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Formulating a Simple Face Moisturizer

Today we are going back to the beginning. So for all you beginners out there this is the perfect post to understand how to make a simple face moisturizer. I am going to go into detail about what ingredients are necessary for a moisturizer, other options for ingredients in moisturizers, and how to test different ingredients out in your moisturizer.

As most of us all know, every formula needs to be written in percents and add up to 100% A face moisturizer formula is no exception. A face moisturizer formula is also broken up into 3 parts, Water Phase, Oil Phase, & Cool Down Phase. A face moisturizer also consists primarily of water, sometimes oils (if you want oils in your moisturizer) and it has to have an emulsifier and thickener. (typically emulsifiers work as both thickeners and emulsifiers)


Let's first talk about the water phase. The phase will have the highest percentage because a face moisturizer primarily consists on water. The main "water" ingredient I will be using in this basic face moisturizer is distilled water. You could use Rose Water, Aloe Vera Liquid, or another hydrosol in place of the distilled water if you would like. Another ingredient that is great to add into the water phase are humectants. There are many different types of humectants, but the one we will be using in this formula is vegetable glycerin. It is very inexpensive, easy to get your hands on, & it only needs to be used at a small amount. It is a great idea to use humectants in a face moisturizer because they are a great way to add moisture to the skin without feeling sticky or heavy like how some oils can feel.


Other examples of humectants for the water phase;

  • 1,3 propanedial - adds moisture to the skin & can eliminate greasiness

  • hydrolyzed oat protein - will impart a soft, cushiony feel on the skin, drying to a velvety smoothness on the skin. Studies have shown that hydrolyzed oats retain significantly more moisture at all humidities, gaining up to 50% more moisture at relative low humidity when added moisture is most needed.

  • hydrolyzed wheat protein - it's anti-irritant and protective properties give skin a smoother, softer feel. Its film forming benefits help maintain an optimum moisture balance in the skin and hair

  • hydrolyzed rice protein - increases moisture retention creates a more hydrated and elastic surface. an effective anti-irritant and leaves a smooth, dry feel on the skin.

  • hydrolyzed baobab protein - defends skin against UV stress by limiting cellular photo-aging. It restores skin vitality by reducing DNA damage following UV exposure. It maintains healthy, supple skin with nourishing amino acids.

There are also a ton of other ingredients that could go in the water phase. Basically if an ingredient is water soluble and NOT heat sensitive it can go in your water phase. But please keep in mind that you can't just throw any ingredient into a face moisturizer you need to make sure it is compatible with your other ingredients. Always read the formulation guidelines of any new ingredient you work with.


Here are some examples of other ingredients you can add to your water phase.

  • Allantoin - has a moisturizing and keratolytic effect, increasing the water content of the extracellular matrix and enhancing the desquamation of upper layers of dead skin cells, increasing the smoothness of the skin; promoting cell proliferation and wound healing; and a soothing, anti-irritant, and skin protectant effect by forming complexes with irritants and sensitizing agents. It stimulates healthy, normal tissue formation even at low concentrations.

  • DL Panthenol - promotes stimulation of epithelization, granulation, mitigation of itching and has an anti-inflammatory effect. When used in formulations over the course of three to four weeks, it has the potential to improve the appearance of the skin, including dryness, roughness, scaling, pruritus and erythema. Further, its moisturizing properties improve stratum corneum hydration, reducing transepidermal water loss and maintaining skin elasticity and softness.

  • Niacinamide - nonirritating cosmeceutical ingredient which research shows can offer a number of benefits in improving the appearance of aged and photodamaged skin and improve skin moisturization.

Keep in mind this is only a very few examples of ingredients you can use in the water phase. There are an endless amount of ingredient you could use in the water phase when making a face moisturizer, these are just a few of my faves!

