Formulating Facial Cleansers: Oil-Based, Gel, Bi-Phase, Foaming & a Micellar Water [Includes DIY Recipes]
Formulating facial cleansers is as exciting as it is fun. There are many different ‘versions’ of a cleanser and it is up to what it is you’re looking your product to do and feel like that will determine which one is best for what your purpose is.
Facial cleansers are formulated differently, and in this post we’ll look at the following cleansers:
- Oil-based cleansers
- Gel cleansers
- Bi-Phase cleansers
- Foaming cleansers
- Micellar water
Each cleanser features a recipe so you can replicate it at home. Before going through each facial cleanser format there’s a couple of things I’d like to cover.
On Disinfecting Equipment
Make sure to disinfect equipment prior to making your cleansers. To disinfect spray 70% alcohol over your beakers, rods, surfaces, etc and wipe with clean kitchen towels.
On Adjusting pH
Products that incorporate water and some form of surfactant (cleansing agent) will need to have their pH adjusted so it matches your skin. 4 of the recipes below use distilled water and/or hydrosols and also some form of natural surfactant so we will have to make sure we adjust the pH of these products. pH should be adjusted so it is compatible with our chosen preservative. For the below recipes I chose the preservative Leucidal as it is water soluble as well as natural. Leucidal works within a pH range of 3 to 8.
1. Oil-Based Cleansers
I’ve formulated cleansers many times (not thick or creamy cleansers) so I like to formulate a light version, which I emulsify. As a final step I like to add to my cleanser some moringa oil and bergamot essential oil as they’ve both great at removing dirt.
An oil-based cleanser though can be a lot thicker. You can have 50% butters and up to 50% oils (don’t forget your 0.05% to 1% Vitamin E as antioxidant (not more than 1%). For Vitamin E or Tocopherol [see here and here, point 4]). Note that it is not tocopheryl acetate, but tocopherol. For the difference between the two click here.
An interesting option for a cream cleanser is one without water so you don’t have to worry about preserving it (just adding the Vitamin E or tocopherol to delay rancidity). A product without water is an “anhydrous” product, which means exactly that: without water!
A rich, creamy cleanser will remove dirt from your skin when you gently massage it. You can then use a warm cloth to remove the cleanser and the dirt ‘attached’ to it.
TIP: Remember not to use wet fingers when scooping out the product. In fact, I use a spatula (a wooden one for arts and crafts or waxing will do) with products I’ve packaged in a jar.
[DIY RECIPE/FORMULA]: Avocado Oil & Shea Butter Cleanser
– 50% Shea butter (I like unrefined but it does have a strong odour!)
– 49.5% Organic avocado oil (try to use an oil on the ‘heavier’ side so it stays on the skin and you can use it to drag the dirt)
– 0.5% Organic vitamin E – Tocopherol
**If you’re going to add essential oils you need to wait til the mix is below 35-40C (95-104F). Here’s a tool I love: a temperature gun! MAKE SURE YOU DON’T GO OVER 1% of the total for essential oils. Some people even recommend less, check this link and you’ll see 0.3% of the total.
You’ll need scales, glass bowl, beaker, jar, glass rod stirrers (you can use a spatula but I prefer to use the rods personally). In terms of the jars, I use these blue ones for my products but you’ll need to see how big/small you need the jar to be so please double check!)
Instructions
Weight the shea butter and add to the bowl. Mash with the back of a spoon (easier) until you feel it is nice and soft. Weigh the organic avocado oil in the beaker and then add to the bowl where you’ve ‘creamed’ the butter slowly, stirring to make sure they both blend nicely. When all is blended package into your lovely jar. After transferring to your jar, and DON’T forget to label it with the following information: date the product was made, and ingredients.
TIP: I don’t recommend you melt the shea butter as it can get grainy as it hardens. Here’s a link to avoid graininess, but to be honest shea butter is soft and you can just spend a little time just creaming it.
TIP: If you want your cleanser runnier, just add more oil and less butter. If you want it denser, just add more butter and less oil. Have fun experimenting!
How to Apply
Give the skin a good massage using the product so it can penetrate into the deeper layers. To remove the product use a hot muslin.
WATCH OUT: Some people are allergic to certain ingredients. Please apply a little bit of product on your forearm and wait 24 hours. If there’s no reaction, you can use the product.
2. Gel Cleanser
I expect people with oily skin to prefer a cleanser in the form of gel as opposed to a cream cleanser that can be packed with oil (as per the example above). It is also good for those with sensitive skin.
