**Today we're making one of my current favorite skin care products.**

*This formulation is easy to put together & simple to customize to your liking*

Easy Facial Serum Formulation

This post may contain links but they are not affiliate links. I am not in any sort of affiliate program at this time. They are links to things I actually use

Today we’re going to be making a simple, almost 100% natural facial serum. I don’t know about you but if I can make it myself, while having complete control & freedom over the ingredients used I’d rather just make it myself.

I used to find gel type formulations to be a bit intimidating but I assure you I was making things more difficult than they need to be. What can I say, I like to keep things interesting for myself.

We are going to need to make a slurry as the base for this gel-like serum. You may notice when you make this serum that it has an almost hazy appearance but once the gum we’re using has fully hydrated, after approximately 24 hours, it will clear up a bit.

Image on the left of the serum I took as soon as it was mixed up. Image on the right is after 24 hours & the gum has fully hydrated.

This serum is not going to be crystal clear in appearance, this is partly due to the extract chosen & the gum used.

The Ingredients

Propanediol 1,3

INCI: Propanediol
Natural ingredient derived from corn sugar fermentation. It can also be created synthetically
When naturally derived it is Ecocert & NPA (natural products association) approval
Considered to be a natural alternative to propylene glycol
Humectant, emollient & skin penetration enhancer helping to improve skin moisturization
Can reduce moisture loss
Colorless & odorless liquid
Unlikely to cause skin sensitivity
Helps to dissolve other ingredients in the formulation
Boosts preservative efficacy but it is not a preservative

Vegetable glycerin USP/BP

INCI: Glycerine
Natural ingredient derived from oils & fats from vegetables
Exists as a refined product
Colorless & odorless liquid
Non-comedogenic & won’t clog your pores
You can also get glycerin from animal sources so make sure yours is vegetable based
Humectant helping to draw & retain moisture into the skin
Supports the skin's barrier function
Soothes inflammation
USP grade means its approved for Food & Beverage applications. BP (British Pharmacopoeia) grade means its pharmaceutical grade. Make sure your vegetable glycerin has these certifications

Liquid Germall Plus

INCI: Propylene Glycol & Diazolidinyl Urea & 3-Iodo-2-Propynyl Butyl Carbamate
Recommended usage levels: 0.1-0.5%. Be sure to stick to the higher end of this recommendation unless you are able to send your products for formal PET (preservative efficacy test) testing.
Preservative system
Not considered natural
Effective, ready-to-use, broad-spectrum preservative system for personal care formulations. It protects against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, yeast, and mold.

I know there has been some concern about using preservatives & many blog style DIYers like myself even go so far as to suggest skipping the preservative all together. I’m not here to present you with more fear mongering & dangerous information.

This formulation contains a fairly large water portion, 58.25% to be exact. Water & water rich ingredients is exactly where bacteria, yeast & mold like to hang out.

The only time it is appropriate to skip on a preservative is if you are making anhydrous (waterless) formulations.

Here’s something you may not realize: natural does not equal safe. Without going to much into this, as the point of this blog post is about making a facial serum, it’s still something important to consider.

When a preservative, even one that is of synthetic nature is used in its recommended usage range it is completely safe. The cosmetic industry with all of its lovely raw ingredients is an industry that is constantly testing the safety & efficacy of its products. Unfortunately in the age of information we find ourselves in, there is some misinformation that can be found.

If you were to use an ingredient at 2 or 3 times the recommended amount & you got a reaction, can you really blame the ingredient?

If you don’t add a preservative, your creation becomes full of mold, bacteria & yeast, not all of which are even visible to the naked eye, you use it on the skin & get a reaction, how would you feel then? Would you be mad at the mold, bacteria or yeast for doing what they do best? Without the preservative which acts as a deterrent for these germs how would they know to not grow in your products?

I would personally rather add a bit of a synthetic ingredient if it means ensuring the efficacy & safety of anything I am going to be putting on my skin.

Even products made in the most sanitary of conditions can become contaminated later down the road.

The risk does not greater than the reward of a clean, safe cosmetic formulation

Just something to think about.

We don’t need to fear ingredients, especially when we can learn how to use them properly. This is your skin after all, it’s your biggest organ of defense.

