*A balm to milk cleanser with jasmine wax for scent and radish powder for colour.*

Today’s blog post will be about a cleansing balm that turns into creamy milk when rinsed off.

In our private Facebook group we run a weekly Q&A where members can ask their formulating or business-related questions. One of those questions gave us the idea of making a cleansing balm.

The question was how we can incorporate SCI ( Sodium Cocoyl Isethoniate) surfactant to a balm since a balm has no water content.

Well let’s see, shall we?

What is a balm to milk cleanser?

It is an anhydrous balm with lipids, butters and waxes as a base. We will also be using emulsifiers and SCI powder, both of which will help us create a structure which can hold well in warmer weather but they also aid rinse off.

Cleansing balms and butters are fantastic since they often remove even waterproof make up. I think this kind of product has the “marmite” effect: either you love or you hate it. Some people, especially those with mature skin or dry skin, really enjoy using them as they leave their skin super soft. On the other hand, those with oilier or combination skin may find them a bit too heavy.

It is often said that these products cannot be fully removed. Usually, you’d apply the balm, massage it into the skin and remove it using a hot muslin cloth or towel. You can then use another cleanser or micellar water to remove the residue.

Well, if this solution is not for you, check out the formula below.

The idea

I wanted to make a simple product so I chose my oils that are amazing in cleansers. These are castor, apricot and camellia oleifera. I am unsure if I managed to make it simple enough so do let me know.:)

I found a jar of jasmine wax in my stash ( Who knew! I seriously need to tidy up) so I thought this would give a nice, subtle scent without the use of essential oils.

I added Durosoft® PG4L-SG (Polylglyceryl-4-laurate) and also TEGO® Care PSC 3 (Polyglyceryl-3 Dicitrate/Stearate), which are both oil in water emulsifiers. The first one is a liquid, the latter is in small pellets. These will ease rinse off but for extra cleansing power I also added a small amount of SCI powder. You may know SCI powder from solid shampoo bars. I can imagine the flakes can work well here although I haven’t tried that. These three ingredients will turn our balm into milk when it’s being rinsed off.

Now, about the colour. This is actually a small amount of radish powder. You can source this from Aromazone, France but I haven’t seen it anywhere else. They also sell elderberry and sweet potato powders too, so do give these oil-dispersible powders a go. The colour speaks for itself, right?

THE FORMULA

Ok, so now you are familiar with most of the ingredients, let’s talk about the structure. The waxy materials such as TEGO® Care PSC 3 will help achieve correct viscosity but I also added cera bellina (polyglycerol-3 beeswax). It is an amazing modified beeswax, it helps prevent butters going grainy and can thicken up our oils nicely. It also provides a lovely shine to our balm.

As always your choice will affect the formulation. If you keep the ratios and change the ingredients like for like, you can get a superb little product going.

HOW TO USE

Apply a grape-sized amount on the skin and massage it well to remove all grime and dirt. Wet your fingertips and continue massaging, you will see the jelly-like balm turning into a creamy milk. Rinse well with water and use your favourite toner after.

SOURCING

TEGO® Care PSC 3

UK: Fresholi

US: Try Olivem1000 instead

Durosoft® PG4L-SG

UK: Soapmakers Store

US: Try Creammaker fluid instead @ Making Cosmetics

Ecosilk

UK: Soapmakers Store

EU: Try Isoamyl Laurate instead @ Alexmo

US: Try Isoamyl Laurate instead @ Formulator Sample Shop

Radish plant pigment