Intermediate
Creams & Lotions, Emulsions Explained
Understand oil and water phases, emulsifiers and preservation so your creams stay stable and safe.
18 lessons, about 4 hours
$99
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What's inside
01Emulsion Science6 lessons
- 1
What an emulsion is
Explain how an emulsion works and why it separates. You'll cover oil-in-water (lotions) vs water-in-oil (heavier creams) and why oil and water separate and what stabilises them.
9 min
- 2
The three phases
Identify the water, oil and cool-down phases in any formula.
10 min
- 3
Emulsifiers explained
Pick an emulsifier for your cream. You'll cover nature-derived options: Olivem 1000, glyceryl stearate with a co-emulsifier, polyglyceryl esters and how HLB (hydrophilic-lipophilic balance) matches oils to emulsifiers.
12 min
- 4
Stabilisers and thickeners
Control viscosity and feel. You'll cover fatty alcohols (cetyl alcohol 1 to 3%) add body and gums such as xanthan add water-phase thickness.
11 min
- 5
Equipment for emulsions
Equip a safe emulsion workspace. You'll cover stick blender vs mixer vs homogeniser and heat-safe glass beakers and a water bath.
10 min
- 6
Reading and writing formulas in percentages
Write formulas as percentages so you can scale any batch.
13 min
02Your First Creams6 lessons
- 7
Heating and holding
Heat and hold phases correctly. You'll cover heat both phases to 70 to 75 degrees C and hold 20 minutes to reduce microbes.
10 min
- 8
Make a basic face cream
Make a stable face cream. You'll cover example: water 70%, oil phase 22%, emulsifier 5%, humectant 2%, preservative 1% and blend 3 minutes, cool while stirring.
20 min
- 9
Make a light lotion
Make a pump-bottle lotion. You'll cover lower oil phase around 15% and use a gum for pump viscosity.
18 min
- 10
Make a rich night cream
Make a richer, butter-based cream. You'll cover butters and heavier oils up to 25% oil phase and add cetyl alcohol for glide.
18 min
- 11
Make a body lotion
Scale to a larger batch. You'll cover scale to 500 g and keep fragrance-free or follow safe EU fragrance limits.
16 min
- 12
Make a cleansing milk
Make a light cleansing emulsion. You'll cover light oil phase (10 to 15%) and check rinse-off performance.
14 min
03Preservation and Safety6 lessons
- 13
Why preservation is essential
Understand why preservation is required. You'll cover bacteria, yeast and mould in water-containing products and real risks: eye infections, skin infections.
11 min
- 14
Choosing a broad-spectrum preservative
Choose and dose a preservative. You'll cover check the EU Annex V list for permitted preservatives and maximum concentrations and match pH range and emulsifier compatibility.
14 min
- 15
Antioxidants and chelators
Slow rancidity. You'll cover vitamin E (tocopherol) at 0.5 to 1% in oils and rosemary extract as a supporting antioxidant.
9 min
- 16
Testing your own products
Run basic checks and know their limits. You'll cover home checks: smell, colour, texture, pH and what home checks cannot detect: contamination.
12 min
- 17
Labeling creams correctly
Label to EU rules. You'll cover INCI names, listed in descending order and batch number, best-before or PAO symbol.
11 min
- 18
Handling allergens and sensitivities
Reduce allergy risk. You'll cover common allergens: nut oils, beeswax, propolis, some essential oils and patch test protocol and record keeping.
10 min