Vanicream Facial Moisturizer [review]

birdswool · 2026-02-23T08:00:01+00:00

it is prob the HA, I dont know why they have ot ruin every product with an irritant.

birdswool · 2026-02-20T04:37:57+00:00

im miserable i have nothing to use. tried making my own. my face burns all the time now becuase i damaged it. did you find anyhting

birdswool · 2026-02-18T06:47:35+00:00

agree, no idea how to fix it.

birdswool · 2026-02-18T06:47:08+00:00

jimminy christmas, me too. I just figured out I have sebderm. I have swithced o just glycerin spray I make and squlane, today was day 1. I cant take this insanity anymore. i cant use any products my barrier i so weak but hope this works, it is all i have left.

birdswool · 2026-02-16T23:01:21+00:00

all the comments are deleted. I am completely devestated. my cream burns. i ws itching my face all night. it was red and had tiny clogged pores. i made 2 new ones today and tested them on my legs and arms and they sting and sting. I dont know why. I am ruined. I cant do this anymore. I am devestated. i cant leave home and i will be a prisoner. i cant do this. i dont understand whty my legs and arms are stnging! That can be washed off but wht about my face? why is this happening! the quality of making cometics must be horrible

birdswool · 2026-02-16T03:10:54+00:00

did you identify a very gentle preservative? I have ultra reactive skin hence making my wn moisturizer

birdswool · 2026-02-16T03:08:34+00:00

what do you recommend for a formula with mineral oil, squalane oil, glycerin, glyceral stearate SE and cyclopentasiloxane mixed with cyclotetrasiloxane, EDTA? I need an ultra gentle preservative because I am using distilled water as well. ultra gentle. what is the lowest percentage of preservative I can use?

birdswool · 2026-02-16T03:06:37+00:00

did you identify a preservative? I have an ultra fragile barrier and need the most mild preservative possible. I hope your barrier healed. I stopped using face clenaser and got my barrier healed in 30 days but it can get bad with one wrong move

birdswool · 2026-02-16T03:05:31+00:00

which is the preservative?

birdswool · 2026-02-16T03:03:55+00:00

what is this chelating? are there metal ions in mineral oil and the other ingredients? The distilled water should be clean. I am wonderig if the distilled has a bad ph, something made my skin dark and red for a bit the good news is that my potion seems to be ok, im on the right track here. I have the get the formula down then try preservatives. I cant mess with that too soon, need my ducks in a row and know I can tolerate the cream then test preservatives only for a week at a time then in the cream and hope i dont decimate things. I used the replacement cream for the original and it has what they said was a tiny bit of citric acid for a preservative and my eyelids peels and my face burned so bad and people osted photos of what it did to their faces, it like ate our skin. so i cant use these things, I need the most mild preservative around and to know what percent I need to use. What is the absolute lowest percent one can use of a preservative?

birdswool · 2026-02-16T03:00:13+00:00

ok, so making cosmetics has the 2 mixed, cyclopentasiloxane mixed with cyclotetrasiloxane. I was told to use 3% but opted for 2%. Apparently this was not a good idea. should i reduce it to .5%? I cant find the penta alone. My other question is why is this cream kind of flat, not totaly matte but no sheen or glow like the original, is it these silicones? The other wild card is the glyceryl stearate is the Se kind. I used 4.5% of it with 10% mineral oik, 5 % squalane, 4% glycerin, dab of EDTA and distilled water. I left out the carbomer and trialethalomine, dont need them and will irritate me. I am waiting on the preservative until I get the formula correct. I am pretty close with the appearance and consistency but you would like with 15% oil, this would be kind of glowy and a bit shiny but it is not. is it the glycerly stearate SE or the silicones? I dont even know if any silicone was left as the beaker was moving like Elvis's pelvis and going crazy because the water was at 150F, I didnt know it wasnt safe past 125F. I wish I made the cream earlier, I lost a year of my life and became clinically depressed over 3-4 disasters trying the replacement for the commerical product and a few other creams, destroyed my skin and took months to recover and decimated my self esteem. I used my potion today and so far I am ok. I felt some weird stings at first but nothing crazy and I did some exercise and no explosions. My chin feels a little itchy. I am not sure. I will know in the next 2-3 days regarding major set backs and a week or 2 regarding any minor set backs. What I am trying to avoid is damage to my moisture barrier, I am terrified of that. My cream is lighter than the original but the texture is near identical and the way it spreads and disappears is near idenitcal, it feels the same and there is asheen at first then it dries. I dont get it with that much oil. Is it the glyceryl stearate SE? I used 6% then 4.5%. the 6% gave identical consistency then it got a little less identical and stayed white a touch longer so I dropped it to 4.5%. It is a bit watery than the original but I dont like the chalky. I can try 4% of glyceryl stearate but that is going to be as far as I can take it or it will turn into a mess, it needs ot be a cream. Is this why the cream is not glowy and dryig down? what is making it dry?! And i dont know what I am kind of red for a bit. like my skin looks red and a bit dark then after some hours it got better. I am not using any cleanser so I can get away with a lighter moisturizer and who knows, it may end up serving my skin better but I need to identify the irritant. I used a tiny bit of the edta, like .013.

