Posted by Les Mauvaises Herbes
Are you a DIY graduate? You make pretty much everything yourself: your deodorant, your serum, your shampoo… Now you're ready to make your own moisturizers!
Making your own moisturizer is surprising, fun, ultra-satisfying and, above all, much easier than you think! All you need to do is trust yourself, take the time to do your research, and then dive in.
But beware! The world of moisturizers is crawling with ingredients that aren't exactly clean: palm oil-laden emulsifiers, for example, or preservatives that look more or less natural and have very limited effectiveness. The problem is that these ingredients are essential to making moisturizers. You simply can't do without them.
This was a major hurdle for us until we finally discovered the Éco emulsifier and the Éco preservative, which meet our standards.
Thanks to these two ingredients and the following article, you can discover the wonderful world of homemade moisturizers and embark on one fascinating (!) experience after another. Because making custom creams for yourself and those you love is just nice.
Ready for the challenge?
A little theory
Let's start with some clarifications and demystifications.
Creams vs. butters & salves
Yes, each term refers to a specific type of skincare product. It's important to clarify this, because, trust us, misunderstanding can sometimes cause a lot of trouble.
Butters & salves
They are made entirely of oily ingredients (which we call the oil phase): plant oils, plant butters, and waxes.
These are simple, nourishing, protective, and versatile products that don't present any particular manufacturing challenge. You can very easily whip up a face butter with a few cups and measuring spoons, hip hop flip flop. As for making creams, it's drastically different.
What's more, butters, salves, and the like are very stable and don't present any preservation challenges per se since they contain no water. It's in water that bacteria and mold grow. Since butters and salves are made only of an oil phase, the problem doesn't exist and they require no preservative, as long as the mixture is protected from potential water contamination.
Their downside? They have a greasier finish (which doesn't please everyone and is less practical in certain situations) and are not inherently moisturizing. If you want to moisturize the skin, you must use them in conjunction with an aqueous phase or apply them to damp skin.
Creams
A cream is made of two phases: an oil phase and an aqueous phase.
- Oil phase: plant oils, plant butters, waxes
- Aqueous phase: water, hydrosol, juice and aloe gel*, vegetable glycerin
*Important: some ingredients that contain a lot of minerals, such as aloe juice and gel, may not be entirely suitable for the Éco emulsifier and can sometimes result in unstable emulsions. You can still incorporate them into your recipes, but keep in mind that the results may not be optimal. Do it as a "test"!
First, since water and oil/grease molecules do not naturally combine, an additional agent (emulsifier) is needed to blend the water and oil droplets together. A bit like Kraft vinaigrette. It's an emulsion!
What's more, because of the presence of water, it is essential to use a preservative to protect the product from bacteria and mold. It's in water that bacteria and mold grow.
Because of its composition, a cream therefore offers the skin hydration and protection, in addition to a lighter and less greasy finish. However, creams are not always rich enough to protect or nourish the skin (e.g., winter, seasonal changes, sports activities, post-sunburn care, etc.). For these situations, butters and salves are perfect.
Like in a lab 👩🔬: precision & accuracy
Preparing a cream requires much more care and precision than preparing a butter or salve. Embarking on this type of manufacturing involves weighing all the ingredients precisely, sterilizing the work surface and tools, and making sure you follow the manufacturing steps, temperatures, etc. correctly.
Types of emulsifiers
There are two types of emulsifiers:
- Oil-in-water (O/W) emulsifiers: they coat the oil droplets with water and are typically used to make light and fluid creams (e.g., day cream, body lotion).
- Water-in-oil (W/O) emulsifiers: they coat the water droplets with oil and are typically used to make rich and thick creams (e.g., night cream, sunscreens, creams for very dry hands or feet).
Oil-in-water (O/W) emulsifiers are more common and versatile. Our Éco emulsifier is an oil-in-water (O/W) type. Although we primarily use it for light creams, it can also be used to develop richer formulations to obtain a more nourishing and protective night treatment (for mature or sensitive skin, for example).
Important note
The recipes you will find on our online store are designed and have been tested with the Éco emulsifier. If you use a different emulsifier, the manufacturing steps may be slightly different. Simply consult the information provided by the manufacturer.
"What about beeswax and sunflower wax?"
Contrary to popular belief, they are not emulsifiers. Beeswax and sunflower wax are thickening agents.
It is certainly possible to add a hydrosol to a mixture of oil phase and wax, then whip it, but the result is only a suspension, not a true emulsion. The result may appear stable, but it will eventually separate.
