https://cheatography.com///emmajane/cheat-sheets/ingredient-ratios-for-lotion-making/

Water-based Creams

Formulations in this column contain water.

Facial Lotion

Ratio	Ingredient
80%	Water
4%	Humectant
10%	Liquid Oil
0	Solid Oil (butter)
0	Wax
2%	Thickener
4%	Emulsifier

Hand Cream

Ratio	Ingredient
70%	Water
2%	Humectant
15%	Liquid Oil
5%	Solid Oil (butter)
0	Wax
2%	Thickener
6%	Emulsifier

Body Butter

Ratio	Ingredient
60%	Water
3%	Humectant
12%	Liquid Oil
15%	Solid Oil (butter)
0	Wax
3%	Thickener
7%	Emulsifier

Barrier Cream

Ratio	Ingredient
60%	Water
3%	Humectant
15%	Liquid Oil
5%	Solid Oil (butter)
5%	Wax
3%	Thickener
7%	Emulsifier

Anhydrous Products

Formulations without water ( anhydrous ).

Balm

Ratio	Ingredient
0	Water
0	Humectant
80%	Liquid Oil
0	Solid Oil (butter)
20%	Wax
0	Thickener
0	Emulsifier

Whipped Butter

Ratio	Ingredient
0	Water
0	Humectant
20%	Liquid Oil
80%	Solid Oil (butter)
0	Wax
0	Thickener
0	Emulsifier

Use a hand beater for a "fluffy" texture.

Solid "Lotion" Bar

Ratio	Ingredient
0	Water
0	Humectant
40%	Liquid Oil
35%	Solid Oil (butter)
25%	Wax
0	Thickener
0	Emulsifier

Use a paper-lined muffin tray as a mold.

Ingredient Notes

Humectants draw in water. e.g. glycerine, honey, lanolin.

You can mix within an ingredient category. e.g. 12% oil = 6% olive oil + 6% rice bran oil.

To change the consistency, alter the ratio of hard & liquid oils. e.g. body butter vs. barrier cream.

Wax = local beeswax.

Emulsifier = Emulsifying Wax NF.

Preservatives are highly recommended.

Your Recipe

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After adding each ingredient, add a tick mark beside its name and note how much you actually used. 1oz = 28g (ish).

Instructions

Weigh water and humectant in a heat-proof container.

Weight oil, butter, wax, emulsifier, thickener in a heat-proof container.

Set both containers into bath of hot water.

Heat to 70C. Hold at temp for 20 minutes.

Pour water into oil. Ensure container mouth is big enough for stick blender.

Blend with a hand blender or beater for at least 3 minutes.

Let cool to 40C.

Add essential oils and preservative.

Blend additional 3 minutes.

Pour completed lotion/salve into containers.

Helpful Hints

Print out this cheat sheet and circle the type of product you are making.

To make 200g of a product, multiply the % ratio by 2 for each ingredient. e.g. 10% x 2 = 20g.

Lotions will be approximately 1.25 larger than the weight in grams. For example: 100g will be about 125mL.

Created By

emmajane

Metadata

Languages: English

Published: 29th January, 2012
Last Updated: 11th May, 2016
Rated: 5 out of 5 stars based on 17 ratings

Favourited By

and 11 more ...

Comments

DaveChild, 08:19 30 Jan 12

What a great idea! When I saw "ingredients" I thought this would be cookery ... I still think it might be :)

SpaceDuck, 16:48 30 Jan 12

Amazing, I've always wanted to try this type of thing but have never managed to find such concise instructions before. Thanks

emmajane, 18:27 30 Jan 12

Warning: making lotion is about as addictive as making cheat sheets. ;)

PugMom77 08:20 2 Feb 13

Thank you for the great guide! What do you mean by "thickener"?

Megs 10:21 20 May 13

AWESOME information! This is absolutely great for me and my lotion making addiction!

Tami Hayes 15:01 13 Feb 14

Thanks for the great reference material!

Jo 11:27 3 Apr 14

What do you consider a thickener to be? Stearic acid?

manal 11:14 8 Sep 14

hi,i want names of thickening agent ,emulsifier,natural preservative

paul 08:29 9 Oct 14

can you please email me thickening agent.i am using guargum, is there any other thickening agent. thanks

Lucy 09:34 31 Oct 14

Does coconut oil count as a solid or liquid oil?

Beekercat 09:20 2 Jan 15

This is fabulous - exactly what I needed!

Christian 07:39 6 Feb 15

Thank you very much :) looking to diversify from my soapmaking. This will be a good start

Nicole 15:30 5 Mar 16

The first thing I notice, is that all the recipes were devoid of an emulsifying wax, with the exception of the lotion bar recipe. Was that on purpose? If so, what are you using for an emulsifier in these lotions, creams & butters? Thank You! : )

xtan170174, 20:33 15 Jan 17

Hi,

I'm looking to make a lotion and have the following ingredients I would like to blend to use in a 500ml spray bottle,
Vegetable glycerine
Propylene glycol
Azadirachtin
Tea tree and or bergamot essential oil

I'm hoping just stirring together will do and it is for skin treatment, where I have so far only really gleaned the neem oil should be proportionately between 1:10 - 1:20 parts and the essential oil[s] are just to mask it's aroma. Also that the best way to ensure it emulsifiers is to use a lotion rather than make one from scratch - so I'm looking for the best neutral base in that respect.

Can you help?

Look forward to hearing from you :)

xtan170174, 20:34 15 Jan 17

*emulsifies

Amina29, 20:58 10 Jan 18

Thank u dis was really helpful

Charann, 16:23 21 Jan 21

What are thickener?

EEM, 15:26 20 Apr 23

Hello Emmajane, I just love your cheat sheet for lotion making. I am a formulator and noticed that there is no preservative in lotions that contain water. Germs and bacteria thrive in water. So, when it comes to skincare, using a preservative isn't a bad thing, as preservatives are actually protecting us from the nasty germs, mould and bacteria that could grow in the product. You may want to change your cheat sheet and add a % for a preservative. Thanks

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