this morning with my facial cream over it and the cream went on perfectly, no pulling, sunk in nicely. I had kept the serum in the fridge overnight and it does not harden so a stick container is not useable. It is a really lovely serum and I plan to make more with face oils I like best. You do need very little of it however, again a good thing.
YAY! 😀
You can use it whenever you want 🙂 And once you let it sink in (which happens pretty fast), you can put stuff on top of it!
Will the olive oil be comedogenic?
Could I use any other oil like Argan to make it lighter and non comedogenic?
I’m wondering about using argan oil also since I am low on the evening primrose oil.
Do it!
It depends on your skin. And yes, you can play with the oils!
Is cetyl alcohol same as cetearyl alcohol? I am trying to get cetyl here in India.. any idea where can I find it? Also, is there a specific cosmetic grade to it? I have heard that only plant based cetyl alcohol are safe.
No, they aren’t the same thing, but from what I understand they are somewhat similar. I haven’t found isolated cetearyl alcohol to compare. I definitely have no idea where to shop in India any more than you’d know where to shop in Canada—sorry! As long as you are purchasing your ingredients from a cosmetic supplier you can typically be assured they are cosmetic grade, but in the end, cetyl alcohol is cetyl alcohol regardless of the source, so if it’s pure, the safety is the same, just like how salt is salt, regardless of its source.
@Vidhi did you find the ingredients in India?
@marie what you suggest we should go for cosmetic grade products or look for other options?
Cosmetic grade is definitely the place to start; food and pharmaceutical grades are also acceptable, though more expensive. Don’t use craft or industrial grade 🙂
I would love to see a video of this one! I plan on trying it with broccoli seed and camellia seed oils!
I’ll keep that in mind 🙂 Happy DIYing!
I plan try it with Sea Buckthorn, Borrage and Babassu oils.
Lovely! 🙂
Hi Marie! Back home from a mini vacation with my kids. And this was the first recipe I got started on. I did tweak it to suit my skin. And I’m loving this as a base recipe! My skin loves Argan and Evening Primrose so I used these two oils. Substituted some of the Argan and added Squalane. Used the essential oils combination from your Green Tea Cleansing Oil recipe since this will be the next recipe to try. Thanks so much for an amazing recipe! This is definitely going with me on my girl’s weekend away!
Beautiful! I can definitely see myself playing with this base a lot in the future, too—so many possibilities! Thanks for sharing 😀
Hey
Your recipes are fabulous, had to say that at first 😉
Can corn starch can be added to this recipe to get a more matt feeling or it isn’t necessary due to the texture obtained by the cetyl?
I’d try it as written first, but yes, that is a possible thing you could add 🙂
Love this idea! I don’t have cetyl alcohol though, can I use stearic acid?? Please let me know!!
Yes, it must be cetyl alcohol. That’s the whole point! You could use different liquid oils if you like, but using a wax or stearic acid instead of cetyl alcohol will create a drastically different final product.
Can I substitute olive oil with hemp oil? And if not can I use the olive oil I usr for cooking?
Yes and yes, though I would choose an olive oil that’s not overwhelmingly olive-y in the scent department 🙂
I was inspired by this and I just finished up a gel serum experiment.
Using 0.5g [cera bellina] + [8g argan oil + 3g mango butter] I made a damn fine night face serum, it absorbs at a medium speed and is so silky like a dream <3
Using 0.5g [cera bellina] + [5g argan oil + 5g rosehip oil] I made another damn fine, but yet it's also thicker if you can believe it, day face serum that absorbs quickly and it's also super silky <3
For both of these, a little bit goes a loooooooong way!
Hope you all try it, let me know what you think!
Oooh, so cool! No pore clogging issues? I’m always a touch wary of beeswax-type things on my face.
I haven’t noticed any yet… (yet being the key word). I anticipate that cera bellina is slightly nicer to facial skin because it’s hydrophyllic, but also because to gel an oil you only need less than 10% of the total to be cera bellina.
I really like the texture it creates. My face doesn’t seem to like thicker, slower-absorbing oils but loves things like rosehip and argan and mango butter. But the cera bellina makes it more like a vasaline texture, minus the stickiness. It’s a super smooth finish that just travels soooooo well. I keep it in a squeezy lip gloss tube for traveling.
To note: mango butter has a higher gel point than rosehip oil does (these gelling indexes are very difficult to find since most lists don’t include the more expensive oils but only talk about grapeseed, olive, etc.). If you add a tiny bit too much bellina to your oil, it starts to feel less like jelly and more like gelatin. A bit more difficult to squeeze and use.
And on the plus side, gelled butters and oils don’t turn grainy. Cera bellina is used most frequently as a co-emulsifier, but where most emulsifiers and co-emulsifiers make oil crystals (like cetyl alcohol), cera bellina inhibits crystallization. Here’s the quote from Lotioncrafter:
“Products formulated with Cera Bellina and natural as well as synthetic oils produce remarkably stable, smooth gels. This property is also beneficial in emulsion products, where its hydrophyllic properties enable it to act as a coemulsifier and its rheology modifying properties lend increased formulation stability. In decorative cosmetics, Cera Bellina helps to break up pigment agglomerates by forming a gel network thereby maintaining an even distribution of ingredients. Cera Bellina also suppresses the fatty acid, fatty alcohol migration and oil syneresis in finished stick formulas.
