MOISTURE CONTENT: it guides the analyst on the formulation, to check
the percentage water in the formulation the moisture content for lotion should
be 0.8 or below but if it exceeds 0.8 then the lotion is prone to bacteria
attack.
DETERMINATION OF MOISTURE CONTENT IN
LOTION
Aim:
to determine the moisture content of lotion
Apparatus:
laboratory oven, crucible, weighing balance, spatula.
Specimen:
lotion sample
Procedure:
1.
Take the weight
of the dry crucible
2.
put the
sample of the lotion in the crucible
3.
put the
crucible in the oven and set the power to medium heat
4.
set the time
to 200 seconds and press the start button
5.
after 200
seconds, remove the sample from the oven and allow to cool
6.
take the new
weight of the sample
7.
calculate the
percentage moisture thus:
weight of sample + crucible before drying – weight of
sample + crucible after drying
initial weight of sample
DETERMINATION
OF IMPURITIES IN LOTION
Aim: To determine the amount of impurities in a lotion
sample
Apparatus: centrifuge, volumetric flask
Specimen: lotion sample
Procedure:
1. Dissolve 10ml of the sample in 90ml of distilled water
2. Pour the solution into six test tubes and place
inside the centrifuge
3. set the power level of the centrifuge to medium and
allow for 2 minutes
4. Stop the
centrifuge and bring out the test tubes
5. Calculate the impurities thus:
Amount of impurities
Amount of the solutions in the test tubes
For
instance if two out of the six test tubes contain the impurities then the
impurities is 2/6 = 0.3
If
the percentage impurity is up to 0.5, it means that the next patch has to be
checked for where the impurity is entering from.
DETERMINATION OF REFRACTIVE INDEX
This
is the method usually used to check piracy and mineral oil content of the
lotion.
Aim:
To determine the refractive index of a lotion
Apparatus:
refractometer
Specimen:
lotion sample
Procedure:
1.
Put the lotion
sample in a beaker
2.
Open the
refractometer and immerse it partially into the sample
3.
view through the
screen and note the refractive index
N/B
the refractive index of lotion should be 15, if the refractive index is low it
may imply that the oil content of the lotion is low and if the refractive index
is high it may imply that the oil content of the lotion is high.
CONCLUSION
I
must say I am very glad to have gone through this whole exercise, though
stressful but is very thrilling to know
that the knowledge of chemistry and chemical reactions is not just a classroom
affair. It is fun to see how most compounds and elements (raw materials) can be
turned into natural products for everyday use.
Production
of cosmetics is a business that can be started with a little capital and does
not require much sophisticated machines/ equipments.
The
major equipments required for the production of cosmetics are:-
1.
Mixers:
There should be at least one mixer for each product. Low cost mixers are
constructed locally also there are high grade mixers with homogenizers and
electric motors
2.
Heating tanks: Most
raw materials for cosmetics such as waxes, cetyl alcohol, stearic acid etc must
be melted with heat.
3.
Filling Machine: These are simple low cost machines for pouring the finished product
into their containers in the absence of a filing machine the product can still
be poured using hand.
Qualify
control is another very important aspect of production as it is the section
that monitors the extent to which our products meet specification. Tests are
carried out one every product before they are sent to the market to ensure
customer satisfaction.
The student industrial work experience scheme is
compulsory for every student in the natural sciences, I call it an “eye opener”
for every student.