A preservative in these kind of extracts is a good idea always, as minimises the risks of microorganisms growing. I'm so looking forward to know about your experience... I'm really happy with this method, but you're a big expert and that's different. BTW, I've also used a 10% cucumber glycerine extract (I mean 10% glycerine and 90% water) as the only water phase in a summer cream and was fantastic!! I left the cucumber infusing 24h in the fridge, and after filtering thoroughly, I used the liquid extract as water phase.
MarÃa - Your summer cream sounds absolutely lovely! I really have to thank you. Imagine - I have made tinctures, infusions and decoctions for ages, but never ever made a glycerine extract. It's about time!
Tina CPH said…
I have to try this and I have too much glycering in my cupboard! Thanks Lise and MarÃa! I really like the summer cucumber cream as well MarÃa, that sounds just wonderful.
Hi ladies, I can tell you that this summer cream is one of the simplest I've made. I used the cucumber 10% extract, as above, as the only water phase, and used only jojoba and olive oil for the oli phase. No other additives or actives whatsoever. Just preservative. No fragrances or essential oils. It was super light and fresh, so summery! I used a 20% oil phase, so, 15% jojoba and 5% olive oil. This is my favourite for the hot Spanish summer and it goes very well for almost all skin types :)
My favourte emulsifier are the Olivem 1000 and glyceryl stearate SE, as they are simple to use and I can modify texture just by adding thickeners or other texture enhancers, like stearic acid, cetearyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, xantham gum, etc
So happy to see this!! I had seen Maria's comment couple weeks ago and just had to try even though I wasn't feeling 100% confident .. So I did it but went on family vacation right after so just got home I'm going to read this completely then check my experiment thank you to both of you girls!!
HI MarÃa - Oh yes, you and I both love Olivem 1000 and it sounds like we use the same emulsifiers - glyceryl stearate and cetearyl alcohol are staples in my stock.
Hi KMY - If you check back a few posts, I did an AB test using fresh cucumber juice - one with and one without peel. The peel of cucumber brings unwanted elements to the mix.
Hi Anon - This doesn't sound right-- do check that the glycerine you used is within date. Also, did you measure the ratio of cucumber to glycerine? Does your extract smell ok?
Hello Lise i love your blog a lot. I have been trying to make a skin product containing unrefined shea butter, any chance the cucumber glycerin would mix with the butter and if it doesn't, what do i do?
Hi Ifexki - Thanks for your kind words! If you want to mix an aqueous ingredient (the glycerine extract has water content) with anhydrous, you will need an emulsifier. Any time you add water to a product, you will also need to add a preservative. :)
Hello Lisa! Thank you for your wonderful experiments and tutorials! I want to make a hibiscus glycerite with dried flowers. Please guide to the ratio. Also do I need to rehydrate the flowers or can I use them in their dried form? Please help.
HI Jyoti - I think you would find my book about making glycerites very useful as it goes into details with calculation charts for all kinds of materials - both for self-preserving and glycerites with added preservative. As for using dried materials, you will get best results by adding a bit of water and this information is also included in the calculation charts in the book :)
Hi Lisa , I have started my journey in formulating natural skincare. Love your blogs and u inspire me so much. I have started making Glycerites and loving the process. Thank you so much .
Why on earth would you ever use Steric acid in anything it's a pesticide made from cotton seed oil. That's just crazy because your defeating everything your trying to accomplish.
I started researching into making glycerites. I see you have chosen to use benzyl alcohol. Can other preservatives be used as well? And what would be your advice or recommendation when looking for the right preservative for food based glycerites?
HI Unknown - yes other preservatives can be used -- you'll be wanting broad spectrum and it doesn't hurt to look to preservation systems commonly used for foods. :)
Hi Lisa. I just gave this ago (few minutes ago) based on your ratios, I just used cosgard (dehydroacetic acid, benzyl alcohol based) which I typically combine with sodium benzoate potassium sorbate water complex to give me wider pH range. I run out of my AZ cucumber extract, so I figured that it can't hurt to try this. Glycerin and cucumber are quite cheap after all. :) Btw, I made your rosemary tincture earlier, it's great!
Hey there Unknown -- Coolness! I hope it turns out beautifully! I have become quite a fan of the self-preserving glycerites and the cucumber one is a staple in my stockroom - I use it in so many things! Thanks so much for your kind comment.
