Allantoin is a natural chemical compound that is produced by many organisms, including animals, bacteria and plants as well as chemically synthesized.

It is extracted from the roots and leaves of the comfrey plant which has long been used to expedite healing.

 

Skin Care Benefits

  • Soothing irritated skin
  • Stimulating cell regeneration
  • Moisturizing even the driest of skin

 

The moment I learnt about Allantoin  and the properties it brings to skincare products, I had taken to adding it into nearly all of my formulations especially due to its anti-irritant property. Allantoin is recommended to be used in skincare formulations by the FDA at about 0.1-2%.

However, due to all the lovely qualities mentioned above, I would usually incorporate it at about 2% in my recipes in the cool down phase. I noticed that most of my formulations with Allantoin would be very gritty and I had attributed it to the other powders that I usually add along with the Allantoin, not dissolving properly, but no matter how hard I tried, heat up the water before adding my Vitamin C powder and mixing well to dissolve etc.., the creams still end up gritty!. Never had it occurred to me that Allantoin could be the culprit….. Until I made a recipe which had no other powders in it apart from Allantoin at 2% cool down phase.

That was the moment I realised what the cause of the gritty creams was…. Allantoin!

I went ahead to research as I always do and I came up with the following about formulating skincare products with Allantoin.

  • Best used at below 0.5%, because at higher concentrations, it simply does not dissolve right and re-crystallizes to form those sharp grits that you can feel when you rub the cream on your skin.
  • Also, even though it is recommended to be added at cool down phase, it might be better to add to the heated water phase instead to ensure full dissolution of the power and prevent further recrystallization occurring.
  • Furthermore, it might be necessary to stir vigorously and thoroughly when formulating with allantoin to ensure proper suspension of the powder in the base.

 

 

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