The Shave Den's M-Bomb

hunnymonster

Joined
Friday July 10, 2009
Location
Little Feckwittering-on-the-Moor
Over at <!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.theshaveden.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">www.theshaveden.com</a><!-- w --> they have a thing called "M-Bomb" - a liquid mentholation product...


So I guess it's menthol crystals dissolved in something, what's the something? Glycerol? DI Water?
 
Menthol is only slightly soluble in water. It's soluble in alcohols, but I wouldn't have thought simple alcohols were particularly suited to adding to your lather. Maybe something like propylene glycol?
 
I would've guessed alcohol too. Their claim of 'contains no alcohol or fragrance' would refute that, but the 'no fragrance' claim is false to start with (menthol is a recognized fragrance), so their 'no alcohol' claim may not be true in the strict sense either. If it contains no ethanol, it will probably be based on another alcohol (propanol, propylene glycol, glycol, you name it), and the 'no alcohol' claim would still be false, in the chemical sense...

Plus since this is clearly intended as a cosmetic (addition to another cosmetic), they are legally obliged to list the ingredients on the product...
 

I took it to mean "no [other] fragrance [apart from the menthol]" and anyway, isn't menthol technically an alcohol anyway? :lol:


Well I thought that too, but nobody's coughing to the content
 
Menthol crystals are currently being discussed on a soap and toiletries forum - they're oil soluble as they're used in anhydrous products (e.g. solid balms).
 
I considered buying some of this a while back. Then I dissolved some menthol crystals in isopropyl alcohol; without heating it up and risking explosive results - just to be on the safe side of paranoia. It works. I never added it to soaps/creams as I have good ones for menthol already. I have added it to aftershave/witch hazel type stuff with fairly good results.

I don't condone it or suggest others should do what I did. I just wanted to see how well it might work (after I consulted with a few neighbourhood chemists etc).
 
Briallen said:
Menthol crystals are currently being discussed on a soap and toiletries forum - they're oil soluble as they're used in anhydrous products (e.g. solid balms).
Click to expand...

Actually they're not. They're soluble in alcohol and similar polar organic solvents but not in oils. In creams menthol is dosed as alcoholic solution or as a dine powder. In solid products menthol is dosed as powder...
 

Whatever - it may be heat and they melt - but they are used in solid anhydrous balms (no alcohol either) and they combine without causing any lumps/grittiness crystals reforming in the balm - I'll obtain an example an send it to you.
 
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