Gel cleansers can also contain lots of really good ingredients for you that would need a water-based product to be mixed with. To gel the product, we need to use some sort of gum although I particularly like the gel look, feel and viscosity carbomers add. The problem with carbomer is that it can deactivate with ingredients that contain electrolytes, for example aloe vera juice or green tea extract (I’ve had my disaster moments with this : ( ). So we’re going to stick with gums instead. Find here a list of natural gums, by the way (xantham gum is a popular gum and it is recommended here as it is an easy gum to work with, especially if you’re a beginner).
For cleansers in the form of a gel you need to mix the following type of ingredients:
– Water (distilled water) or hydrosols (different to flower or floral waters, see here) up to 80/90% (preferably to buy smaller bottles of distilled water as when you open the bottle the water can get contaminated after a while and you would have to boil it at 100°C/212°F)
– Glycerin (vegetable glycerin) up to 5/10% (the greasier the skin the less glycerin you want to add)
– Some type of gum like xantham gum up to 0.5/2% (the idea is to keep it as low as possible as gums can leave a particular feel on the skin).
– Essential oil if you like, not compulsory; up to 1% (facial products should not have more than 1% essential oils)
– Preservative (the product contains water so you need to preserve it!) at around 1%. (Please check with your supplier recommended usage rates).
You can also boost your product with botanical extracts (up to 5%). Make sure they’re water soluble, of course. But do think about this carefully as extracts can be a little on the expensive side and your product will not stay on the skin so they might not make a difference in the end. Keep it simple!
Find below the DIY recipe but remember practice makes perfect. You might not get it perfectly right the first time, just keep practising. Don’t make big amounts (70 to 100ml) and experiment.
[DIY RECIPE/FORMULA]: Organic Rose and Lavender Gel Cleanser
We’re adding a surfactant here (coco glucoside) which is fantastic for making cleansing products that can lather. More on coco glucoside here. More on surfactants here.
– 44% Organic rose hydrosol
– 43 % Lavender hydrosol
– 5% Vegetable glycerin (2.5% if oily skin)
– 5% Coco glucoside (surfactant)
– 1% Xantham gum
– 2% Leucidal (natural preservative)
You’ll need need scales, glass bowl, beaker, pump dispenser, glass rod stirrers (you can use a spatula but I prefer to use the glass rods)
If pH needs adjusting you’ll need: pH strips, distilled water, lactic acid or citric acid (if pH needs lowering), sodium bicarbonate (if pH needs raising) and plastic pipette droppers.
TIP: As this is a rinse-off product you can replace one or both of the hydrosols for distilled water (less expensive).
Instructions
First mix the organic rose hydrosol and the lavender hydrosol in a beaker.
Then, in a plastic bowl mix your xantham gum together with your glycerin til a paste is formed.
Now add your xantham gum/glycerin paste to your hydrosol and stir. (important to do it this way around to create a smooth blend). The gum will hydrate and thicken. Still, leave for a couple of minutes as it might thicken a bit more.
Measure the coco glucoside in a beaker and add to your hydrosol/gum mix. Do stir gently but make sure you stir well.
At this point you’ll need to check the pH of your product (see below).
Now add your preservative and stir well to make sure it disperses evenly.
Time to check the pH of your product again! (and repeat pH adjusting steps if necessary).
Transfer to your pump dispenser.
Label (date the product was made, preservative used and ingredients)
Adjusting pH
The end product should have a pH in between 4.5 and 5.5. If you need to adjust the pH you’ll need lactic acid or citric acid to lower it or sodium bicarbonate to raise it. Also plastic pipette droppers to add your pH adjuster is advisable (as opposed to just pouring the liquid in).
To lower your pH: If you need to lower your pH just add drops of lactic acid (start with one or two drops, check pH with your strips, keep adding drops and checking pH as needed til achieving desired pH) or you can also use citric acid powder which you would have to mix with some distilled water and then adjust by adding drops to your product (start with one or two drops, check pH with your strips, keep adding drops and checking pH as needed til achieving desired pH).
To raise your pH: If you ned to raise the pH of your product mix some sodium bicarbonate with a little distilled water and add to your product, (start with one or two drops, check pH with your strips, keep adding drops and checking pH as needed til achieving desired pH).
How to Apply
Apply, massage and rinse.
WATCH OUT: Some people are allergic to certain ingredients. Please apply a little bit of product on your forearm and wait 24 hours. If there’s no reaction, you can use the product.
3. Bi-Phase Facial Cleanser
The bi-phase facial cleansers mixes oils and water (our first cleanser was oil based and the second was water based, this one will be a mix of both). They can make fantastic make-up removers because make up and build up of dirt on the facial skin is water-based and oil-based.
