You would definitely want to dissolve the Rapa prior to adding it to the base. That is the only sure way of knowing it will be evenly dispersed in the base.
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It has been reported at 25mg/ml soluble in ethanol, but more soluble in DMSO.
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So I take this to mean that I should be able to dissolve my 2 mg pills in an ml of vodka to make a topical. Would that topical have any possibility of absorption or would you think that would be a complete waste? I definitely get that the dmso and/or transcutol helps with deeper penetration, but is that totally necessary?
I think I would go for DMSO or transcutol. DMSO is quite active in itself, but it does help get topical substances into cells.
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That seems like those ingredients would make for a pleasant formula
I found the ingredients for my musely formulation incase there is anything for anyone to glean from it.
Ingredients:
- (250 Million Exosomes, Rapamycin 0.0125%)
Inactive Ingredients:
- iPSC Exosomes, Anhydrous Base, Sili Fluid, Silicone Base.
The Cell Repair Serum Silicone, Anhydrous and Sili Fluid consist of PSC Exosomes, Ozokerite, Cetyl Alcohol, Isododecane, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Propylene Carbonate, White Petrolatum, Dimethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-75 Stearate, Ceteth-20, Steareth-20, Alkyl Benzoate, Isopropyl Palmitate, Isododecane and Dimethicone Bis Isobutyl PPG 20 Crosspolymer, Polysilicone-11, Laureth-12, Silica Silylate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dicaprylyl Ether, Safflower Oil
- Anhydrous Base: This just means the product doesnāt have any water in it. Without water, the ingredients stay more stable and last longer. It also helps the other ingredients work better and be absorbed into your skin.
- Sili Fluid / Cyclopentasiloxane: These are types of silicones used in skincare. They help the product feel smooth and make it easier to apply. They also create a barrier on your skin that helps lock in moisture. Most people donāt have issues with silicones, and they donāt clog pores.
- Silicone in Skincare: Silicones help keep moisture in your skin and make it feel soft and smooth.
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Yes it is for 2 reasons solubility and penetration.
Also the finer you āgrindā the pills the better it will dissolve and the better the penetration.
The skin is a very powerful barrier and is excellent at keeping things out. To defeat this function takes effort 
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Thatās a good point but from what Iāve read dilutions of DMSO less than 67% are weak penetrants. In a skin lotion, I doubt one would even reach 1.0% DMSO when used solely to dissolve the Rapa.
The real benefit is the solubility to get the Rapa evenly dispersed in the base as Rapa is insoluble in water or oil.
Interestingly DMSO is made in the atmosphere, falls to the earth in rain, is absorbed by plants, trees and is extracted from trees in the pulping process of making paper products. It is an interesting solvent.
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Interesting, please let me know if you try this. I have never used HA but thought it was mostly for hydration?
Or wow, i never thought about refrigerating it. Certainly couldnt hurtā¦
Regarding the grainy feeling, when i mix my lotion I be sure to grind up the pills really well, then i mix with transcutol (just enough to make a watery slurry of sorts, and then let it sit for about 10 minutes. Not sure it that does any good or not but I dont get a grainy feel to my lotion. Depending on how many pills i use I add anywere from 2-4 teaspoons of transcutol saving 1/2 teaspoon to pour into the cup after i empty the rapa into the lotion so i can slosh it around and get every speck of rapa out of it.
Does anyone else do this?
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Geezlaweez Steve! How cool is that? i might try this DIY lotion. I wonder if the Argan Oil would make it more of a gel than a cream, since gels are suppose to get better results according to the article about the facial angiofibromas. I have been going thru lotion like crazy and it can get costly. I checked out your Humblebee & Me link ad there are 6 DIY lotions, which one are you using?
Also, if you are going to make a version with 1.0% rapa solution could you share your math on that? How much rapa / lotion you use?
Thanks so much for weighing in!
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I started with the most basic one, 5 compounds.
I added the Hyaluronic acid to that as an experiment and that got out of hand LoL!
Because I use ULMW HA, I switched to Argan Oil to ensure good inflammatory reduction. Also MCT is comedegenic (a 4 on a scale of 5) and Argan is a 0.
I use this as my base for our GHK-cu + Palmtioyl Tripeptide-5 lotion. Still working on that one that particular formula has only 14 compounds.
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Yes - this is a good idea for the DIY version also, but a bit of a hassle for most people (just make smaller batches and use them up over a few months). There is a study referenced somewhere on this site that the rapamycin cream in our DIY formulation lasts for something like 3 months before losing its effectiveness.
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DMSO is a lot more expensive than propylene glycol, and I posted at least one patent using it as a solvent for Rapa cream.
So why not use propylene glycol instead? Any special reason?
Oh my gosh! You work with peptides! Yay! I just found a great new peptide vendor! If you are interested DM me. Since this isnt a peptide forum I dont want to clog up the thread with non-rapa stuff 
Happy Easter everyone! Does anyone have a good recommendation for a quality skin gel? Have been reading that mixing rapa with a gel instead of a lotion or cream usually absorbs into the skin better. Would like to try a gel but am unfamiliar with them. Thanks!