“Cera Bellina has the unique ability to give stability by forming non-granular gels of liquid oils. Besides the consistency regulating properties of beeswax, Cera Bellina has the remarkable capability of inhibiting crystallization in the oil phase and therefore enhancing stability by preventing the formation of granules. This attribute can eliminate the graininess or rice granule effect that can occur when using shea and other natural butters in anhydrous formulations such as lip balms and lotion bars.”
Yeah… I’m pretty much obsessed. Plus, you don’t even need a large stock of it because you can use such a small ratio to get the effect you want!
It is so darn cool, man. I love how it makes mango and shea feel more accessible for easier grain-free concoctions! I really must play with it in lipstick!
Now imagine using it to make eyeliners and lipsticks and lip glosses and foundation sticks. Droooooling.
Oooooooh
Update: my super-sensitive, rash-forming, acne-prone skin is blemish free so far. I use it mostly under my eyes and on dry patches, but it also worked really well with powder eyeshadow to create a cream shadow.
I can’t recommend this enough. Mix with mica for an illuminating serum, mix with color for shadows and cheek/lip tints, mix with foundation for cream foundation! Or just use as-is for something phenomenal.
Formula notes: 10g argan oil + 0.4g cera bellina is a lovely thin gel that doesn’t leak out of containers. Start there, and with thinner oils (not always true but experiment with it) use less cera bellina.
Oooooh, beautiful! Dangit, I need some more formulating time. I LOVE the cream foundation idea 😀
How interesting! I am loving mooching off your experiments and knowledge 😀 I have actually being playing with using vaseline as an overnight face pack (, right?!), and it’s amazeballs. I would love to create something similar that’s not vaseline, haha. This sounds like my starting point!
Could you use the lecithin rather than the cetyl alcohol?
No, not at all—they are so completely different that would be like trying to use walnuts instead of an egg in a recipe. Can I ask why you thought they might be a good alternative for one another?
I don’t know that much about cetyl alchol but I have used lecithin as an emulsifier before for an eye cream and it worked very well to keep the oil and water mixed together
Ahh, ok. So, cetyl alcohol is not an emulsifier—it’s a thickener. Lecithin isn’t really an emulsifier, either—it is pretty limited in its ability to bring oil and water together, working best with adding small amounts of something water soluble to a large amounts of oils, like adding a titch of honey to lip balm. You can learn more about cetyl alcohol here 🙂 Both lecithin and cetyl alcohol can be absolutely lovely in skin care projects as emollients, but that’s about all the performance overlap they’ve got 🙂
I used olive and jojoba as my oils, and, let me just say… wow! I’m loving the finish of this stuff, this is my first project with cetyl alcohol, and I am going to be making more stuff with it tomorrow! Next thing on my list is the Airbrushing Primer Stick.
Thanks, Marie! I hope to see more cetyl alcohol in your recipes in the future, which I’m sure I will!
Oooh, lovely! And, yes, there’s a lot more cetyl alcohol in my future 😉
Yay!
Hi Marie! Is cetyl alcohol safe in this high of a percentage? My suppliers website says to use it at .5-6%.
Yup—it’s a fatty alcohol, not an active, preservative, or essential oil, and it’s not going to challenge our preservative (in any project, this one it’s a moot point). Recommended usage rates for ingredients like this are more of a guideline for typical usage; NDA recommends shea butter at 2–20% when that’s obviously something that can be used neat 🙂
Thanks so much for the explanation!! Very helpful. Xo
No worries—happy making!
I tried this serum this evening – working on formulating clay masks, and my skin was feeling quite dry after tonight’s. Needing something different than liquid oil, I hopped online and came across this post.
I don’t have evening primrose oil, so subbed 5g camellia oil and 2g argan. Just applied and it absorbed beautifully, easing the dry discomfort immediately. We have a winner! Thank you!
Yay! I’m so glad you’re enjoying it 🙂 I love how cetyl alcohol really transforms the plain ol’ liquid oils 🙂
Wow, I love this facial serum. I am having fun using all these different ingredients. Thank you for all the time you spend making wonderful recipes.
Thanks so much, Marie! 😀
Yesss! That’s it! I used to have two extremely dry, slightly peeling pink spots on my cheekbones under my eyes but they are already gone almost without any trace after applying this serum only 5 times. Thank you, Marie! I used olive, argan and safflower oils and German chamomile eo (these I had on hand).
Yay, I’m so glad! Thanks so much for reading and DIYing with me 🙂
I adore your recipes! I am making so much now for myself and my family! This solid serum is wonderful! I added some shimmer to it and it is quite lovely!! I’m taking this on vacation to Jupiter, Florida next month!!!I am going to try my hand at the moisturizing shampoo, as I have purchased everything I need. The Monoi conditioner is my favorite!!
