Why 7 Ingredients Is All You Need — And Your First Upgrade
By Cheryl Mitchell | The Hard Truth Mentor | Blog Post #2 | Lotion Foundations Series
If you grabbed the free PDF and made the foundational lotion — good. You now have a working emulsion in your hands. (If you still haven't grabbed the free lotion recipe, make sure you sign up for our emails, and it will be delivered right into your inbox.)
But I don’t want you to just make it and move on. I want you to understand why this particular combination of seven ingredients is the smartest possible starting point, and then I'll give you your very first upgrade.
Because that is exactly how product alchemy works. You learn the foundation. You understand it. Then you start building on it intentionally. In case you missed it, here is the first full video that walks you through making the original 7-ingredient Foundational Lotion recipe.
Why 7 Ingredients to start? Why Not More?
Here’s the hard truth about ingredient-heavy formulas: more ingredients does not mean a better product.
It means more variables. More potential for instability. More opportunities for ingredient interactions you didn’t anticipate. More things that can go wrong and more difficulty figuring out what did.
When I designed this foundational formula with seven ingredients, I was not cutting corners. I was being precise. Every single ingredient in this recipe/formula is load-bearing. Remove any one of them and the formula either fails, changes dramatically, or becomes unsafe.
That’s the goal: a formula where nothing is wasted, and everything has a job. Seven ingredients are not a limitation. It is a foundation. And foundations are meant to be built upon, which is exactly what we’re doing today.
Why Traditional Emulsifying Wax NF (Cetearyl Alcohol (and) Polysorbate 60) is the Right Emulsifier to Start With: Not all emulsifying waxes are created equal, and I want you to understand that before you start shopping around.
Emulsifying Wax NF is a nonionic self-emulsifying wax created to meet the standard for self-emulsifying waxes monographed in the National Formulary. What that means practically is that it was designed to do exactly one thing extremely well: create stable, reliable emulsions with minimal fuss. It is mild, provides excellent stability, and is genuinely one of the easiest emulsifiers to work with.
The reason I chose it for your foundational formula is simple: it forgives beginner mistakes. Temperature a little off? It usually holds. Stick blending technique not perfect yet? Still emulsifies. Slightly different oil combination? Still works.
That forgiveness is not an accident. It is engineered into this ingredient.
Now here is something important to know when you’re sourcing it:
The INCI name for this emulsifier is Cetearyl Alcohol (and) Polysorbate 60. That INCI will appear on the label regardless of who makes it or what they call it. But the trade names vary — you may see it sold as Emulsifying Wax NF, Polawax NF, Traditional Emulsifying Wax, or other names depending on the supplier.
Here’s the catch: even though the INCI is the same, not all versions perform the same way. Different manufacturers may produce slightly different textures; some versions run slightly thicker, some slightly thinner, some have a creamier finish than others. If you switch suppliers and your lotion comes out noticeably different even though you used the same percentage, this is likely why.
This is not a reason to panic. It is a reason to pay attention. When you find a version that performs consistently and beautifully in your formula, note the supplier and stick with them. (even if it is a touch more expensive because stability and a great product are worth millions vs always taking the time to change and alter your recipe to fit the next supplier. Remember, Time is Money!!!)
What Happens If You Only Use Emulsifying Wax — No Stearic Acid?
You’ll get a lotion. It will be stable. But it will be runny.
Emulsifying Wax NF on its own creates a functional emulsion — but it does not create body or thickness. That is not its job. Its job is to hold the oil and water together. The stearic acid in our foundational formula is what gives the lotion its texture, its weight in the hand, and that substantial feel when you pump it out.
So if you want a thinner lotion — a body milk, a lightweight fluid — you can reduce or eliminate the stearic acid and compensate with other ingredients. If you want a thicker, richer cream, you can increase it or swap it for something like behenyl alcohol, cetyl esters, or jojoba ester, which we will get into as this series moves forward. Now I know some of you will jump right in and change out that ingredient now that I mentioned it. Don't! Stop! You have to check usage rates and make sure that the ingredient you are using will work with the other ingredients. So make sure you have bookmarked this blog and are on our email list so that you get updates when we post new ingredients and other great recipes/formulas.
The point is this: the emulsifier and the thickener are two separate jobs. Understanding that separation is what allows you to control your formula’s texture deliberately rather than accidentally.
Now for your First Upgrade to this recipe/formula. I am adding xanthan gum to make this an 8-ingredient lotion now.
