You sell a 5-fold orange oil. What exactly does the term "folded oil" mean?

Folded oils are concentrated citrus oils. They offer several benefits. Through distillation, the turpenes are removed, thereby rendering the folded oil safe for use in leave-on products, such as lotions. The concentrated scent offers resistance to oxidation: the fragrance lasts longer and the color is far more intense.

HELP! My SHEA or MANGO BUTTER feels grainy! What happened and how do I make it smooth again?

Shea and mango are very high in unsaponifiable matter. If they are incorrectly heated, upon solidification they will form little fat granules or crystals that feel bumpy to the skin. These bumps will melt down when rubbed into the skin, but they can be annoying and unsatisfactory if added to a formulation that is supposed to be smooth.

To remove the graininess from your shea or mango butters simply heat the butter in a doubleboiler on the stovetop. Gas works best as it keeps a more steady temperature than electric. Heat the butter to 170-185F. This is NOT hot enough to damage the properties of the butters. Keep the temperature steady - between 170-185F - for 10-15 minutes. The steady heat will cause the fat crystals to be obliterated. Rapid cooling may help stop the crystals from reforming. If you find that crystals have reformed upon solidification, go back and repeat these steps, paying close attention to time and temps.

What are "PEG" oils?

PEG stands for polyethylene glycol. PEG is prepared by reacting ethylene oxide, an odorless, tasteless gas, with itself under the influence of a solid catalyst, such as platinum. When a partially saponified oil is reacted with the ethylene oxide, a PEG results, which becomes attached to the fixed oil. As the PEG end is water-loving (hydrophillic), you now have a water-dispersable oil.

With all the confusion over the FDA gudelines for soap, can you help me understand the "rules" a little better?

The FDA has established an exemption for soaps that are predominantly composed of fixed oils saponified with potassium or sodium hydroxide. You must call your product "soap" and make no other claims. Under this exemption, you may add fragrances and other similar ingredients at reasonable levels, to cause the desired effects (scent, texture, etc). The only important exemption for additions is natural oil of wintergreen (which has extensive restrictions, due to the high methyl salicyclate content). Under this scenario, an ingredients list is not required.

If you make cosmetic claims, such as moisturizes skin, defeats cellulite, anti-aging, etc., then you must list the ingredients used and you must be capable of demonstraing your claims. If you add substantial amounts of ingredients such as SLS, DEA, TEA, etc., these items must also be listed on the label. If you make drug claims (ie, cures psoriasis, or other skin conditions) you need only list the "active" ingredient (the item/s that make the action happen) on the label.

The burden of proof of claims made is quite high and would require extensive testing and proof to pass FDA muster.

Please explain exactly what Glyceryl monostearate is, and how it works in lotions.

Glyceryl monostearate (GMS) is a natural emulsifying agent. It is prepared from glycerine and stearic acid. It is oil soluble, but poorly soluble in water. As a consequence it should be added to the oil during use. GMS may also be used with a variety of co-emulsifiers. The most common ones are potassium stearate, alkyl ethoxylates such as laureth 3 and sodium lauryl sulfate. Cold process soap flakes may also be used in a mixture of 2 parts GMS to 1 part soap.

GMS has an HLB value of 3.8 which makes it useful for preparing water in oil emulsions. These emulsions have the water phase surrounded by the oil phase. Water in oil emulsions are desirable because they are similar to the natural conditions in the skin.

Lotion and Cream Preparation

You should experiment since these guidelines are only designed to give you a starting point. The usual ratio of oil/water/emulsifier is around 4/2/1. Often it is possible to reduce the emulsifier to 5 % of the oil content of the lotion. In general higher emulsifier contents result in smaller droplets and stiffer lotions. The high melting oils and waxes make stiffer emulsions, but may have an oily or waxy feel. Usually a mixture will be required to give the desired properties. Make small batches before committing to a large batch.

Prepare the water and oil phases separately. Both phases should be warmed to about 60 to 70 C (140 to 160 F) before combining. Ensure that all of the components are dissolved before preparing the emulsion. Once the oil and water is mixed its too late. The water phase should be added to the stirred oil phase. Use a high shear mixer (stick blender) to combine the phases. Pour the resulting warm emulsion into sterilized bottles or jars before it congeals. Allow to cool undisturbed.

Preservation: Lotions and creams must be preserved against rancidity and microbial and fungal growth. This improves your shelf life and more importantly protects your customer from potential injury. Use .5 to 1 g of rosemary oleoresin antioxidant per kg of oil to prevent rancidity. Use methylparaben to prevent bacteria. An alternative water soluble preservative is potassium sorbate which should be used at .5 to 1.0 g/ Kg of product. The antioxidants and preservatives should be dissolved in the warm oils prior to mixing of the phases.