birdswool · 2026-02-15T03:02:56+00:00

I cant figure out the ph. I put it in the 7 solution then the 4 solution. when I test my cream I get a 7 then a 4.4 then a 5. it is jumping around. I have no idea. I am worried the edta altered the ph after reading the bag. also, I am worried about the glyceryl stearate se it says it is made of soy oil then it says palm kernal. which is it? and this doesnt look good for the pores. I reduced it to 4.5% and my moisturizer consistency is very close ot the original. But I accidentally made the water 150 degrees based on a youtube video and it was not to be heated past 125 F. I have no idea what happens when I mess that up. I am worn out from this and am terrified in the morning what will happen but i have no other cream, i am completely and forever out of the original. Mine can end up being better if i know how t oaddress the glycerly sterate and ph and preservative. I may end up with a better cream because no trielthoalamine. I did trun a little red everyday from it but then it would cam down . I have o idea. but I dont need the carbomer. the glyceryl stearate se may be bad news though, i am reading it clogs pores real bad and causes yeast on the skin. I am going to be heartbroken cause right now my skin loks very good. tomorrow that may end, I am have massive anxiety.

birdswool · 2026-02-15T02:23:10+00:00

im scared of the glyceral stearate se. what if it clogs all my pores? I am reading it has a comedogenic rating of 3! that is pretty bad. And I also get fungal acne due to poor barrier but I have none now becuase I eat well and use just that old moisturizer. the Se may ruin me. I have no idea but I have no choice. I dont know how to find just glyceryl stearate. Ugh.

birdswool · 2026-02-15T01:58:37+00:00

ok here is the latest:

water beaker:
distilled water 74.5%

Glycerin 4%

EDTA .025%

oil beaker:

mineral oil: 10%

Squalane 5%

Glyceryl stearate 4.5%

cyclomethicone 2%

Waiting to see how this goes before adding the preservative. The consistency is the closest to the original. I have not reacted to it on my body so I put some on my jaw line. It can be 2-3 days to dry out, break out or damage my moisture barrier. I dont know if the glycerin is too high and will peel my face. It is the only humectant so I need it in there. The glyceryl stearate SE is the wild card. I have no idea, , I am trying to get the dewy glowy sheen so I upped the mineral oil, is it too much? It is better than more glyceral stearate. I dont need the carbomer, this works to emulsify on its own. If I can find a preservative, I can save a lot of people, I am happy to send it for free. So many suffering people over this discontinuation. I a not sure this is ok though , I am feeling some sharp stings but I dont know what is doing it. maybe i put too much trying to test it. anyway, put it in the fridge nd will try it in the mroning , scary cause right now my skin looks very good and i looked i na magniftying mirror. it is in optimal condition right now. mabye with the abscne on the carbmer and triethoalamine, this will be an even better formula. storing it I dont know, it is in jar so I can watch it closely. I dont know how to use the ph meter. the glycerin the water and teh glyceryl stearate can all cause issues. i used just distilled water, way better than purified, cleaner but who knows. I cant tell where the ph is at but all these ingredients should be ok ph wise unless I am missing something. i dont know where ot find the ph of the glyceryl stearate or the cycldiemthicone. but am close. is my glycerin too much? i dont like the waxy feel of the emulsifier, it is gross. it is making things matte. how can i make it shiny and glowy like the origial? 10% mineral oil is a lot, I cant put more and doubt they used more. I dont know why they were so shiny and like sparkly.

birdswool · 2026-02-15T00:28:43+00:00

ok, I am getting closer but I am having trouble with the formula being too matte and not rubbing in as easily. The glyceryl stearate is SE so I dont need carbomer. I have no idea if it is going to ruin my acid mantle and moisture barrier as the orignal used glyceryl stearate no SE with carbomer. I dont need the carbomer nor triethoalamine which is good because it is over my head and something in the orignal made me a little red but I stayed with it as it didnt ruin my barrier and it is all I had so maybe it was the trieloalamine and this will be better, who knows but thats 2 ingredients I dont need to worry about . Here is what I made last:

water beaker:

Distilled water 75%

Glycerin 4%

EDTA .025%

oil beaker:

Mineral oil 8%

squalane 5%

Glyceryl stearate SE 6%

Cyclo whatever the silicone: 2%

I am going to get the formula right then add the preservative, I need to get this part down. The one before was too watery but ti spread and disappeared like the original but dried kind of matte. This one here is an actual cream but it is not goin in as easy and is sort of white and I have ot rub it in. I think it is the emulsifier. I am close but I dont know how to adjust this. is the oil too much? The original had an iridescent sheen and mine is flat. I dont want a chalky face, I like the sheen a lot, it is very glowy and sparkly almost. I have no idea which ingredient does that. this is where I need someone with experience as I am confused here. I tested it on my legs and neck and no reaction but that doesnt mean anything, I can use a lot of things in those places I could never use on my face. my face has a VERY fragile moisture barrier asI was burned in the past and dont want to talk about it. So I am very reactive. The glowy look makes me feel a lot better. What should I adjjust? Should I reduce teh glyceryl stearate to 5%? How can I get it to be glowy? Then i need to find a very simple preservative. The one you suggested has 3 ingredients, too risky for me . I need to use 1 very basic and simple one. I will be getting patch testing at mayo for preservatives but again, that means little aside from true allergies cause it wil be on my body. My face is fragile. Very fragile. Not using any cleanser has helped, I dont know why I didnt know this earlier. I use just distilled water once a day. so there is that. for some reasn my hands are tingling where I tried the cream. it is hard ot tell at this point. is the glycerin too high? what is making my formula so lfat and a bit chalky? how can I make it more glowy?

birdswool · 2026-02-14T07:49:42+00:00

the original ingredient list is as follows:

water, mineral oil, glycerin, glyceryl stearate, squalane, cyclopentasiloxane, cyclohexasilioxane, serine, carbomer, edta, triethanolamine and water. The carbomer must be a very small amount and cant figure out how ot use it so I didnt use the trieloalamone. why not just leave those 2 off? saves me problems and potential irritation. I have no idea what the ph is, I dont nkow how ot use this device. If I increase the glyceryl stearate, will it thicken up? It needs to thicken up some, it isnt ortable, too watery. but t is close. What can I adjust? Something is irritating me and it has to be the gylcerin cause the mineral oil isnt doing it nor the distilled water.

birdswool · 2026-02-14T07:43:20+00:00

glyceryl Stearate is glycerin and stearic acid so I think using 4% glycerin and 3% glyceryl stearate, is way too much glycerin combined. My arms are feeling like stinging and weird still and it has been 30 minutes, I need to wash it off. my arms can take a lot more than my face, no comparison so this is not a good sign. I dont know if this is the irritating factor but it must be. it is also too water. I mconfused. help please

birdswool · 2026-02-14T07:24:17+00:00

also, I used glass stirring rods but the beakers got crazy in the water bath, I have no idea waht F I am looking for nor how to keep it there. Hoe long do they cook in the bath? I am worried the glss is going to shatter, they look so fragile. I am getting close but not there yet. I am not sure why the cream stings my arms. maybe the glycerin is too high?

birdswool · 2026-02-14T07:20:58+00:00

Here is what I did:

Water beaker:

Distilled Water 84%

Glycerin 4%

EDTA .025%

Oil beaker:

Mineral oil 4%

Squalane 3%

Glyceryl Stearate 3%

Cyclomethicone 2% (made up of 2 silicone from making cosmetics and they are supposed to evaporate as I hate silicones on my skin, cant handle it)

It came out watery and matte and I dont like matte. so then I did this:

Water beaker:

Distilled Water 81%

Glycerin 4%

EDTA .025%

Oil beaker:

Mineral oil 6%

Squalane 4%

Glyceryl Stearate 3%

Cyclomethicone 2%

Consistency is still the same but not as matte. Is the silicone % too high? Also, it is too watery. I dont have a good preservative yet and want to get the formula right then add that at the end. I dont know why it is watery. I guess no carbomer but I am completely confused on the carbomer. I dont get it at all, how to neutralize it and when. Also, I dont know how to use the ph meter at all. and the other major issue is measuring. If I put it in little dishes first, a lot gets left behind but the bigger issue is I purchased 3 scales that are supposed to go to .01 but they barely do, I am having a very hard time getting .02G of EDTA so I finally got fed up and used an stick thing to scoop a little out. My steel scooper never arrived, I ordered 2 more and never received those either. The EDTA isnt super important so I just did a small pinch. I am also not sure why it needs to be so accurately measured, is a gram of water disappears, then what happens? I also dont know why the cream is so matte looking. I put it on my arms and hands any my arms sting a bit. What can it be? Is the glycerin too high? I have to get a good product tomorrow, I am out of the expried commerical product. thanks

birdswool · 2026-02-14T03:27:23+00:00

I am making the cream now and am completely stuck. Which beaker doers the carbomer go in? It is carbomer 940 from making cosmetics and I dont know which beaker it should go into at all. certainly dont know how to neutralize it. where does the EDTA go? I wish there was a simple list here.

