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Here at Aromantic, we strive to offer as much support to our customers as we can. However, due to an increase of queries and based on the number of staff that we have, we may not be able to offer detailed responses relating to raw material performance and formulations as we have previously done. Please see below a list of frequently asked questions and don't forget to check out individual product pages to look for more specific information regarding usage and formulation.
You'll almost always see Aromantic's recipes expressed with percentages as opposed to ml or grams. This is because we feel it's the easiest and most precise way to write a recipe that works for any quantity, whether you're making 100ml or 25kg of a product! But how do you calculate it?
It's quite simple really - it's all about weight. A set of precise weighing scales is essential for this, especially when dealing with smaller quantities. If you're making 100g/ml of a product, 1% = 1g
If you're making 25kg of a product, 1% = 250gIn both instances above, the final product will be identical. At Aromantic, whenever we make products, whether they be for resale, on our courses, or in-house to test out recipes, we always weigh every single ingredient - including water - as it allows for the most accuracy.
Working in percentages is important when it comes to sensitive ingredients such as preservatives or essential oils. In some instances, you shouldn't use more than X amount of an ingredient in a final product - this amount will be a percentage of the total ingredients, so working in percentages means that you'll never accidentally use too much or too little of a product.
You can add a little less water or a little more depending on whether your cream is too thick or too runny. If you want to make a lighter cream you can try blending it with an electric mixer but be careful not to introduce air bubbles to your cream. You could also add some Aloe Vera Gel to your cream, which makes it fluffy and has a very nice feeling on the skin. Sprinkling up to 0.5% Xanthan Gum over the cream and using a hand blender to mix it in, will make it thicker.
Again you can add more water to your gel if your gel is too thick. If it is too runny then add some more Xanthan Gum but do it little by little until you get the desired consistency because if you add too much at once you risk making it too thick.
Yes it is. Many oils will solidify or crystallise at room temperature or cooler and as the temperature rises they will become more liquid and runny. If your oil is too thick to come out of the bottle you can simply heat up the bottle slightly and the oil will melt and pour easily. The most common oils that will solidify in a fridge or at low room temperatures are olive, jojoba, papaya seed, (all three contain high quantities of oleic acid) macadamia, moringa, sesame, neem, etc. Generally, the higher the quantities of saturated fatty acids in the oil, the more likely it is to solidify or thicken. To learn more you could purchase Unlocking the Powerful & Rejuvenation Benefits of Vegetable Oils.
All raw materials used in making finished cosmetics should be with the BBD/expiry date. Best before dates are an indication of how long the product is guaranteed to remain in good condition subject to proper storage and handling. It is worth noting that if you are using shorter date ingredients to make a product containing a preservative, it will still have a normal shelf life of one and half to two years thanks to the addition of the preservative.
As a general rule, the shelf life will be as long as the shortest BBD of the ingredients used in the product you are making.
The sell by date or best before date for your finished products starts from the day you make it.
Using preservatives correctly, you should be able to expect an 18 month shelf life for most things so we usually suggest putting in a 12 month date as that then gives the customer who opens on the very last day, 6 months in which to use it.
It is a very, very wide safety margin.
The reason we don't use ml's or drops is for accuracy and safety. Drop sizes can vary according to the dropper size so suggesting a number of drops could mean lots more of an ingredient is used that is either necessary or safe. Measuring very small amounts in mls is also difficult. Some ingredients, for example Vitamin A, have very strict limits so it is important to get used to working out percentages and weighing everything.
When working in percentages, remember that your recipe will always need to add up to 100% whatever amount you use.