Potassium sorbate (K Sorbate) is a naturally occurring fatty acid with anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties. It is found in the mountain laurel ash (sorbus species) whose dried berries were used as a traditional food preservative. It is commonly available as a synthesized product.

FDA regards K sorbate as GRAS (generally regarded as safe). K Sorbate is water soluble and can be used effectively in both lotions and water-based liquid soap and shampoo formulations. Although the minimum inhibatory concentration for many fungi and bacteria is approx. 100 ppm, common usage levels range from 0.5 - 1.0%.

Dissolve K sorbate in your water phase at the beginning, to ensure proper dispersion of the product.

What's the difference between Vitamin E, grapefruit seed extract (GSE) and rosemary extract or oleoresin? Are they all preservatives?

There are significant differences between GSE, Vit. E and Rosemary Extract (ROE).

The differences between Vit. E and ROE occur in two major areas. Since oxidation leading to rancidity occurs only on the hydrophobic (oil soluble) portion of the molecule, the antioxidant must be in the physical area of the oil molecule's double bonds to be effective. The reaction must be prevented at these sites. A water soluble antioxidant will not be physically mobile enough in the oil domain of the molecule to participate in the reaction. Therefore, oxidation will proceed unimpeded. However, oil soluble antioxidants will be physically present in the right locations.

The principal active ingredients in GSE are water soluble bioflavanoids. These compounds do have antioxidant properties, BUT these compounds are not available to the oil of the soap molecule, where they are needed. Instead, they reside in the residual water or near the hydrophillic (saponified) end.

A similar situation occurs with Vitamin E. Vit. E is usually supplied as the oil soluble tocopherol acetate. During saponification, the acetate group is removed by the same reaction which makes soap from triglycerides. The tocopherol is now water soluble and not available where it is needed.

Vitamin E acetate may be used as an effective preservative in non-saponified products. It is not as stable as the compounds in Rosemary oleoresin. Rosemary oleoresin is oil soluble. The antioxidants in it do not react with sodium hydroxide. They retain their antioxidant qualities and are available in the oil molecules where they are needed.

The effectiveness of ROE and Vitamin E acetate were measured using a Rancimet assay in various oils. They appear to have similar initial activity, although the results can not be directly compared due to the use of different concentrations. Both appear to be as effective as butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). GSE was not tested.

How much antioxidant should I use?

Antioxidants are usually effective at levels of about 200 mg to 1000 mg per kg of product. This translates roughly to .2-1 gram per kilogram. (Trina's note: a standard teaspoon measure should be more than sufficient per 10 pounds of oils.) Antioxidants may be used together. The mobile compounds in ROE may act as a transfer agent, increasing its effectiveness when used in tandem with water soluble antioxidants.

How are antioxidants made?

GSE is made from the dried, ground seeds and pulp of the grapefruit. The pectin and fiber are removed using distilled water and the mixture is spray dried. This concentrate is dissolved in glycerin. Ammonium chloride and citric acid are added to break the glucosides down and release the bioflavinoids. The mixture is then heated under pressure to complete the reaction. The bioflavinoids are converted to water soluble quaternary compounds during this reaction. Vitamin E is available from a wide variety of sources, both natural and synthetic. It has strict USP and FCC standards. Most GSE available on the market today contains significant amounts of active preservatives, such as triclosan. It is not the GSE that is working, rather the active preservative. There are no studies that conclude that GSE is an effective anti-bacterial or preservative.

Rosemary extract or oleoresin (ROE) is prepared by extraction and the removal of the extractant. The standards for ROE are listed in the FCC (food chemical codex) Snowdrift Farm's ROE has a faintly herbal odor. It is FCC antioxidant grade with no volatile oils.

Can you explain who can buy and sell specially denatured alcohol, such as you sell? Who can ship it and are there any restrictions?

The Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms rules concerning the use of alcohol in cosmetics are reasonable, and fairly easy to understand. The FDA also has rules about the use of alcohol. The FDA rule is straightforward: Bitrex must be added to prevent ingestion and accidental poisoning. There are no exceptions.

The first ATF rule is that beverage alcohol MAY NOT BE USED in cosmetics. Technically, they consider you to be selling beverage alcohol without a license, and proper reporting and payment of taxes. Specially denatured alcohol (SDA) must be used. Only certain formulas may be used. Some denatured alcohol formulas contain toxic denaturants that are unsuitable for skin contact. These forbidden formulas include the paint and lacquer thinners available from the hardware store. Formulas legal for use in cosmetics may be directly distributed only to permitted users.

