Creating a Lotion Base

[Crownite]

Hey Everyone,

My friend asked if I could create a lotion base for her. I was thinking about creating a base formula that's about 97% total so that she can add her own fragrance to it. I usually keep my fragrances to no more than 2% but I was wondering if there would be any imbalances in creating a formula at 97/97.1%.

I can't really see any major issues with stabilization doing it this way but want to be sure.

Thank you!

 

[dixiedragon]

This isn't something I've done, but I know some people on the forum do it. You may want to try searching under "masterbatching lotion" for more info.

One issue is that you can overheat it and deactivate your preservative. I am assuming - I could be wrong - that you warm the lotion before adding the fragrance? So your friend would need to be sure she doesn't heat it above the safe temperature.

 

[Crownite]

I tried searching masterbatching lotion but didn't see anything on the forum related to it. I did see something about lotion bars...

I'll have to tell her to heat to about 45-50C if she does decide to warm it. It makes distributing the scent easier. But she could also just add a few drops of EO to a room temperature 2oz jar of lotion, stir, and be fine too.

 

[cmzaha]

I do masterbatch my lotion and fragrance as I want it. You do not want to reheat your lotion and possibly destroy the integrity of the preservative system you are using. I use 2% for my fragrance calculation when making my lotion base. If I use a tad more when mixing my lotion and filling bottles it does not hurt it in any way that I have ever found. One way to mix in lotion after the fact is to put your lotion in a baggie, put your fragrance in the baggie with it and smush and squeeze until you see it mixed well. Cut a corner of the baggie and squeeze in the bottle. When I am mixing lotion with fo I put the lotion amount I want in a clean sanitized bowl and mix the scent in well with a silicone spatula

Do remember to scale your lotion base to the amount that will be used within the shelf life of the lotion, or at least a reasonable time.

 

[DeeAnna]

Heating ready-made lotion also increases the risk of emulsion failure, as well as degrading the preservative system.

 

[Crownite]

I do masterbatch my lotion and fragrance as I want it. You do not want to reheat your lotion and possibly destroy the integrity of the preservative system you are using. I use 2% for my fragrance calculation when making my lotion base. If I use a tad more when mixing my lotion and filling bottles it does not hurt it in any way that I have ever found. One way to mix in lotion after the fact is to put your lotion in a baggie, put your fragrance in the baggie with it and smush and squeeze until you see it mixed well. Cut a corner of the baggie and squeeze in the bottle. When I am mixing lotion with fo I put the lotion amount I want in a clean sanitized bowl and mix the scent in well with a silicone spatula

Do remember to scale your lotion base to the amount that will be used within the shelf life of the lotion, or at least a reasonable time.

Thank you. I will add 1% more of something to keep it at 98%.