using borax...

[Guest guest]

I've used the borax/beeswax combo as an emulsifier and have found that

it breaks down much more quickly than using more standard emulsifying

agents like Emulsifying Wax NF.

Also, be aware of your federal regs concerning the use of borax

(sodium borate) in cosmetics. In Canada, it is against the rules to

use more than 5% sodium borate in a cosmetic product, and anything

containing more than 0.1% sodium borate (when used as a pH modifier)

must be labelled with a warning not to use on broken or abraded skin

and not to use on children under three, etc.

Don't know 'bout y'all, but I think that warning label would kill any

sales I had of that product!

It's not specifically prohibited by the FDA in the US, but given that

the CIR recommended that 5% guideline, using sodium borate might be

asking for trouble in the US too...

Maybe one of the Americans can correct me on this, but I seem to

recall that the FDA assumes that manufacturers know their ingredients

well enough to know what constitutes a safe level of an ingredient,

and using an unsafe level could be seen as a no-no by the FDA.

The CIR is the Cosmetics Ingredient Review, an independent group of

industry experts who review cosmetic ingredients for their safety.

I've decided that even though none of my recipes that used borax went

over that 0.1% line, let alone the 5%, I won't use borax any longer.

Unfortunately, my favourite bath bomb recipe used a teeny pinch of

borax to slightly emulsify the oils and liquid, so if I ever go back

into production mode (which is seeming more and more unlikely!) I'll

have to find a new binding agent! PEG-150 anyone? *grin*

Jules in Vancouver

(who, as always, should be doing homework or housework or working late

at the office...)