Using Natural Moisturizing Factors in Your DIY Skincare Projects
Confused about Natural Moisturizing Factors? Discover what they are, why your skin needs them, and how to craft DIY formulas (including a glow-boosting water gelée cream).
Natural Moisturizing Factors (NMFs) are a hot topic at the moment. As a beauty formulator and DIY enthusiast, you might have heard of natural moisturising factors and how they can help our skin. But maybe you’re not sure where to start?
Well, not anymore. In this post, we’re going to take a DEEP DIVE into Natural Moisturizing Factors, learn all there is to know about these hydrating and conditioning ingredients, and how to use them.
Because I’m also going to share a formula for a silky shimmer water gelée cream with hyaluronic acid and other NMFs to boost your skin’s sparkle and hydration.
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What Are Natural Moisturizing Factors? Only DIY Skincare’s Secret Weapon!
So, What Are Natural Moisturizing Factors? NFM’s are actually part of your skin’s make up, within the stratum corneum. It helps maintain water balance in the skin and performs additional functions such as protection from the sun, germs, and tells the skin how much oil to produce.
Of course, things can go wrong with the natural moisturizing factor, leading to dehydration, dryness, and irritation. The main culprit being – harsh environments, too much exposure to water or chemicals, or ageing.
That’s why using natural moisturizing factors topically is a great way to keep your own NMF in good condition!
NFM Benefits
There are so many benefits to using NMFs in skincare! Now let’s look at some of the most popular NMF ingredients we can use in DIY beauty formulas. Thankfully, they are simpler to use than you think, and many are easy to source.
Boost Your Skincare With These Popular NMF Ingredients
Glycerin
- Humectant
- Strengthens the skin barrier
- Add it to water-based products like serums and moisturizers
- Easy to work with and cheap
Stockists: US Formulator Sample Shop | UK Aromantic
Hyaluronic Acid
- Helps skin maintain its moisture levels
- Can help fight wrinkles and plump the skin
- Use it in mists, toners, serums, and moisturisers
- Buy a ready-to-use gel for ease of use
Stockists: US LotionCrafter | UK The Formulary
Sodium Lactate
- Highly effective humectant to maintain moisture
- Improves the skin barrier
- Use it in cleansers, serums, and moisturisers
- Buy it as a liquid or gel
Stockists: US Bulk Apothecary | UK Soapmakers Store
Lactic Acid
- An AHA to gently exfoliate and hydrate
- Improves absorption of other ingredients
- Use it in cleansers, toners, serums, moisturizers, scrubs, and more
- Use it with care and measure the pH carefully
Stockists: US LotionCrafter | UK Aromantic
Urea
- Excellent humectant and exfoliant
- Great for very dry and calloused skin
- Use it in lotions, creams, and moisturisers
- Can be tricky to work with as it needs to be kept stable in water-based formulas. (If you’ve been wondering how to make urea cream, then check out this tutorial!)
Stockists: US LotionCrafter | UK The Soapery
Allantoin
- Hydrating humectant and moisture-boosting to the skin
- Soothing and skin conditioning
- Use it in serums, moisturizers, deodorants, and hair care
- Add the white powder to your cool-down phase
Stockists: US Formulator Sample Shop | UK Soapmakers Store
Panthenol aka Vitamin B5
- Conditioning, soothing, and moisture-boosting
- Boosts elasticity of skin and hair
- Use it in your skin or hair care projects
- Add the powder to the heated water phase, and the liquid in the cool-down phase
Stockists: US Making Cosmetics | UK Soapmakers Store
A Simple DIY Using Natural Moisturizing Factors
Let’s Make A Silky Shimmer Water Gelée Cream with Mica, Camellia, Hyaluronic Acid
The beauty of this DIY is how easy it is to make—Sepimax Zen (Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6) both emulsifies the oil and water together while gelling the cream. You don’t need any heat either, just a little time to let it do its magic!
So, try this Silky Shimmer Water Gelée Cream, enriched with mica, camellia, and hyaluronic acid, to hydrate your dry skin. It’s perfect for oily or combination skin types, as it doesn’t overload the skin, but leaves it with a gentle glow and shimmer.
The gel cream includes the natural moisturizing factors hyaluronic acid, panthenol, and allantoin, which together hydrate, plump, and smooth the skin. For a carrier oil, I’ve chosen camellia oil, a lightweight, antioxidant-rich emollient and beauty oil used for centuries by Japanese women in their beauty routines.
Tip
- Choose a mica powder that has a little sparkle but matches your skin tone. I blended mine to match my pale and cool skin tone.
- For this cream, you will need to own some sensitive digital scales and weigh in grams to ensure accuracy at such small amounts. I like using these digital scales from US Amazon/UK Amazon.
To preserve this cream, I’ve chosen a broad-spectrum preservative, Geogard 221 (INCI Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol). It works at pH 2.0 to 7.0, so it’s easy to use in all kinds of skincare products. And I’ve included Pentylene Glycol, which serves as both an emollient and a natural preservative booster. Both are COSMOS & ECOCERT permitted, meaning they’re great for natural formulators.
Makes: 50g—use a 50ml container
Ingredients & Weights for 50g:
Equipment Needed:
How to Make The Gel Cream:
let’s get started
- Wearing gloves and using a silicone spatula, mix together everything apart from the Sepimax Zen in a large beaker.
- Carefully sprinkle the Sepimax Zen over the top. Place a cover over the top and let it sit for several hours or overnight until no white clumps remain.
- Use a mini stick blender to thoroughly combine the gel cream.
- Package your cream and enjoy!
TO USE: Apply this gel cream after your serum(s). Best used within 6 months. Remember to protect it from heat and light for the maximum shelf life.
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Natural moisturising factors are an essential and fascinating part of our skin’s composition! Harnessing them in our beauty DIYs makes a lot of sense for hydrated, nourished, and calm skin.
I hope you can try our formula for Silky Shimmer Water Gelée Cream, and try NMFs for yourself. Your skin will definitely thank you for it.
And remember to share your results with us—we can’t wait to see your gel cream!
About the author
Helen Little is mum to four and founder of naturalbeautywithbaby.com, writing about healthy ways to feel good with littles since 2017. Visit her on Instagram for more natural beauty inspiration @naturalbeautywithbaby