Crystal HCVS - Stephenson Personal Care

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Overview

Crystal HCVS is a Melt and Pour soap base that produces the highest clarity finished bars. This base retains its high clarity when using oils or fragrances that contain vanilla or vanillin.

Features

Creates crystal clear, high clarity soap bars

Provides superior clarity when adding challenging fragrance and essential oil blends containing vanillin including vanilla

Good foaming properties

High glycerine content results in a moisturising finished bar

Excellent fragrance lift

General Processing Melt and Pour Temperature Packaging Soap Sweating Fragrance and Essential Oils Certifications, Sustainability & Sourcing Are Stephenson products gluten free?

The majority of our bases are gluten-free - if you require further information please contact us here.

Do you use Palm Oil in your products?

We use palm and palm kernel oils, and ingredients derived from both oils. Wherever possible, we use oil and ingredients from certified sustainable sources. All products that are made using certified sustainable palm and palm ingredients have the letters SG or MB at the end of their name referring to RSPO Segregated (SG) and RSPO Mass Balance (MB). It isn’t possible to source everything we use from certified sustainable sources, but we are always researching and discussing with our suppliers to find new options.

Do Stephenson products contain Lye?

Lye (also known as Sodium Hydroxide or Potassium Hydroxide) is the material that is used in making all of our soaps. Solid soaps (Crystal Melt and Pour range or Extruded soap bases) use Lye from Sodium Hydroxide, while Stephenson Liquid soaps use Lye from Potassium Hydroxide. We use Lye to saponify oils and/or fatty acids to produce soap. Once the soap is produced, all the lye is used up during the saponification reaction and so there is none left in the final product.

Do you make finished soap bars, and liquid products?

No, we are a speciality base supplier, we manufacture and ship soap bases and other product bases that are converted by our customers into finished products. Typically our bases make up around 80-99% of a finished product.

Do you test on animals?

No, we are strictly against animal testing and our ingredients are not tested on animals.

Does Stephenson have Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)?

GMP applies to companies manufacturing finished products. As a supplier of ingredients and bases, this does not apply. Stephenson holds ISO 9001 Quality Certification and supplies companies that have GMP certification.

How long have you been making speciality soap bases?

We've been making soap here at Stephenson’s since 1856, originally for the textile industry.

Is your Glycerine vegetable derived?

Yes, all the glycerine used in our soap bases is derived from vegetable sources.

Which Stephenson products are vegan?

Most of our product are vegan friendly. Only small amount of our products contain animal-derived milk and honey. These include Crystal Goat’s Milk, Crystal Donkey Milk and Crystal Honey.

Fragrance oil vs essential oil - what are the differences and which one should I use?

The main difference between fragrance oils and essential oils is that fragrance oils are manufactured in a lab and essential oils are made of natural materials. Due to their natural properties, essential oils can have an impact on the stability of your product and cause hazing.

Where can I buy your product?

We have appointed distributors worldwide to support and manage our supply chain, see our 'where to buy' page to find out where you can purchase our products.

Do I need to let my Melt & Pour base 'cure' once I have poured?

No - Melt & Pour is different to 'cold process' and thus does not need to cure. Our Melt & Pour base is already reacted and cured. Once melted you simply pour, and leave to set. The term 'cure' is used to describe saponification, when the product is still reacting and neutralising fatty acid content whilst setting. This is not the case with Melt & Pour.

How long does the Melt & Pour base take to set?

This depends on the size of your mould or loaf. The larger the surface area the longer it will take to set. A normal loaf will take roughly 6 hours to fully set. This can also change depending on the ambient temperatures you let the base set in.

How many times can I re-melt the soap?

There is no limit on how many times you can re-melt. Be aware of any moisture you may lose during this process as this can alter the balance of the formulation. Always cover the soap base when you melt it.

My base has now set. What is the best way to cut the base into slices?

If you are slicing Melt & Pour soap base (Any Crystal bases) we would recommend using a large knife or a soap cutter, or a soap mould slicing tool/machine. If you're cutting from an 11.5kg box we recommend cutting top to bottom.

If you are slicing Melt & Pour syndet base (Syndopour 200-MB) we would recommend using cheese wire.

I made some coloured inserts, added them into a loaf mould and a halo of colour has formed around the insert and run into the outer layer, how can I stop this?

This is quite a common problem described as 'bleeding'. Most Melt & Pour crafters use water-based food colourings, these are water-soluble and Melt and Pour is a water-based product, thus when these colours are inside a soap they often bleed as it runs through to the entire body of the product. There are alternatives to this, such as pigments or non-bleeding colourants available but they might not be as simple to use.

My Opaque / White soap has arrived, but most of the white pigment is on the bottom of the soap, what can I do?

The white pigment (titanium dioxide) can settle at the bottom within the soap base as it cools when we run large volumes or in the summer months as it takes longer to set. Don’t panic, simply cut the block of soap base from top to bottom in an even cross-section, then re-melt, mix, and you will see that the white (titanium dioxide) will be even throughout the finished soap bar/product.

My bars have shrunk and reduced in size when I left them out?

This is due to the bars being un-wrapped. Almost all of our Melt & Pour products contain Glycerin (a moisturizing agent) and because Glycerin is a humectant, it pulls moisture in from the air which is great when you apply it to your skin, but not so great when displaying unwrapped bars.

When the bars are left out in higher dry ambient temperatures they will begin to lose some of the water/moisture. This results in a loss in size, weight and shape.

Now I have my base, what's the best way to melt it?

Cut the base down to manageable pieces, chunks or slices. You can then add to a heated vessel, pot, or melt in the microwave - make sure you watch the temperature, as it is possible to lose moisture and water content from the base overheating. Overheating can also cause the base to boil over so make sure you remove and stir intermittently.