Bi-phase facial cleansers have the oil ‘part’ sit on top of the water ‘part’ as they have different gravities. In my opinion a bi-phase cleanser is quite a stunning product and I never get tired of watching how the oil, eventually, always ends up sitting at the top. You have to shake this product in order to mix both elements prior to use it but this is also a process I enjoy as part of the product experience.
The amounts used are 50% oil-based ingredients:
– Your chosen carrier oils
– Your chosen essential oils
– Vitamin E (antioxidant)
and 50% water-based ingredients:
– Distilled water and/or hydrosols
– Vegetable glycerin (humectant)
– Optional: plant based extracts
– Optional: salt to accelerate separation
– Your chosen preservative (final pH depends on your preservative, please consult with your supplier).
**You’ll need a preservative because even though the oil sits at the top and prevents air from going in, some nasties can grow even when there’s no oxygen.
**My formula below doesn’t include salt. If you wanted to add the salt, make sure you add it at 1% and remove that 1% from the water phase (from either the water or hydrosol).
The bi-phase facial cleanser I make is simply wonderful. My partner Lynn loves it and I can attest she’s not really easy to please when it comes to cosmetics. She told me it is the best make-up cleanser she’s ever had (and she’s used many, many, many cleansers in the past!). I believe her : )
[DIY RECIPE/FORMULA]: Jojoba & Lavender Bi-Phase Facial Cleanser/Make-Up Remover
This is the formula I make at home and I LOVE it.
Oil-based ingredients:
– 25% Fracionated coconut oil (it doesn’t solidify at room temperature. More on it here)
– 12% Sweet almond oil (great emollient)
– 8% Jojoba oil (similar to our skin sebum)
– 4.5% Castor oil (great at removing dirt)
– 0.5% Organic vitamin E – Tocopherol
Water-based ingredients:
– 25% Distilled water (or replace with distilled water since this is a rinse-off product)
– 25% Lavender hydrosol (or replace with distilled water since this is a rinse-off product)
– 5% Decyl Glucoside (coconut derived cleansing agent, good for building up a little foam)
– 2% Leucidal (natural preservative)
You’ll need need scales, beakers, flip cap clear bottles, glass rod stirrers (you can use a spatula but I prefer to use the glass rods).
If pH needs adjusting you’ll need: pH strips, distilled water, lactic acid or citric acid (if pH needs lowering), sodium bicarbonate (if pH needs raising) and plastic pipette droppers.
TIP: As this is a rinse-off product you can replace one of the hydrosols for distilled water (less expensive).
Instructions
Mix all oil-based ingredients in a beaker. Mix all water-based ingredients in another beaker. Pour water-based mix into oil-based mix. Stir. Check pH and adjust with drops of the lactic acid (you might find that anything between 2 to 4 drops is enough if you’re making, let’s say, 100ml of product – this is just to give you an idea). Transfer to your bottle and label (date the product was made, preservative used and ingredients)
Adjusting pH
We’re looking for an end product with a pH of 6 so it can be used around the eye area as well.
If you need to adjust the pH you’ll need lactic acid or citric acid to lower it or sodium bicarbonate to raise it. Also plastic pipette droppers to add your pH adjuster is advisable (as opposed to just pouring the liquid in).
To lower your pH: If you need to lower your pH just add drops of lactic acid (start with one or two drops, check pH with your strips, keep adding drops and checking pH as needed til achieving desired pH) or you can also use citric acid powder which you would have to mix with some distilled water and then adjust by adding drops to your product (start with one or two drops, check pH with your strips, keep adding drops and checking pH as needed til achieving desired pH).
To raise your pH: If you ned to raise the pH of your product mix some sodium bicarbonate with a little distilled water and add to your product, (start with one or two drops, check pH with your strips, keep adding drops and checking pH as needed til achieving desired pH).
How to Use
Make sure to shake the product to activate it by mixing water-based and oil-based ingredients. Once mixed, apply to a cotton wool and gently wipe the dirt from your face.
WATCH OUT: Some people are allergic to certain ingredients. Please apply a little bit of product on your forearm and wait 24 hours. If there’s no reaction, you can use the product.
4. Foaming Cleansers
Foaming cleansers are light and lovely on the skin. These types of cleansers are similar to n.2 above (gel cleansers) but they are dispensed as foam with the aid of foamer bottle dispensers (the air mixed with the liquid creates the foam).
For this product we’ll need distilled water, glycerin, the surfactant and, of course, the preservative since the product contains water.
As you can see the basic formulation is simple!