The famous cold cream
In the case of beeswax, the only way to make it emulsify is to use it with borax to create an old cream (like the popular Pond' cream), an ancestral recipe. In fact, borax (which is alkaline) saponifies the beeswax and other fats, resulting in a creamy substance. So in the end, it is not the wax that is emulsifying, but rather the "soap" that results from it.
The world of "natural" emulsifiers
The market is full of many options: Émulsifuze, Ritamulse, Olivem, Lanette, Polawax, cetyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol… What do they have in common? PALM OIL.
It's all well and good to claim to be plant-based… But if the emulsifier is entirely derived from palm oil, it's far less appealing from an environmental standpoint, as palm oil cultivation is a direct cause of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.
The Éco Emulsifier: much more than just an emulsifier!
Our Éco emulsifier, an oil-in-water (O/W) type, is 100% plant-based and palm oil-free!It is a glycolipid emulsifier (derived from a mixture of sugars (wheat, corn, or cassava) and fats (rapeseed)).
Much more than just an emulsifier, it is a real added value for your cream, since its structure gives it intrinsic moisturizing properties, facilitating the action of the other moisturizing elements in your formulation. It provides effective and continuous hydration for up to 5 hours because it works on the skin's lipid barrier by strengthening it: it slows down transepidermal water loss.
What's more, it is PEG-free, hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic, and compliant with Écocert and COSMOS standards. Note that, despite the name of some of its ingredients (arachidyl alcohol and arachidyl glucoside), there are no ingredients derived from peanuts and there is no risk of allergy.
Preservatives
A party of bacteria or mold in your cream? No thank you!
The Éco preservative: versatile!
Our Éco preservative is extremely safe, broad-spectrum, and tested and proven by many cosmetic manufacturers and DIY enthusiasts. The glycerin it contains is derived from canola and soybean oils (no palm oil!). YAAAY!
It is a broad-spectrum preservative that is effective over a wide pH range (3 to 8), compliant with Ecocert and COSMOS standards, compatible with gels, and free from parabens, formaldehyde, fragrance, and isothiazolone.
Its only drawback is that it is not recommended for leave-on products for children under 3 years old due to the salicylic acid it contains. However, it is completely safe in rinse-off products (shower gel, shampoo, conditioner).
Making your own moisturizer: the steps!
1. Sterilization of equipment
To keep your cream for several months, you must disinfect your manufacturing equipment, your work surface, and the container in which your cream will be stored. Unlike anhydrous cosmetics (without water) such as balms, butters, and salves, the presence of water in the cream creates an environment favorable to the growth of bacteria and mold.
To do this, use 70% isopropyl alcohol (or rubbing alcohol, available at the pharmacy). 99% isopropyl alcohol is not effective for disinfecting! We like to use a spray bottle to spray the alcohol on the tools before wiping them with a paper towel or a clean cloth, or letting it evaporate naturally.
2. Preparation of ingredients
The ingredients are divided into three parts clearly identified in the recipes:
- the aqueous phase (the ingredients that contain water or are water-soluble)
- the oil phase (the ingredients that contain fat or are fat-soluble)
- the cooling phase (the ingredients that are heat-sensitive and must be added at the very end of the recipe when the temperature has come down)
The ingredients of the aqueous phase and the oil phase must be heated in separate containers, but they can be in the same pot/water bath. You can weigh the ingredients directly in the container that will be used to heat them.
The ratio between the quantities of the aqueous phase, oil phase, and emulsifier must be respected to obtain an emulsion that holds together; this is why it is essential to weigh the ingredients rather than measuring them with measuring spoons or by the drop.
What's more, since some ingredients are present in very small quantities, you must use a 0.01 g precision scale. Unfortunately, a kitchen scale (1 g or 0.1 g) is not precise or sensitive enough to make cream.
Note on using the scale
Just turn it on, place a container on the tray, and press the T key (for "tare"), which resets the count to zero and therefore removes the weight of your container. You then pour your ingredient into the container until the numbers indicate the correct quantity. You can repeat these steps to measure several ingredients in the same container.
3. Heating the ingredients
Both phases must be heated to a temperature of 85°C (185°F). The temperature of the oil phase rises quite quickly, while that of the aqueous phase rises a little more slowly. We recommend placing a lid (disinfected with alcohol), without screwing it on, on the pot of the aqueous phase: it helps the temperature rise more quickly and recover the water that evaporates.
What is important at this step is that the oil phase reaches at least 85°C and that when they are combined, both phases have the same temperature, or almost. So it is not a problem if one of the phases exceeds 85°C by a few degrees.
