This DIY face lotion recipe was born in the heart of summer. A comforting blend that soothes, restores and feels like a fresh sigh on your cheeks.
Its texture? Light, fresh and silky.
Its mission? To support your skin morning and night, especially after a day spent under the sun, repairing UV damage and preventing photo-aging.
With Q10 and Centella Asiatica as our guiding stars, this face cream contains antioxidants, antiage and calming botanicals. Think of it as your aftersun cuddle, your anti-aging shield, your lightest armor during the warmest months.
Q10: The Defender Your Skin Will Thank You For
Coenzyme Q10 is more than just a popular active. It's a well-researched antioxidant naturally found in our skin. But like all good things, it decreases with age and sun exposure.
Here’s what makes it precious:
- It helps fight free radicals, those unstable molecules that accelerate skin aging after UV exposure.
- It boosts cell energy and regeneration, especially helpful in repairing sun-stressed skin.
- Clinical studies show it reduces fine lines, improves elasticity and slows visible aging.
In this formula, I used Q10 in powder form at 0.5%. A small but powerful touch. It gives a happy yellow tone to the lotion. I love it!
Centella Asiatica: My Botanical Summer Obsession
Also known as Cica, Centella Asiatica extract is a skin-soothing hero. It’s gentle, healing and perfect for aftersun care.
I’ve been adding it to many summer recipes lately, and here’s why:
- It calms redness and irritation thanks to asiaticoside and madecassoside.
- It stimulates collagen, helping restore structure and firmness lost from sun exposure.
- It supports the skin barrier, helping it bounce back from heat, salt, and dryness.
I chose the gentler water-glycerin based extract at 5%, avoiding the more aggressive hydroalcoholic versions, ideal for sensitive or just-sunned skin.
You can easily make this extract at home by following these instructions.
Niacinamide: A Clever Vitamin with Many Benefits
Also known as Vitamin B3, this active is a multitasker… and a very good one!
It…
- Strengthens the skin barrier by boosting ceramides and elastin.
- Reduces visible pores, refines skin texture, and balances oil.
- Helps counteract photoaging, inflammation and dullness.
I always buffer the pH when using niacinamide. That’s why you’ll find sodium lactate and a few drops of lactic acid in this formula. This buffer solution keeps the pH around 5.5, so your niacinamide stays active without causing irritation. If pH is too low, niacinamide can degrade into a compound that stings… no thanks!
Panthenol & Oat Oil: A Hug for Your Skin Barrier
These two are here for softness, comfort, and repair.
- Panthenol (Vitamin B5) is hydrating, calming, and regenerative. It’s one of those ingredients that just feels right on your skin after a long sunny day.
- Oat oil is a treasure. Rich in natural ceramides and with an antihistamine effect. It helps rebuild the skin’s protective barrier, especially after saltwater or sun exposure.
I also added a custom fractionated coconut oil infused with Ceramide III. You can make your own (click here to learn how), but if you don’t have it, fractionated coconut oil alone is a beautiful alternative and oat oil already provides ceramides.
A Fresh Texture
This cream glides effortlessly. The texture is dreamy and fresh, made with:
- Emulsan II – for a fluid, elegant emulsion.
- Fractionated coconut oil & squalane – for smoothness and fast absorption.
- Betaine – a hydrating booster that softens the skin (note: it’s different from coco-betaine, which is a surfactant!) and improves the cosmetic feel.
- Hazelnut oil – silky, sebum-balancing and suitable for all skin types. It also has anti-inflammatory and regenerative benefits, making it perfect for summer skincare.
The Gentle Power of Essential Oils
I used my favorite after-sun essential oil trio here again, the same of my aftersun body cream (it pairs beautifully with it!): Rosewood, Palmarosa and Patchouli.
Together, they create a soft, woody scent and offer skin benefits, soothing, rebalancing and calming.
Important Note About SPF
This cream does not contain sunscreen and is meant to be an aftersun and daily cream for summer days.
If you’re heading into the sun, use a good broad-spectrum sunscreen. This lotion supports repair and comfort, it doesn’t protect against UV rays.
The Full Recipe
🌿 Phase A (oil phase)
- Emulsan II – 3%
- Cetyl alcohol – 1%
- Hazelnut oil – 2.5%
- Fractionated coconut oil* – 5%
- Mango butter – 1%
💧 Phase B (water phase)
- Water – 67,6%
- Sodium lactate** – 1%
- Niacinamide – 2%
- Glycerin – 1%
- Xanthan gum – 0.3%
❄️ Phase C (cool-down phase)
- Oat oil – 3%
- Squalane – 3%
- Q10 (powder) – 0.5%
- Tocopherol – 0.5%
- Panthenol – 1%
- Centella asiatica extract – 5%
- Betaine – 1.5%
- Palmarosa essential oil – 0.1%
- Rosewood essential oil – 0.2%
- Patchouli essential oil – 0.2%
- Cosgard – 0.6%
*I used a version infused with ceramides (find the recipe here). If you don’t have this, fractionated coconut oil alone is a great option.
**Adjust with 1–2 drops of lactic acid to stabilize pH around 5.5. More info below.
How to Make It
- Prepare Phase A: Melt Phase A ingredients together in a heatproof beaker at ~70–75 °C.
- Phase B: In another container, dissolve sodium lactate in water. Add 1 or 2 drops of lactic acid and measure the pH, reaching 5.5.
Add niacinamide.
Mix glycerin and xanthan gum in another container and add to phase B beaker. Heat to the same temperature of Phase A. - Emulsify: Pour Phase A into B, blending slowly with a mini-mixer or homogenizer. Mix until creamy and uniform, for at least 2 minutes.
- Cool down to around 40 °C, stirring with a spatula from time to time.
- Add Phase C ingredients one by one, stirring gently. Q10 powder should be previously dissolved in oat oil (better if slightly warmed at 40 °C for a better dissolution). Give it a final mix with your mini-mixer.
- Final check: Measure pH and adjust if necessary (aim for 5.5).
- Pour into a clean container. I used a lotion bottle, as it’s quite fluid.
Looking for more?
Pair it with my Centella Asiatica Body Aftersun and this extra soothing balm in case of sunburns and mosquito bites.
Also, have a look at this interesting article about summer cosmetic ingredients: you’ll find tons of recipes as well!
Wanna replace some ingredients but you don’t know how? Feel free to contact me on Instagram, I always love hearing from you and helping!