Hi! I'm excited to try this. I am wondering if you strain the cucumber out after it's been in the glycerin for 1-2 weeks? Thanks for your support on this.
Hi Lisa - Im just about to make my first cucumber glycerite to add, when ready, to a chamomile eye gel (Im Formula Botanica student) You say to use a preservative and to store the finished product in a cool and I think dark place:) and it should be kept for up to 6 months... My question is is this 6 month use by date the same once added to a formula and another preservative added to that or will it be now extended? - Many thanks, Olivia
Hey there Olivia - The 6 month use by date is from the time you have made the glycerite. Some glycerites will last up to a year, but if you add a glycerite that is close to its use by date, you may be shortening the life of your cosmetic. Always best to use fresh ingredients that are well within date. I hope this helps :)
Anonymous said…
Please has anyone tried aloe vera glycerite? If I use the 50/50 ratio what about preservatives? I have preservative eco and dermosoft 1388 eco. How much can I use if using either of these.
Hi Unknown — If you visit my main site LisaLise.com you’ll find my e-book The Art of Making a Glycerites in the shop — it has calculation charts for using both fresh and dried plant materials - with preservatives or as self-preserving glycerites. :)
Hi All! Did you find the cucumber smell came out well in your cucumber glycerites? I tried a cucumber hydrosol in a water-based facial moisturizer gel formulation but I found the smell to be somewhat weak and the cucumber smell did not come through the way I was hoping. I made a cucumber glycerite yesterday hoping it will work better but I thought maybe I would ask here how everyone else's cucumber glycerite did with the cucumber smell? Did it come through pretty powerfully?
HI Anon-- my cucumber glycerites are always very fragrant. A key point to remember is to use very fresh, high quality produce. A glycerite generally smells just like the fresh raw material. The better quality in - the better quality out :)
I would love to know if it's possible to use Cottonwood oil as the preservative in this recipe. And if so, how much would I add and about how long would the final product last.
Hi Danae — While cottonwood has some great properties, it cannot be used as a preservative. You might consider doing a self preserving glycerite instead which would eliminate the need of a preservative. I wrote a book on how to make glycerites (both self preserving and with preservative). If you visit my website LisaLise.com and check for e-books you’ll find it ☺️ It’s called the Art of Making Glycerites for Cosmetics
I love this place. I also made a glycerite with cucumber and it comes out really good. But i don't know how to use it and when to put in formulation.i will like to know if it is use in the cool down stage or at the beginning. Thanks
Comments
I'm so looking forward to know about your experience...
I'm really happy with this method, but you're a big expert and that's different.
BTW, I've also used a 10% cucumber glycerine extract (I mean 10% glycerine and 90% water) as the only water phase in a summer cream and was fantastic!! I left the cucumber infusing 24h in the fridge, and after filtering thoroughly, I used the liquid extract as water phase.
I really like the summer cucumber cream as well MarÃa, that sounds just wonderful.
I can tell you that this summer cream is one of the simplest I've made. I used the cucumber 10% extract, as above, as the only water phase, and used only jojoba and olive oil for the oli phase. No other additives or actives whatsoever. Just preservative. No fragrances or essential oils. It was super light and fresh, so summery!
I used a 20% oil phase, so, 15% jojoba and 5% olive oil.
This is my favourite for the hot Spanish summer and it goes very well for almost all skin types :)
My favourte emulsifier are the Olivem 1000 and glyceryl stearate SE, as they are simple to use and I can modify texture just by adding thickeners or other texture enhancers, like stearic acid, cetearyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, xantham gum, etc
Thanks for sharing!
Can I put this in the fridge for the 1-2 weeks?
Thanks for the response. Not sure where I went wrong cos mine has a runnier consistency, nothing like the glycerin I began with...
As for using dried materials, you will get best results by adding a bit of water and this information is also included in the calculation charts in the book :)
I started researching into making glycerites. I see you have chosen to use benzyl alcohol. Can other preservatives be used as well? And what would be your advice or recommendation when looking for the right preservative for food based glycerites?
Btw, I made your rosemary tincture earlier, it's great!
I love this place. I also made a glycerite with cucumber and it comes out really good. But i don't know how to use it and when to put in formulation.i will like to know if it is use in the cool down stage or at the beginning. Thanks
Conny