4. Emulsifying the two phases
You can use only two tools to make the emulsion: a cordless mini-whisk (like the one from the Norpro brand, which you can find online, we recommend model 2273 or 2273C) equipped with its deflocculating tip (the little metal roller), or a hand immersion blender (the one you use to make soup).
You cannot use a milk frother, an egg beater, a stand mixer, or other tools. The mini-whisk and the immersion blender shear the water and fat particles in addition to mixing them; that is what gives a homogeneous emulsion that holds together!
We emulsify our cream for two minutes, three at most. If we emulsify for longer, the mixture will separate like a mayonnaise that breaks or whipped cream that falls. It is normal that after two minutes, the emulsion is still quite liquid; the cream will reach its final texture after cooling completely, which is after 24 hours.
5. Cooling
Before adding the heat-sensitive ingredients, let the cream cool to a temperature equal to or below 40°C (104°F). We do not recommend putting the emulsion in an ice bath or in the fridge to speed up the process. You have to arm yourself with a little patience! Stir the emulsion regularly with a small spatula so that it solidifies evenly and to avoid the formation of lumps. You must not use the mini-whisk or the immersion blender for this step.
When the thermometer indicates 40°C (104°F) or less, it is time to add the ingredients of the cooling phase: the Éco preservative and the heat-sensitive actives.
It is preferable to wait until the cream has cooled completely before potting it or putting on a lid, but other than that, it is ready to use.
Would you like to learn all this live and find out even more about the ingredients? Join our in-person prickly pear cream-making workshop!
Try our recipes!
Recette · Advanced
Face cream for all skin types - orange blossom
This light base cream is versatile and suitable for both face AND body. As with everything, you can vary the hydrosols and oils to personalize it. We love it for its velvety, non-greasy finish, fast absorption, and ability to preserve skin hydration. Once you try it, there's no going back!
- Marie
Préparation45 min
Conservation6 to 12 months
Rendement100 ml
Recette · Advanced
Eye contour cream - rose and immortelle
A rich, silky cream perfect for preserving the suppleness and vitality of the delicate skin around the eyes. Its texture is thicker than what we usually formulate and it is made of refined ingredients that give it a luxurious feel. A luxurious treatment!
Préparation45 min
Conservation6 to 12 months
Rendement50 ml
Recette · Advanced
Face cream - sensitive skin, rosacea and couperose
Is your skin going through a lot? You'll love this light face cream made with anti-inflammatory oils and soothing essential oils. Especially designed for sensitive, reactive skin prone to redness!
Préparation45 minutes
Conservation3 to 6 months
Rendement50 ml
Recette · Advanced
Sea buckthorn facial cream for mature skin
This cream, whose hue is reminiscent of ripe mango, owes its color to sea buckthorn oil, well known for its regenerating and soothing effect, in addition to being rich in carotenoids and other antioxidants that help counteract the harmful effects of the sun. Combined here with geranium, cistus, and ylang-ylang essential oils, it's quite a cocktail for mature skin!
Préparation45 minutes
Conservation6 to 12 months
Rendement50 ml
Recette · Advanced
Acne cream - black seed and witch hazel
This ultra-light face cream combines fabulous ingredients with sebum-regulating, astringent, purifying and antibacterial properties to combat acne breakouts. Another reason to make this recipe right away: it smells like a little lemon cake!
Préparation30 min
Conservation6 to 12 months
Rendement50 g
Recette · Advanced
Borage eczema cream
This rich and nourishing cream features borage oil, which helps the skin retain its moisture, an absolute must for thirsty, eczema-prone skin!
Préparation30 min
Conservation6 to 12 months
Rendement100 ml
Recette · Advanced
Fir and geranium body cream
There are some recipes so incredible you want to eat them, like this one. What makes it so incredible is the balsam fir macerate it contains. It smells like cotton candy and sweets, no joke. Mixed with geranium and bergamot, it’s absolutely divine.
Préparation45 min
Conservation12 months
Rendement100 ml
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I double, triple, or quadruple the recipe?
Yes! You can also divide the recipe, but we recommend not making creams smaller than 50 grams, as too small a quantity makes handling and production difficult.
My cream isn’t white. What did I do wrong?
Nothing! Pigmented plant oils (hemp, tamanu, sea buckthorn, camelina, etc.) and certain additives tint the cream. This is completely normal.
My cream is too runny!
After emulsifying, the cream is sometimes very runny, almost like milk. This is normal! It must cool down before reaching its true texture, which can take up to 24 hours. Don’t panic and don’t keep emulsifying for more than 3 minutes.