[DIY RECIPE/FORMULA]: Chamomile Foam Cleanser
– 44% Chamomile hydrosol (or replace with distilled water since this is a rinse-off product)
– 44% Distilled water
– 10% Coco glucoside (surfactant)
– 2% Leucidal (natural preservative)
You’ll need need scales, beakers, foamer bottle dispensers, glass rod stirrers (you can use a spatula but I prefer to use the glass rods).
If pH needs adjusting you’ll need: pH strips, distilled water, lactic acid or citric acid (if pH needs lowering), sodium bicarbonate (if pH needs raising) and plastic pipette droppers.
TIP: You can replace the chamomile hydrosol for distilled water since this is a rinse-off product.
Instructions
First, measure the distilled water and glycerin in a beaker and mix.
Add the coco glucoside to a different beaker to measure it and then add to the mix above (distilled water and glycerin). STIR GENTLY as not to create foam!
Check the pH of the mix to make sure it is compatible with the preservative. Time to add the preservative to the mix.
Place the product in your foam bottle dispenser and make sure you label with all the info you need (date the product was made, preservative used and ingredients)
Adjusting pH
The end product should have a pH in between 4.5 and 5.5. If you need to adjust the pH you’ll need lactic acid or citric acid to lower it or sodium bicarbonate to raise it. Also plastic pipette droppers to add your pH adjuster is advisable (as opposed to just pouring the liquid in).
To lower your pH: If you need to lower your pH just add drops of lactic acid (start with one or two drops, check pH with your strips, keep adding drops and checking pH as needed til achieving desired pH) or you can also use citric acid powder which you would have to mix with some distilled water and then adjust by adding drops to your product (start with one or two drops, check pH with your strips, keep adding drops and checking pH as needed til achieving desired pH).
To raise your pH: If you ned to raise the pH of your product mix some sodium bicarbonate with a little distilled water and add to your product, (start with one or two drops, check pH with your strips, keep adding drops and checking pH as needed til achieving desired pH).
How to Apply
Pump foam out and massage into your skin. Rinse.
WATCH OUT: Some people are allergic to certain ingredients. Please apply a little bit of product on your forearm and wait 24 hours. If there’s no reaction, you can use the product.
5. Micellar Water
Very popular in the last years, micellar water also contains surfactant in it (a cleansing agent that lather or foams).
Micellar waters consist of distilled water and/or hydrosols, botanical extracts (optional), humectant (i.e. vegetable glycerin), surfactant (cleansing agent) and a preservative since the product contains water.
Micellar waters are multifunctional cleansers because they not only cleanse but also tone and moisturise.
[DIY RECIPE/FORMULA]: Rose & Geranium Micellar Water
– 35% Organic rose hydrosol
– 30% Orange blossom hydrosol
– 25% Geranium hydrosol
– 3% Vegetable glycerin
– 5% Cocamidopropyl betaine (surfactant)
– 2% Leucidal (natural preservative)
You’ll need need scales, beakers, spray bottle, glass rod stirrers (you can use a spatula but I prefer to use the glass rods).
If pH needs adjusting (instructions below) you’ll need: pH strips, distilled water, citric acid, sodium bicarbonate, plastic pipette droppers.
Instructions
First mix the 3 hydrosols in a beaker.
Next add the vegetable glycerine and stir.
Now add the surfactant and stir without creating foam (stir gently).
Finally, add the preservative to the mix.
Adjust pH (see below).
Transfer to your spray bottle and label (date the product was made, preservative used and ingredients).
Adjusting pH
The end product should have a pH in between 4.5 and 5.5. If you need to adjust the pH you’ll need lactic acid or citric acid to lower it or sodium bicarbonate to raise it. Also plastic pipette droppers to add your pH adjuster is advisable (as opposed to just pouring the liquid in).
To lower your pH: If you need to lower your pH just add drops of lactic acid (start with one or two drops, check pH with your strips, keep adding drops and checking pH as needed til achieving desired pH) or you can also use citric acid powder which you would have to mix with some distilled water and then adjust by adding drops to your product (start with one or two drops, check pH with your strips, keep adding drops and checking pH as needed til achieving desired pH).
To raise your pH: If you ned to raise the pH of your product mix some sodium bicarbonate with a little distilled water and add to your product, (start with one or two drops, check pH with your strips, keep adding drops and checking pH as needed til achieving desired pH).
How to Apply
Spritz onto cotton wool and sweep across face. Rinsing not necessary.
WATCH OUT: Some people are allergic to certain ingredients. Please apply a little bit of product on your forearm and wait 24 hours. If there’s no reaction, you can use the product.
That’s it. I hope you’ve enjoyed this post and that you get to make some of the above formulas.
