Summer cream countdown in 3, 2, 1… Sun!
Greet the sun with this cream recipe!
Get ready! The sun is here, and it’s shining high and bright! But to enjoy it with an easy mind, a suitable product is needed… So we’ve come up with a special homemade cream for sunny days. It’s perfect for summer or vacations to sun-drenched places. All set yet? On your mark in 3, 2, 1… Sun!
This recipe for a sun-specific cream allows you to appreciate beautiful days outside without fear. Don’t hesitate to make several small bottles of it, so you can bring a conveniently sized container along with you wherever you go. On the beach, in the city, in the woods, or on your patio… This cream will be your best summer friend!
In developing this cream, we took our inspiration from sun protection products currently on the market. Our cream contains zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, two ingredients that are used in sunscreen recipes.
Are you ready? Then in 3, 2, 1… It’s sun!
How to make your own cream for the sun?
Before you begin
- A homemade sunscreen will never have a very high sun protection factor (an SPF over 20). To augment the SPF, one could theoretically increase the quantity of powders (oxides), but the final product would then be very thick and would leave an even whiter residue on the skin.
- We advise against modifying the ingredients or ratios in this cream recipe.
Ingredients
Aqueous phase
- 60 g (60%) demineralized water
- 0.2 g (0.2$) xanthan gum
Oil phase
- 6 g (6%) avocado oil
- 6 g (6%) caprylis oil
- 1 g (1%) sesame oil
- 3 g (3%) Olivem 1000
- 8 g (8%) zinc oxide
- 8 g (8%) titanium dioxide
Cooling phase
- 1 g (1%) carrot seed essential oil
- 5 g (5%) elderberry extract
- 1 g (1%) vitamin E
- 1 g (1%) wheat germ oil
Tools
- 2 small stainless steel bowls
- Components to make two double boilers
- Thermometer
- 1 mini silicone spatula
- 1 scale accurate to 0.1 g
- A few pipettes
- 2 ramekins
- 1 mini mixer with frothing attachment (the small wheel)
- 2 cosmo bottles (60 ml each)
Good to know!
- Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are known to be physical sun filters that reflect light. They are very common ingredients in commercial sunscreen recipes.
- Carrot seed essential oil is known to prepare skin for sun exposure.
Steps to follow
- Prepare and sterilize your equipment and workspace.
- Weigh the water in a small stainless steel bowl and warm on the first double boiler until it reaches a temperature of 70°C. Next, add the xanthan gum and disperse well with the mini mixer (using the frothing attachment).
- In a second small stainless steel bowl, weigh the oil phase ingredients with the exception of the zinc oxide and titanium oxide. Heat on the second double boiler until the mixture reaches 70°C.
- When the oils are hot, weigh the zinc oxide and titanium dioxide and add to the oils. Disperse well.
- When the two phases are between 70°C to 80°C, remove from the double-boiler and add the oil phase (oils/oxides) to the aqueous phase (water/xanthan gum). Emulsify using the frothing attachment of the mini mixer.
- Weigh the cooling phase ingredients in a ramekin. Add to the emulsion when it has cooled to a temperature of about 45°C.
- Mix well, then pour into the containers.
Conservation
Made in optimal sanitary conditions, your homemade cream for sunny days will keep at least three months.
4 Comments
BOGDAN DANA
Good Day,
I really agree with how good Olivem 1000 is in all sort of personal care products, I would have one question in relation to the Sunscreen formulation provided here: your approach is somewhat different to the way the mineral active ingredients ZnO and TiO2 are incorporated, as you add them to the oil phase which is subsequently stirred into the aqueous phase. Do you get good dispersion and long term stability without using a proper wetting and dispersing agent for the 16% by weight on total powders?
Normally one would formulate the powders with a wetting and dispersing agent like PHSA into the aqueous phase first and then add the oils phase and the stability additives. PHSA seems to be a bit scarce and expensive though, that is why I was asking if your formulation is well dispersed, stable and effective without having a wetting and dispersing agent as such for the ZnO and TiO2.
Thanks,
Bogdan Dana
COCOÉCO
Hello Dana,
Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are both miscible with oily and aqueous ingredients. So there is no problem here! This recipe was formulated by a chemist specializing in cosmetic formulation. It was also tested for many weeks before it went live. Note that, as written at the end of the recipe, this product will keep for about 3 months.
In addition, our blog and its recipes are not made for commercial but for recreational use: so that everyone can make their daily products, from home.
BOGDAN DANA
Good Day,
My name is Bogdan, Dana is the surname, not that it matters too much here.
I was right, that is why you do not get any long term stability and the product is susceptible to pigment/filler precipitation. I am a PhD Chemist, I used to work for Tronox, so dispersing pigments and fillers is a good topic for me. Without PHSA the pigment and the filler will not be properly dispersed and stabilized hence poor stability. The one who designed the formulation either did it on the cheap or did not know much about solids in emulsions/dispersions. These powders are only to be dispersed in the water phase and not in the organic phase, sorry to seem critical. What this formulation does is only provide a mechanical dispersion of the powders in the oils phase with hardly any subsequent stability. PHSA is not very expensive on overall in the formulation, 3-5% on the powders by weight is enough but the powders can only be dispersed in the water phase. Sorry if I seem critical about it.
COCOÉCO
Hello,
Thank you for your message. We don’t sell PHSA, and we only use our products in our recipes. Also, since it’s a homemade product (our customers are making their products in their kitchen for example, so we have to create the recipes under the same conditions), this cream (like all the other one we have on our blog) can keep for 3 months max. That’s something we explain here : https://cocoblog.ca/en/how-disinfect-diy-equipment-container/
We have professional chemists in our R&D department, but it’s always a pleasure to learn about other experiences.
Have a nice day.