Xanthan Gum at 0.25%
Here is where we start building.
Xanthan gum is a natural thickener and texture modifier — and adding it to your foundational lotion at just 0.25% makes a noticeable difference in how the finished product feels and performs.
What is xanthan gum?
Xanthan gum is a natural gum polysaccharide created through fermentation of sugar — glucose or sucrose — by Xanthomonas campestris bacteria. It is typically vegan, naturally derived, and widely used in both food and cosmetic applications. It has a high viscosity at a very low usage rate, and when used correctly, it gives your lotion greater glide, a smoother skin feel, and a slightly more cushioned texture on application.
Think of it this way: without xanthan gum, your lotion applies and absorbs, and that's it. With xanthan gum at 0.25%, it glides. There’s a subtlety to the application feel that makes the finished product feel more elegant and considered.
It also has what formulators call a reduced stringy effect, meaning the lotion pumps and spreads cleanly without that pulling or stretching sensation that some lotions can have.
How to adjust your formula:
Because xanthan gum goes into the water phase and takes up space in your formula, we subtract its percentage from the water. Your updated formula looks like this:
Ingredient Phase % Grams Total (227g batch)
Distilled Water Water 74.25%. 168.5g
Xanthan Gum. Water 0.25% 0.6g
Emulsifying Wax Oil 5% 11.4g
Stearic Acid Oil 4% 9.1g
Sunflower Oil Oil 7.5% 17.0g
Mango Butter Oil 7.5% 17.0g
Euxyl PE 9010. Cool Down 0.75% 1.7g
Fragrance or EO. Cool Down. 0.75% 1.7g
Total 100% 227g
Notice what happened. We didn't add an ingredient and push past 100%. We made a deliberate adjustment, took 0.25% from the water, and redirected it. That is formula thinking. That is product alchemy.
How to work with xanthan gum:
Xanthan gum is a little particular about how you add it, and if you've ever ended up with lumpy, stringy globs in your formula, this is why.
Here is how I do it and how I recommend you do it: warm your distilled water to your usual water phase temperature. Then, while stick-blending and creating a vortex in the water, slowly sprinkle the xanthan gum into the vortex. The movement of the stick blender disperses the gum particles before they can clump together.
You'll notice the water thickens slightly and takes on a gummy, slightly gel-like appearance. That is exactly what you want. It will look a little strange, almost like thin hair gel. Don't be alarmed. Once you add your oil phase and complete the emulsification, that gummy quality blends into the lotion and becomes the glide and smoothness you're looking for.
Do not just dump xanthan gum into still water and stir. You will get lumps that are nearly impossible to remove.
One more thing to know:
Xanthan gum can behave differently depending on the brand and particle size. Some versions hydrate faster, some need more agitation. If your first attempt feels stringier than you expected, try increasing agitation during hydration. If it feels lumpy, your dispersion technique needs adjustment. It is a learnable skill, and once you get it, it becomes second nature.
What This Post Just Taught You
Let's step back for a moment. In this one post, you have learned:
Why seven ingredients is a strength, not a limitation. Why the emulsifier you start with matters and what to watch for when sourcing it. What happens to your formula when you remove the thickener. And how to make your very first deliberate, intelligent modification to a foundational formula, adding one new ingredient at a precise percentage and adjusting the formula to accommodate it without breaking the 100% rule.
That last one is important. You just thought like a product alchemist.
You didn't find a new recipe. You modified your existing formula with intention and understanding. That is a completely different skill, and it is the skill that everything else we do here is built on.
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What's coming in the next few posts!
Next, we're going deep into the water phase.
Water seems simple; it is just water, right? But the water phase is where some of the most powerful customization in lotion making happens. We are going to talk about what can live in that phase, what water-soluble ingredients actually do at a skin level, and how to make smart additions without destabilizing your formula.
Aloe vera juice. Hydrosols. Niacinamide. Panthenol. Sodium PCA. Hyaluronic acid. Botanical infusions. All of it starts with the water phase, and it is coming in the next few posts.
I'll see you there.
Are you just finding me and don't have the free PDF yet? Grab The 7-Ingredient Lotion Formula Every Maker Needs to Know here:
This post is part of the Lotion Foundations series — Blog Post #2 of the Product Alchemy Series by The Hard Truth Mentor.
— Cheryl | thehardtruthmentor.com | cheryl@thehardtruthmentor.com