Here is what the water phase looks like so far for a basic face moisturizer;

  • 79.5% distilled water

  • 4% vegetable glycerin

Let's move on to the oil phase. The most important ingredient for the oil phase is your emulsifier/thickener. My favorite emulsifier combination for face moisturizers is emulsifying wax nf and cetyl alcohol. There are so many different emulsifiers out there. There is ritamulse scg, olivem 1000, stearic acid, btms 50 and so much more! I always recommend to test out different emulsifiers until you find the ones you like. This can take a little time. You will also want to test out your emulsifiers at different percentages until you find the consistency you like. So an easy way to do this is to just make a moisturizer with only distilled water and your emulsifier (obviously add a preservative) this way you can get a true feeling of what the emulsifier feels like on the skin. I truly think every emulsifier feels different for everyone so test different ones out and see what you like. Once you have an emulsifier combination you like it is time to test out different oils, because obviously, oils go in the oil phase. I personally really like jojoba oil, sweet almond oil, and sunflower oil. Every oil has a different absorption rate and feel on the skin. So test out different oils at different percentages in your moisturizer. It is also a good idea to test out the oils on your skin directly to see which you like. Typically if it feels good straight on the skin for you then chances are you will like it in a face moisturizer as well. I typically use an oil at about 10% in my moisturizers. You can always raise or lower the percentages if you would like, but I think 10% is a good place to start and you can raise or lower it from there.


Here is what my oil phase looks like for a basic face moisturizer;

  • 3% emulsifying wax nf

  • 3% cetyl alcohol

  • 10% oil

Now it is time to move on to the cool down ingredients. The main ingredient everyone needs to add into the cool down phase is a water soluble broad spectrum preservative. I am using liquid germall plus in this formulation, but you can use whatever you would like. Other examples of water soluble broad spectrum preservatives include, leucidal sf complete and optiphen plus. There are a ton of other ingredients you could add into the cool down phase as well. If an ingredient is heat sensitive then it goes in the cool down phase. Extracts are a very common ingredient we add in the cool down phase along with things like vitamin e, retinol, aha, and many others. Now please keep in mind that you can't just throw any ingredient into a face moisturizer you need to make sure it is compatible with your other ingredients. For example; if you add in an AHA it is going to dramatically drop the ph of your product down to about 2. This isn't going to work because that is just way to low of a ph, so you are going to have to balance the ph. Also some ingredients may not be compatible with the emulsifier you choose. So please just always be aware that you can't just mix things together and expect it to work, read the formulation guidelines of your ingredients to make sure you know how to use them and what they are compatible with. Anyways, since this is just a basic face moisturizer all I am adding into the cool down phase is a preservative.


This is what my cool down phase looks likes;

  • .5% liquid germall plus

Now lets put together the whole formulation so you can see what it looks like


water phase

  • 79.5% distilled water

  • 4% vegetable glycerin

oil phase

  • 3% emulsifying wax nf

  • 3% cetyl alcohol

  • 10% oil

cool down phase

  • .5% liquid germall plus

Now that we have put the formulation all together lets talk about how we actually mix them all together. First weigh out your water phase then weigh your oil phase in a separate beaker. Next take note of how much your water phase weighs (including the beaker) We are going to be heating up both of our phases and when you do this some of the water is going to evaporate so we will need to replace any water loss. After you have done that create a double boiler by filling a pan with about half an inch of water, place your beakers in, and cover with aluminum foil. Heat both your phases to 158 degrees fahrenheit and hold for 20 minutes. Then replace any water loss in your water phase, pour the water phase into the oil phase, and mix immediately with an immersion blender. Come back and mix it every couple minutes as it cools down. Eventually it will start to cool and thicken up and you will no longer have to mix with the immersion blender. Once the moisturizer has cooled and returned to room temperature it is time to add in your cool down ingredients. Mix in your cool down ingredients and you are done! Package up your moisturizer and BAM! You just made a very simple face moisturizer. Once you have experimented with different emulsifiers and oils you can start adding in extracts, vitamins, and other fun ingredients to make your own custom moisturizer.


Here is the exact recipe I used (makes 70 grams, roughly 2 ounces) This is also the perfect amount to experiment with.

water phase

  • distilled water - 55.6 grams

  • vegetable glycerin - 2.8 grams

oil phase

  • emulsifying wax nf - 2.1 grams

  • cetyl alcohol - 2.1 grams

  • oil - 7 grams

cool down phase

  • .5% liquid germall plus - .35 grams

Please keep in mind using emulsifying wax nf and cetyl alcohol both at only 3% makes a very thin moisturizer. If you want it thicker raise the percentage.







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