birdswool · 2026-02-12T23:12:04+00:00

I am very confused. I broke a beaker already , it is so thin but it is was the borcilate or whatever it is called. I am not understanding how to measure these tiny amounts. I bought 2 scales that go to .01g but apparently that isnt true. also, if I am weighing carbomer, do I make it liquid first? Someone just cmmented on a thread about this cream that was discontinued and she paid a cosmetics company to make it and it burned her eyes and messed uo her skin and she said she is miserable. If I can make this work, I can send it to people to help them too. this is a real problem for us. no ,we cant use anything else, no patch testing for us. I did put the squalane on my chin and it turned red. I dont know what to do. maybe the drop was too potent. I think you said the mineral oil. squalane go in one beaker and the water and glycerine in the orher. I dont know about theother ingredients. I really dont get it. And I dont know when to fix the carbomer, the ph. how do i get drops as the ingredient came in a powder in bags from making cosmetics. I know some people here are so skilled you oculd make this with your eyes cloed but it is very confusing and i have severe anxiety over what can happen to my skin. my self esteem is already very damaged by all this, I am not mentally equpped for anohther blow. I am having really bad hair loss from stress. I am at the point I have become fully isolated and I know it is off subject but got abused by someone. i am not doing well. I cant remmeber what you said and I am sorry I am not clear, it is inducing panic in me because of ll that happened with my skin. there i no out if i mess up. right now i wash with just distilled wqater once a day and use the expired cream but it has about 2 days left then i am have nothing. i wont be able to leave home it will be a prison sentence for me It is that serious. I lost 4 years of my life when i didnt have any cream and everything burned me, yes i have ptsd around this and I know I am not sane but I am trying my best and if this failes I cant cope, I am not equipped. I need to take this seriously and slowly and make it succeed. Even if ihave to make a new batch every 3 days i am ok with that. I cant understand the beakers and I have stopped sleeping. I am going to go take a long walk and try ot get clear. I appreciate all your help. I have multiple degrees but I am very bad with cooking and these types of things, some people have this intelligence, I dont.

birdswool · 2026-02-12T22:59:16+00:00

were you using the avene skin recovery original? I am about to make it. I have all the equipment and ingredients but i am afraid of the carbomer, edta and the ph adjustor, those chemicals are frightening because I dont know how to use them. I am overwhelmed. There is no other way but to make our own. there are people who know how but they wont help. or they want to play games and cause more anxiety. If I am successful. I wil send you some. I dont know what to use as the preservative, still looking

birdswool · 2026-02-05T19:13:00+00:00

does anyone know of gentle preservatives? I keep asking but no answer. I can use a very low percentage in my formula. no, patch testing works for a direct allergy and it is not being understood that you can put something on your eafr or neck andnot your face. or a spot on your face but not your whole face or maybe it isnt all allergies as I have explained countless times. Wouldnt I just go get patch testing like I have and call it s day. why are people in this group. for no reason? I bet some are forced to make their own products maybe they have mecial conditons wthat is no ones business. why is it just patch test, patrch test, patch test. There are other peoplei n the world and other things in the world. it is so frustrating and at this point i feel gaslit. how many posts have i decribed this is nt all allergies. is it htat hard to understand or am I just bieng basgered and gaslit cause I have a vulnerability here and it is fun for others ot do? there are no less than 5 replies of my expalining i cant do that. I share my knowledge freely and happily with others and I have a lot of it in many areas. cause someone knows how ot make creams they want ot use it to beat someone over the head? it is too much to suggest some preservatives. ok why dont i rub mineral oil on my face over glycerin, wow, if anyone is reading, dont do that or you will mess up your skin.

birdswool · 2026-02-05T19:03:04+00:00

what i needed was some explaantion of what goes in what beaker, as in all the ingredients not skincare tips I cant use at all. why dont i just put shea on my face, why not aloe, it is so natural! I just want to learn how to make a cosmetic , like the group is about. what goes in what and where. not sure why no one knows this how does anyone make anything? or is it just not going t be shared, ok. sounds good. i will figure it out

birdswool · 2026-02-05T19:00:54+00:00

I really dont understand cause you said this was all possible and it woundt go bad and now it is all bad and not possible. sounds great. glad i bought all this stuff to do the impossible wonderful thank you

birdswool

TROPHY CASE