Many of the legal formulas contain undesirable denaturants such as phthalates and coumarins. A few are good choices because of the easily metabolized denaturants. Some formulas actually use essential oils as denaturants, but this can restrict your fragrance choices. SDA 40 B is one of the better choices because it is denatured with other alcohols and Bitrex.

Once you have chosen the SDA alcohol you need, you must legally obtain it in order to use it in your formulation. Sellers of SDA alcohol must possess an ATF permit to sell such material. They are only allowed to sell SDA alcohol to a permitted user. A permitted user is someone or an organization (such as Snowdrift Farm) that registers with ATF and pays the $250 annual tax. NOTE: Only users and sellers of SDA alcohol are required to pay the $250 per year tax. Pres. Bush recently waived the tax for all distillers, brewers, warehousers, sellers and importers of beverage alcohols.

The 5 gallon "sample exemption" allows potential users to develop a formula without paying taxes. Their materials may not be sold until they obtain a permit (pay taxes).

Obtaining a permit from ATF simply allows you to obtain SD alcohol. It does not allow you to sell products made from it. ATF MUST APPROVE YOUR FORMULA before you can begin selling. You must submit your formula and possibly samples to the ATF national laboratory for examination. An ATF agent will approve/reject your formula.

Once your formula is approved, it may be sold WITHOUT RESTRICTION to unlicensed individuals who may use it as they desire. No one may attempt to convert it to beverage alcohol.

There are a few exemptions to the formula pre-approval rule. The two most notable are 1) mixtures which contain greater than 30% essential oils and 2) low alcohol content products. Low alcohol content is defined as less than 7% alcohol.

Snowdrift Farm submitted our formulas for both Perfumer's and Formulator's alcohols to the ATF for approval. Both of these formulas have been approved for distribution to unlicensed users. Purchasers of these approved products may use or modify them in any manner and sell their resultant products without restriction. Snowdrift Farm's Perfumer's alcohol and Formulator's alcohol blends allow users to create perfumes and colognes without needing ATF permits, prior approvals or paying taxes.

Shipping: Two organizations govern shipping of dangerous goods (i.e., alcohol). The Dept. of Transportation (DOT) has created rules for shipping dangerous goods by ground transport. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has rules for shipping dangerous goods by air. The IATA rules are FAR more stringent than the DOT ground shipping rules, for obvious reasons.

SDA alcohol is defined as a dangerous good because of its flammability. Bulk shipments of SDA alcohols or products containing SDA alcohols must conform to the shipping rules. These rules include selection of the proper container, proper labeling of the container and any packaging, and the preparation of shipping documents. Additionally, training is required for all shippers. We do not recommend that individuals undertake bulk shipping.

For the producers of consumer products, exemptions from these rules exist. DOT allows an exemption from the labeling and documentation requirements for consumer commodities. IATA, however, DOES NOT. Consumer commodities are defined as products which are packaged and designed for direct use by consumers, (i.e. - a bottle of perfume. Finished toiletries are generally defined as consumer commodities). Ground shipments of consumer commodities offer the path of least resistance.

Both DOT and IATA rules provide limits on the size and construction of the inner containers as well as the gross amount of product per package. Air Parcel, Express and Priority Mail are air shipments. USPS forbids shipment of alcohol via these services. Parcel Post may be used, but there are limits on the percentage of alcohol that may be shipped using this method. Refer to www.usps.com for more details. Additionally, your outer boxes must be labeled "ORMD" and "inner packings comply with prescribed requirements".

UPS ground service is the simplest option for the shipment of consumer commodities. Even they have some restrictions, though. 1) UPS will not accept consumer commodities at UPS Stores or drop-off locations 2) you must have a UPS account and pick-up service 3) UPS will also accept consumer commodities for air shipments if you label and document the shipments correctly. Expensive third party software is required for documentation of all UPS air shipments plus a $35 fee applies to EACH shipment. Obviously, ground shipping makes the most sense.

UPS ground shipments do have several requirements, though. 1) All packages must weigh less than 20 pounds if packed in EC32 boxes (the most common type of box -- a single wall box); 2) a label bearing the notation "ORMD" and the statement "inner packings comply with prescribed requirements" must be affixed to the outside of the box; 3) the inner packages must be tightly sealed and properly cushioned to prevent breakage and spillage. All lids must be sealed to prevent opening during transit. Tape or tamper-evident seals are required. Secondary containment, such as over-bagging, is also desirable.

Glass, metal or plastic containers may be used. Glass containers may hold no more than 500 mL. Metal or plastic containers may hold up to one liter. NOTE: These are ground restrictions. Air shipments may require smaller containers.