How to Make Hand and Body Lotion?

Aim: To prepare, evaluate and submit hand and body lotion. 

Requirements: Beaker, Stirrer, water bath, and Storage bottle with a narrow mouth. 

Chemicals: Stearic Acid, Mineral oil, Glyceryl Monostearate, Isopropyl Myristate, Lanolin, Triethanolamine, Glycerin, Propylene glycol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Water, and Perfume. 

Formulation Consideration: The skin secretes a natural lubricant, sebum which keeps its surface soft, pliable, conditioned, and to some extent protected. When sebum is removed by washing or by immersion in soap or detergent solution, the skin becomes dry and scaly. Fissures appear on the skin surface giving access to bacteria. 

The moisture content of the skin surface is also important and sebum in addition to providing a fatty emollient layer may help in controlling the evaporation of moisture. To protect the skin from dryness, hand and body lotion is applied and is expected to fulfill the following functions: 

1. To provide a source of moisture readily available to the skin. 
2. To provide an oil film with protective properties not very dissimilar to those of sebum. 
3. To leave the hands feeling subjectively smooth and supple but not excessively greasy. 
4. To apply easily in a controllable manner. 
5. Most hand and body lotions are fluids in nature because they are applied to a larger area. 
6. It should be softening the hand. 

Lotions do not strictly come under the definition of creams, because it does not consist of two distinct phases. However, because of its physical form and its emollient function lotion can be included in creams. It is an oil-free lotion. 

The product can be improved as regards stickiness and emollient by substituting gum mucilage for further preparation of glycerin reducing the quantity of the latter to about 10% which is more easily tolerated and held to the skin. These are 4 materials used in successful hand creams i.e. stearic acid or stearate, emulsifier, poly, and water. If the product is to be a soap emulsion, then one of the alkalis can be used along with the stearic acid. 

Since hands are particularly vulnerable to cracking and splitting of skin, emollients, moisturizing agents, and healing agents such as Allantoin may be added. Two problems can occur in the formulation:

1. Lotions can exhibit gelling tendencies. 
2. Viscosity may be so low that it spills out of the container. 

The following precautions are to be taken to retard gelling. 

1. Excessive amounts of polyol fatty acid esters e.g. glyceryl monostearate or fatty alcohols Cetyl alcohol should not be used in the formulation. 
2. The dispersed wax phase should be plasticized with mineral oil; the concentration of the mineral oil should be up to 10%. 
3. A small amount of alkali solution (0.1-0.5% SLS) can be incorporated. 

Formula: 

Sr.No.	Ingredients	Quantity Given % w/w	Quantity Taken
1	Stearic Acid	2.4
2	Mineral oil	8
3	Glyceryl Monostearate	1.44
4	Isopropyl Myristate	2
5	Lanolin	1
6	Triethanolamine	0.2
7	Glycerin	4
8	Propylene glycol	4
9	Methylparaben	0.18
10	Propylparaben	0.02
11	Water	q.s. to 100
12	Perfume	q.s.

Procedure: 

1. Mix all oily ingredients in one beaker and aqueous phase ingredients in another beaker. 
2. Melt at 70°C, add aqueous phase to oily phase and stir. 
3. Add perfume at room temperature, make up the volume and pour into a suitable container and submit. 

Label: For external use only and avoid contact with eyes. 

Storage: Store in a cool and dry place. 

Packaging: Standard bottle with a narrow mouth. 

Use: Removes dirt and gems from body parts. 

Directions: Apply generously to the desired area and gently massage into the skin.

Evaluation Table: 

Sr.No.	Test	Observations
1	Appearance
2	pH
3	Fragrance
4	Texture
5	Nature of film
6	Type of Emulsion
7	Washability

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