However, to optimize the creaminess of your cream, you can change or recharge the batteries in your mini-whisk. The more power it has, the creamier the cream will be!
If, despite everything, your cream remains runny, it means there was a hiccup in your measurements or your emulsification. It’s part of the learning process. Don’t give up!
My cream is separating! What’s going on?
Several possibilities:
1- You modified the recipe too much. Yes, you can replace one plant oil with another. The same goes for hydrosols and essential oils, in the same quantities. However, if you modify the quantities of ingredients without fully mastering the basics of moisturizing cream formulation, it’s risky. Use our recipes as a template and do not modify them excessively; they have been tested and approved.
2- The ingredient measurements are incorrect or inaccurate. Make sure to weigh each ingredient carefully. Accuracy is key in this type of recipe.
3- Too large a portion of the aqueous phase evaporated while heating. Always place a lid on the aqueous phase container; this will help limit evaporation and recover as much aqueous phase as possible.
4- The emulsion was not made with the appropriate tool.
5- The ingredients did not reach 85°C (185°F). See our tips in the next point!
6- The cream was emulsified for too long, or not long enough. Emulsify for 2 to 3 minutes, maximum.
7- You did not gently stir the cream while it was cooling.
8- The cream got too hot, or too cold. Was it carried around in a bag in the middle of a heatwave? Left in the car? Put in the fridge? An emulsion must be stored at room temperature.
9- The stars weren’t aligned! Haha! But seriously, we also completely mess up our recipes sometimes! Mercury retrograde, or human error? We’ll never know. But a flop is part of the learning process, and that’s perfectly fine.
The ingredients are having trouble reaching 85°C (185°F). What can I do?
The oil phase generally has no problem reaching 85°C quickly. The aqueous phase, on the other hand, is more temperamental. Placing a lid (without screwing it on) on the aqueous phase helps retain heat in the pot and reach the right temperature more quickly.
Otherwise, know that you can heat your ingredients in a small saucepan directly over a heat source instead of using a double boiler. Watch the temperature carefully so it doesn’t get too high—it heats up fast!
Can I replace the Éco preservative with vitamin E?
No! Vitamin E is an antioxidant, not a preservative. It extends the shelf life of a cream by slowing down the rancidity of the oils, but it has no impact on the growth of bacteria and mold. You can learn all about vitamin E right here.
We are also sometimes asked if we can replace the Éco preservative with grapefruit seed extract. Unfortunately, no. Grapefruit seed extract is not a broad-spectrum preservative (broad-spectrum = effective against both bacteria and yeast and mold), and it only extends the life of products containing an aqueous phase by one month.
What happens if I don’t put a preservative in my cream?
You risk serious skin infections. We don’t mess around with that! Except in rare cases, recipes containing water or aqueous ingredients require a preservative.
Can I substitute ingredients with others?
Several ingredients are interchangeable in cream recipes, such as essential oils, which you can replace with others, as long as you follow the quantities and recommendations for those particular ingredients. The same goes for plant oils, plant butters, and hydrosols.
You can replace the Éco emulsifier with another emulsifying wax, but you cannot replace it with beeswax, soy wax, or another plant wax.
You can replace the Éco preservative with another broad-spectrum preservative.
It is up to you to ensure that the ingredients you use are compatible with emulsions and are appropriate for skincare.
I often see xanthan gum in cream recipes. Can I add more?
Yes! Gelling agents, such as xanthan gum, stabilize the emulsion, making the cream creamier and firmer. We use it at a ratio of 0.2%; it’s not much, but it’s enough! There are several ways to incorporate it into recipes, but we like to add it to the oil phase before heating it.
Can I make a cream without a mini-whisk or blender/precision scale/thermometer?
No! As in many disciplines, you must have the right tools if you want to get a good result. Moisturizing cream recipes require precision and accuracy.
How long does a cream last?
If you followed the recipe to the letter, your cream can last a good 6 months.
To give yourself the best chance, make sure to store it in a dry place, at room temperature, away from sunlight. You can opt for a pump container to reduce contact between your hands and the product. If you use a jar, you can scoop out the cream with a small spatula, or with hands that are thoroughly washed and dried.
How do I know if my cream is no longer good?
If your cream changes color, texture, or smell quickly, it is best to throw it away.
Do you see a small streak of oil on the surface of the cream? Don’t panic: stir it to mix it well. However, if you notice a layer of water at the bottom of the container, it means the emulsion failed and your cream is at risk of contamination. We recommend throwing it away.
Does the cream become “foamy” like whipped cream? Throw it out! If it develops black specks, throw it out! If it smells like an old sock, you guessed it… throw it out!
