I think I messed up my sugar scrub...

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tinycyclops

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I tried my hand at an emulsified sugar scrub today. I started with the Spicy Pinecone recipe and modified it a bit. It was runnier than I would have like so I was doing some reading to see what I could change to thicken my scrub. And here is where I realized my (potential) screw up.

I used phenonip as the preservative because it was what I had on hand. I knew that it was inactivated by polysorbate 80. What I didn't realize is that the emulsifying wax I bought from Brambleberry is Cetylstearyl Alcohol and Polysorbate 80.

How bad is this? I definitely don't feel comfortable handing these out for testing. Would I be better off using a different preservative in the future? Or a different emulsifying wax? Overall, I'm happy with the skin feel of the scrub, so I guess I'll be using it a lot.

Definitely a lesson learned. :/

Recipe for reference:
15 oz sugar
3 oz sweet almond oil
1.5 oz coconut oil
1 oz emulsifying wax
1 oz fragrance oil
2.25 oz avocado oil
0.75 stearic acid
1 oz cocoa butter
0.25 oz beeswax
6 grams phenonip
 
Last edited:
You could try adding a bit more emulsifying wax. I use the Ewax from Nature's Garden or WSP and their ingredients are Cetearyl Alcohol (and) Polysorbate 60
 
You could also add some melted M&P soap. I use that instead of E-wax and stearic acid in a simple recipe that works well for me.
 
Thank you both for your responses. I've tried the melt and pour scrub before and it's not my favorite, hence the emulsified scrub.

Maybe my original post was confusing. I have a few ideas in mind to fix the runniness. What I'm more worried about is the combination of phenonip and the polysorbate 80 in the emulsifying wax. I know it doesn't necessarily have to be preserved since it's an oil based product. But also know how I use a scrub in the shower, water is likely going to be introduced. I'm worried that the way I have the recipe, the phenonip will be inactivated by the poly 80.
 
Right, I absolutely agree that it should be preserved.

But will the phenonip be significantly deactivated by the polysorbate 80 in the emulsifying wax? My guess is that the preserving power of the phenonip has definitely been affected, but I'm wondering if anyone here has some insight. I may just have to play mad scientist and see what happens.

I know I'm going to order a different emulsifying wax for next time so I can use the phenonip I have.
 
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