Food Ingredients Overview *** UNDER DEVELOPMENT *** Cosmetic Ingredients Overview The Recipes provided will serve as a guide for the usage of some of the ingredients and is not intended as a means for the commercial formulations of cosmetics. We encourage you to write to us and share your use of these ingredients for the benefit of the wider community. Nature Shop's intention is to provide information on how the ingredients it markets, has been used traditionally among Indians as well in more recent times among the wider community. Historically, the use of herbal ingredients such as turmeric- haridra, (curcuma long, linn), saffron, ,Mehendi (henna),Red Sandalwood (Santalum Album) etc. has been part of Indian history and detailed in its various ancient texts. It is only in recent times that a detailed study of these herbal ingredients has been made and has resulted in an upsurge in the number of herbal cosmetic formulations. Natural ingredients used in cosmetics can affect skin in different ways and may in some cases cause an allergic reaction. It is recommended that these products be trialed in small doses before any regular application. Nature Shop provides herbal extracts as a standardised easy to use ingredients. Most of the herbal ingredients are water soluble and hence can be added to soaps, shampoos, body lotions, skin creams etc. in a fixed proportion. As concentrated ingredients (measured as the herb ratio), only a small proportion need to be added to the formulation to achieve the same result as a larger quantity of the original herb. As extracts or powders, these ingredients do not need any special storage and do not contain any preservatives or anti-oxidants. Nature Shop's fruit extracts can serve as an alternative to the fruit juice or essence. These are concentrated natural fruit powders that are soluble in water (measured as a reconstitution ratio). These products do not need any special storage and have a shelf life of one year under proper storage conditions. Nature Shop's Gel's are based on Aloe Vera. Aloe Vera Gel in its natural form requires refrigeration to prevent bacterial infection and as a result it's use is extremely limited without the addition of preservatives. Nature Shop's Aleo Vera Gel contains Carbopol which is a preservative used to extend the shelf life and contains no perfumes or colour. This preservative is commonly used in a number of cosmetic and pharmaceutical products. The Gel is used as a base for a number of skin care or hair gel cosmetics. Alternatively, water soluble Aloe Vera extract powder is also available for recipes that require this ingredient. Nature Shop's essential oils are primarily tropical spice oils of a food grade quality. Oils of a identical raw material, for example ginger vary based on it's origin , method of cultivation etc. and all these factors is what dictates the price. A simple measure of the quality of the oil is in it's olfactory notes or simply put the intensity of it's aroma/smell. My suggestion is to try Nature Shop's oils and then determine for yourself ...as you will not be disappointed. Nature Shop's natural colours are concentrated food grade colours. Colour's are measured by various means such as colour value or optical density etc. . The higher the scale the more intense the colour and a smaller quantity is needed to produce the desired hue. Our colours come in oil and water soluble forms and in some ranges of a very high colour value. One possible use of dry ingredient cosmetic powders is to make custom formulated cosmetic packs similar to food ingredient pre-packs such as "Thai Green curry mix" etc., found in a super market. Your customers could blend the ingredients with water or a juice for a single application of the cosmetic. The reduction in storage, packing and handling costs would make the such products cheaper and hence open new markets. We have a complete range of ingredients for many cosmetic formulations which are easy to use, have a long shelf life and most importantly of a very high quality. Try them ..and decide for yourself. !!
|
 |
 |