I am so glad, and I LOVE the shimmer idea! Well done, and thanks so much for sharing 😀 Happy making and happy travels!
I love recipes that don’t call for a long list of ingredients. I have combination skin and this would be probably too heavy for me. Can olive oil be replaced with argan and jojoba/grapeseed oils? They seem to agree with my skin. What proportions would you use? 50/50? 30/70?
Would be great to know your opinion!
You definitely can! I usually like to start with 50/50 and see what I think before adjusting from there. Start super small (maybe just 1g of each oil), see what you think, and start playing 😀 Happy making!
Hi Hania. How did you get on with this? can you remember!!?
I am sitting here looking at using a combination of olive, jojoba and grapeseed for this too.
hello Marie!
I am a senior lady from Ontario, who has been fully absorbed in your site for the past week! So much knowledge along with many wonderful delights to make & enjoy! I’m very new at all of this diy skin care, but would like to start with a lip balm, one of your easier body butters, and this solid facial serum. My question to you would be from another comment, where she added a small amount of cera bellina ( i liked the way she described the final outcome 🙂 but do not understand how I would add this in proportion with your recipe. Would you be able to advise me on this please. I also would like to order some supplies from you as well.
With so many other diy sites online, I feel I can totally trust your knowledge, along with your thorough, easy to understand directions! thank you for your lovely website!
Welcome, Patricia! You can learn more about cera bellina here, and how different amounts of it work here. When it comes to incorporating new ingredients into an existing formulation, check out this FAQ. I haven’t tried adding cera bellina to this formulation, but I’d probably start with 5% or less, removing some of the cetyl alcohol so the end product is not too hard.
I don’t sell supplies, but I do have a big list of places to shop linked in the main menu! In Ontario you’ll be close to New Directions Aromatics and Canwax 🙂 Happy making!
I somehow have just read this now 🙂
thank you very much Marie, for your information and references related to Cera Bellina and suggested suppliers four here in Ontario
Hi Patricia!
Isn’t cera bellina a brilliant ingredient????
Happy making!
Barb
I have made this serum few times with different oils and I totally love it on my skin both morning and evening. I wonder if behenyl alcohol would work in place of cetyl alcohol?
I wonder about adding actives to this beautiful formulation. I was thinking niaminicide, N-Actetyl Glucosamine & hyuralonic acid serum (excuse spelling). I do realize however that this is an anhydrous formulation (look at me using all these “big” words), LOL; and these items are all water soluble. Is there a way?
If you want a bunch of water-soluble actives along with these ingredients I would recommend making a lotion or toner—either separately, for the water things, and then putting the oil serum on as a different step, or looking for a formulation that can include both the oils and the actives (probably a lotion) 🙂
Wow, this really does go on like silk. For me, it didn’t absorb very well and definitely left an oily sheen to my face which would probably be nice underneath some mineral foundation – so what did I do? I took my newly made mineral foundation and mixed it in – and what did i learn? That mineral foundation IS NOT OIL SOLUBLE so now instead of having a silky feel, I have a pebble feel. LOOOOOOOOOOL – and on with the learning journey right? Anyway, it would be awesome to be able to add some actives to this since it would be sitting on my face all day long – may as well be doing something. The issue is that most actives are not oil soluble. My mission then is to find something oil soluble that I can mix into this to get the most out of it. Thanks for all you do Marie. Hugs from NY!
OMG this is EXACTLY what I was looking for! I’m doing some more research but I recently invested in some absolutely gorgeous doTERRA YARROW POM oil. It is absolutely beautiful however it is very thick & goopy which makes it less than ideal for anytime use! I’m going to play with this idea! Thanks Marie! You read my mind ALOT
p.s- a d.i.y YARROW POM would be lovely.. I’m not sure on quantities to recreate this concoction but it’s pricetag is rather high
I’m so excited to find this recipe!
Just got to see if any of my oils in stock will work.
Best I get experimenting .
Thank you for sharing
Woohoo! Happy making 🙂
Hello, I read cetyl alcohol has 2 in comedogenic rating, do you think it can cause acné?
Please read this 🙂
What ratio of cetyl alcohol to oil do you recommend for a dewier finish? I’m thinking of adding more oils, and someone above said the original formula was on the matte side for them.
I’d probably try using some cetearyl alcohol instead; it’s bit creamier 🙂
Greetings Marie, I am theory crafting a very absorptive, penetrating oil to carry a fat soluble medication for a family member using Emu Oil/Pure C8 MCT and Cetyl Alcohol/Cera bellina. I would like to make two versions, one that incorporates MSM, and the other simply as above, but with Emu Oil.
My question is regarding adding MSM, which requires the addition of a small amount of water, then emulsification – unless of course I am overlooking a pure-oil pathway to success, here. What could be my most quickly absorptive option in emulsifiers to maximize the efficacy of the fat soluble medicine?
I read a comment in this thread, Lecithin could be just the trick for adding a small amount of water to this above recipe to incorporate the MSM, but I am not a cosmetic maker in the least. Thank you very much.