What moulds should I use?

Normally we would recommend silicone moulds, as metal moulds can often stick to the product, but moulds for chocolate often work well too.

My 11.5KG box has arrived and has a white layer on the top? Is this okay and will this effect my finished product.

No. What you're seeing is a layer of bubbles generated from production. Once sliced from top to bottom & remelted these will mix back into the base and will not effect your finished product.

What temperature does it start to set?

The temperature for each Melt & Pour base can differ. You can find the product-specific temperature on the product INCI document, which can be found here.

What packaging do you use for the melt and pour bases?

We offer 2 types of packaging for our Melt and Pour soap bases - 1kg trays and our ‘patent pending’ 11.5kg / 25lb soap box.

Now I have made my soap/syndet slices or bars what should I wrap them in?

It's very important to wrap the soap/syndet as soon as you have released it from the mould. The fewer surfaces in contact with the air the better so wrap in a cling film/cello film type product. This is important to prevent sweating and also moisture loss.

 Why has water appeared on the surface of my bars when I've left them out?

This is described as 'sweating' and is caused because the bars have been left out in the atmosphere un-wrapped. Many bases contain various ingredients like glycerine which acts as a humectant. These attract moisture and beads of water will begin to appear on the bars if left unwrapped. A number of factors contribute to this; storage, ambient temperature, humidity and air pressure. The best way to avoid this is by wrapping your soaps/syndet bars.

Can I use essential oils?

Yes - you can use essential oils however they can have various impacts on the base, for example; setting time, hardness, clarity and so on. Please do your own sample testing to be sure of compatibility.

Will fragrance and essential oils make my transparent soap hazy and cloudy?

Perhaps, we can never say for sure as it depends on the essential oil/oils used and the amount. Most ‘free’ oil in the soap base that is un-reacted or not part of the formulation can cause clouding and Essential Oils are no different.

Is Crystal NCO certified organic?

No. Crystal NCO is not certified organic as a finished soap base, however, it does use certified oils (these are saponified in the process) so the soap is made from organic oils, but it is not a certified product.

Is the palm oil used in Crystal OMP/ Crystal OMPC from sustainable sources?

Crystal OMP/OMPC contains palm oil and some palm oil derivatives. The palm oil is from sustainable sources. By the end of 2022, the derivates will also be from certified sustainable sources.

Where does glycerin come from in Crystal melt and pour soap bases?

Crystal melt and pour products contain glycerin that is used as a solvent and a humectant. It is either derived from palm oil or rapeseed oil. If it is derived from rapeseed, it will be clearly labelled, otherwise can be assumed to come from palm oil. Glycerin may also be produced during the saponification reaction between an oil and sodium hydroxide.

Why are Crystal NCO, ORG M&P and Crystal Natural not transparent?

The reason some melt and pour soaps are transparent is because they use fatty acids (clear fractions of oils) and solvents, these reduce the formation of crystals when the soap is made and allows light to pass through the soap. When we make a more natural soap we use the entire natural oil, these are not transparent and have an amber appearance, and although allow partial light to pass the soap is still not clear.

Technical documents

Here you will find all the relevant technical documents and information for our Melt and Pour bases. If you require any further information, please contact us.

Crystal HCVS MSDS

Download

Crystal HCVS INCI & Spec

Download

Crystal Melt & Pour Processing Guide

Crystal Melt & Pour Instructions

Related Media Resources

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Where to buy

Our range of Crystal Melt and Pour soap bases, Liquid bases and Cosmetic bases are available through our network of global distribution partners so you can get what you need when you need it.

Location International Suppliers United Kingdom Europe United States of America Canada Central & South America Asia Pacific Australia & New Zealand

Online Partners

• The Chemistry Store (The Americas, Island & Outlying Territories)
• Mystic Moments (Global)
• The Soap Kitchen (Global)
• Jedwards International
• New Directions (EU)
• Bay House Aromatics - Durosoft (Global)

Distributors

• Oleon (Global)
• O&3 (Global)

Online Partners

• Mystic Moments
• The Soap Kitchen
• Just A Soap
• Cosy Owl
• Soapmakers Store
• Craftovator
• New Directions UK
• The Soap Foundry
• Scents Soaps and Candles
• The Soapery
• 1875

Distributors

• Oleon
• O & 3
• H Foster
• Brenntag UK

Online Partners

• Humanity Aruhaz
• Aromateka - Croatia
• Exagon
• Kerzen Und Seife De - Germany
• Terre de Bougies
• Soap Queen
• DistrEbution - Germany

Distributors

• Gildewerk - Netherlands
• Roumboulakis - Greece & Cyprus
• Quimind - Portugal
• M & H - Czech Republic
• Fagron - Croatia
• Comercial Quimica Masso SA - Czech
• Bonderalia - Spain
• Brenntag Bulgaria
• Brenntag Czech
• Brenntag France
• Brenntag Germany
• Brenntag Italy
• Brenntag Latvia
• Brenntag Lithuania
• Brenntag Nordics
• Brenntag Poland
• Brenntag Slovakia

Online Partners

• Chemistry Store
• Candle Science
• Lone Star Candle Supply
• The Flaming Candle
• Bulk Apothecary

Distributors

• Jedwards International

Online Partners

• New Directions Aromatics
• Voyageur Soap & Candle

Distributors

Online Partners

• Del Caribe
• Silika Moldes E Insumos Eirl - Peru

Distributors

• Distribudora Del Caribe - Guatemala
• Maprin - Chile
• Drogueria Cosmopolita - Mexico

Online Partners

• Craftiviti
• Aussie Soaps Supply

Distributors

Online Partners

• Aussie Soaps Supplies
• Candle Supply

Distributors

• Azelis Australia
• Azelis New Zealand

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