u/zmattws

When I was still a post-doc at a university, I could get samples of actives, surfactants, and even medical supplies from major manufacturers using the address of my university lab. This allowed me to create personal formulations with ingredients that either weren't offered by vendors like Lotion Crafter or weren't at the purity levels I needed.

Now I have an LLC, a website, and a company email, but only a residential address. Not surprisingly, it's hard to get samples now. How do people overcome this? AI searches led me to third-party logistics (3PL) companies, chem or pharma maker spaces, and local formulators. That might be ok, though it'd be nice to have a free option. Interested to see if anyone else had similar challenges and found workarounds.

I'd like to buy some bemotrizinol (BEMT), which recently got approved in the US for sunscreen formulations. I found a few sources I'm unfamiliar with, including Targetmol, MedChemExpress, and Gutins. Has anyone ordered from any of these companies before? Any to avoid? I'm looking to add it to my O/W cosmetic microemulsion.

Not sure where to post this because sunscreen is a banned topic on other DIY subreddits.

I'd like to buy some bemotrizinol (BEMT), which recently got approved in the US for sunscreen formulations. I found a few sources I'm unfamiliar with, including Targetmol, MedChemExpress, and Gutins. Has anyone ordered from any of these companies before? Any to avoid? I'm looking to add it to my O/W cosmetic microemulsion.

I usually drink a 16 oz cold brew or a 6-cup Moka pot every morning on the commute to work. I don't get jitters and I feel perfectly fine, but after watching a video on Moka pots this weekend I decided to revaluate how much I'm drinking. The video described a 6 cup Moka pot as "something you make for your family and a few friends" and I'm sitting there thinking, "damn, I drink that in 30 mins alone in my car".

When it comes to cold brew, I also like it strong. I'm adding 2.5 oz fresh ground coffee to ~20 oz water and can fill a 16 oz coffee cup to the top without ice. That's an 8:1 ratio and I drink it straight. Ratio wise I know that's on the stronger end, but I don't see volume discussed very much here, and that does matter. I'm not sure if most of you are loading your cups with ice or drinking it ice free. Is my intake far outside the norm?

I'm trying to figure out the new payment system and the instructions for registering and enrolling in autopay haven't been working for me. So, I'm planning to take care of this on Friday when I'm off work. Apparently the payment for $153 was due on 4/27, and now there's an extra $187 to pay? This huge amount cannot be a late fee, can it? It's also nowhere on the current invoice.

https://preview.redd.it/afswrac7uezg1.png?width=1114&format=png&auto=webp&s=242907c1bac5c8ac840893bb093509b5d885fed9