Easy Facial Serum Formulation

**That is all of our ingredients that are going to go into phase A**

*Let’s now talk about the rest of our ingredients*

Sage hydrosol

INCI: Salvia Officinalis Water
Natural ingredient derived from the essential oil distillation process
Hold anti-inflammatory & soothing properties
Antioxidant rich & may help with preventing premature signs of aging
Helps control the production of sebum
Brightens the skin
It’s antiseptic properties can help the skin clean, purified & balanced
Suitable for most skin types including sensitive skin
Caution: this should be avoided by children under 6 years of age, pregnant people or those nursing as it contains something called ketones. It is also contraindicated if you have a history of cancerous, hormone-dependent or mastosis pathologies

Niacinamide powder (B3)

INCI: Niacinamide

Natural ingredient derived from plant based foods. It is derived from nicotinic acid, which is found in brewer's yeast & different types of cereals. In isolation a chemical reaction takes place & results in niacinamide
Active form of Vitamin B3
White crystalline powder
Helps visibly minimize enlarged pores as well as tighten lax or stretched out pores
Repairs signs of past skin damage
Soften fine lines & wrinkles
Diminish dullness & improves uneven skin tone
Strengthen the skin's barrier function against moisture loss & dehydration
Builds keratin which is one of the building blocks of the skin, hair & nails
Water soluble
Recommended usage: 1-6%

Panthenol (B5)

INCI: Panthenol and Water/Eau
Natural but cannot be guaranteed vegan. It is essentially the alcohol form of Vitamin B5
You may know this ingredient as pro-vitamin B5
Known for its moisturizing, protecting & healing properties
Helps to rehydrate & prevent water loss on dry or damaged skin
The liquid version is made from a 50% concentration of DL-Panthenol powder in water. If you only have the powder version use half the amount
Water soluble
Liquid form is heat sensitive
Recommended usage: 1-5%

Green tea extract

INCI: Glycerin (and) Water (and) Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract (and) Sodium Benzoate (and) Potassium Sorbate
Helps to reduce wrinkling, leathering & premature aging
Antioxidant rich containing polyphenols, called catechins, which are the active constituents in green tea. Catechins can help cool irritated skin, alleviate damage & improve elasticity
Helps in the synthesis of collagen helping improve skin firmness
Anti Inflammatory compounds
Disinfecting & toning effect upon the skin helping to reduce the appearance of the pores while inhibiting sebum production
Water soluble
Heat sensitive
Recommended usage: 0.5-5%

Lactic acid 88%

INCI: Lactic Acid

Naturally derived through the fermentation of carbohydrates
Alpha Hydroxyl Acid (AHA) meaning its particle size is small enough to penetrate the skin
Colorless syrupy liquid
Popular ingredient in anti aging skincare that helps fight the signs of aging. It is milder than glycolic acid
Helps to improve the feel & complexion of the skin by promoting smoother skin through the increase of the rate of cellular renewal & improve skin's texture & tone
Can be used as a natural pH adjuster
May help prevent acne
May help correct skin discoloration & hyperpigmentation
Boosts skin hydration
Soluble in water, alcohol & glycerol
Recommended usage rate: 1-5%
Caution: it is an acid, do use proper PPE (gloves) when handling this ingredient. AHA’s can increase the skins irritation & sun sensitivity at concentrations greater than 3% of the total formulation

Equipment:

70% alcohol to sanitize your equipment
Beakers to measure
Digital scale
Whisks
Spatula
Funnel for decanting
2 oz bottle
Disc cap
Treatment lid (I prefer this over a disc cap for ease of use & more control over the amount of product used)

Formulation- to make a 60g batch

Phase A: The Slurry

1% I 0.6g Propanediol 1,3

2% I 1.2g Glycerin

0.25% I 0.15g Xanthan Gum

0.50% I 0.30g Liquid Germall Plus

Phase B: Water Phase

5% I 3g Niacinamide

5% I 3g Panthenol Liquid

2% I 1.2g Green Tea Extract

1% I 0.6g Lactic Acid

25% I 15g Sage Hydrosol

58.75% I 34.95g Distilled Water

Instructions:

Weigh out phase A to make a slurry, allow to hydrate for at least 20 minutes. It will take approximately 24 hours for it to fully hydrate
Weigh out phase B & stir thoroughly to combine
Once the slurry has hydrated add to phase B & stir thoroughly to combine
Bottle & label with the date & ingredients used

To use:

Place a small amount between your hands & pat on to a clean face. Follow up with your preferred moisturizer or use it alone.

Substitutions & Possible Recommendations

If adding an essential oil, you will need to add polysorbate 20. The amount of polysorbate 20 needed will depend on the amount of essential oil you want to add. Always be sure when using essential oils to follow the IFRA recommended safe dermal amount.

You could switch out the green tea for a different water soluble extract
You could switch out the hydrosol for another hydrosol or a mixture of hydrosols. If there is an essential oil you would like to include but don’t want to add the polysorbate 20, consider finding the corresponding hydrosol & using that
You could skip the hydrosol & add more distilled water
You could use a different gelling agent, I haven’t tried it with another gelling agent so I’m not entirely confident it will be a 1-1 swap
If using powdered panthenol, you can cut the amount in half
You could add allantoin powder for additional skin enhancing benefits. Add at no more than 0.5% into phase B. Just remove the amount used from the distilled water so that it equals 100%. Then multiply the amount of allantoin used by 0.6 (that’s the size of bottle we’re using) to get the appropriate amount needed.

Comment down below & let me know what other skin care products are you interesting in making? I’d love to hear about it