Home Cosmetic Science Talk Formulating Advanced Questions Crackling ”Foam” Recipe

  • Crackling ”Foam” Recipe

    Posted by Peppas_I on July 11, 2019 at 4:59 pm

    Hello. I recently was presented with a product in the form of ”crackling foam”. I can’t find the product online, because it has not officially launched yet, and may never will. I want to see if I can make a product like this, but the science of how it works, eludes me. I found similar products, of which only one I could find the ingredients list, and it’s this one:

    BUTANE, AQUA (WATER), ALCOHOL DENAT., ISOBUTANE, PROPANE, GLYCERIN, BIS-PEG-18 METHYL ETHER DIMETHYL SILANE, MENTHYL LACTATE, HYDROXYETHYLCELLULOSE, PARFUM (FRAGRANCE), PPG-26-BUTETH-26, SACCHARIDE ISOMERATE, PEG-40 HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL, CHAMOMILLA RECUTITA (MATRICARIA) FLOWER WATER, ALOE BARBADENSIS LEAF JUICE, POLYQUATERNIUM-4, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, CITRIC ACID, SODIUM CITRATE, ORYZA SATIVA (RICE) BRAN OIL, SCLEROTIUM GUM, ORYZA SATIVA (RICE) EXTRACT, PHENOXYETHANOL, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN

    I can’t for the life of me figure out what makes it ”crackle”. 
    Of the ingredients listed, I have never worked with PPG-26-BUTETH-26 and BIS-PEG-18 METHYL ETHER DIMETHYL SILANE, but from what I understand, none of them has any properties similar to that. And I don’t even know if this is indeed a similar product as I have not used it. It claims that upon contact with the skin, the bubbles crack, so I am thinking maybe in this formula the butane/isobutane mixture gets trapped in the foam and this is what produces the crackling.

    What I had my hands on, was a product that didn’t really foam (like shampoo), was more like a gel/silicone type, upon contact with the skin made just a small amount of crackling and bubbling, but when rubbed, produced an intense crackling effect. I don’t think it had some kind of microbeads inside that produced that crackling effect. 

    So I am buffled. Any help will be appreciated. 

    The main idea is to make a product in the form of a gelling foam, that heavily crackles upon rubbing.

    If it turns out that a butane/isobutane/propellant mixture is to be used, I would also appreciate points on how to incorporate them in the recipe, as I have no idea how to work with them.

    Sibech replied 4 years, 8 months ago 5 Members · 9 Replies
  • 9 Replies
  • EVchem

    Member
    July 11, 2019 at 5:20 pm

    here’s a sample formulation i saw on UL prospector that includes full procedure, I’ve never made anything like this but I’ve seen talk about it before

  • pharma

    Member
    July 11, 2019 at 6:37 pm

    Good question, I wonder the same thing. Tried such a product once but can’t remember what it was… I can remember that there was seemingly nothing “crackling” in the INCI. Probably the propellant plus a semi-stable foam which causes implosions?

  • Peppas_I

    Member
    July 12, 2019 at 5:10 am

    Pharma said:

    Good question, I wonder the same thing. Tried such a product once but can’t remember what it was… I can remember that there was seemingly nothing “crackling” in the INCI. Probably the propellant plus a semi-stable foam which causes implosions?

    I think in the formula I posted that’s the case. Trapped propellant in foam. But in the one I tried I swear it didn’t feel like that. I can’t really explain it, but you felt the pressure from the crackling, kinda like popping bubble wrap, where as trapped propellant in simple foam would just pop the foam bubbles and feel idk, weird ::smiley: . Plus, it wasn’t all that foamy to begin with, more gel/silicone like and not a lot of foam as to trap any propellant gases. 

  • Peppas_I

    Member
    July 12, 2019 at 5:14 am

    EVchem said:

    here’s a sample formulation i saw on UL prospector that includes full procedure, I’ve never made anything like this but I’ve seen talk about it before

    I can see this formula with all the amount of silicone and gelling agents being closer to what I saw, but still, must be the same principle of trapped propellants. Just seems hard to believe that’s what it is, based on the product I tried. Guess I have to get my hands on it again and really look at the ingredient list 

  • MArchambault

    Member
    July 16, 2019 at 8:05 pm

    Did this in a lab a long time ago.  We made a thick gel with gums and then pumped in the propellant (butane/propane).  Then when it applies to the skin the propellant evaporates to create the crackling in the product.  

  • Peppas_I

    Member
    July 17, 2019 at 9:27 am

    Did this in a lab a long time ago.  We made a thick gel with gums and then pumped in the propellant (butane/propane).  Then when it applies to the skin the propellant evaporates to create the crackling in the product.  

    So when you say thick gel, you mean gooey product? Also how exactly do you pump propellants into a mixture like this? I am not at all familiar with the procedure.

  • Sibech

    Member
    July 17, 2019 at 2:48 pm
    @Peppas_I basically you package the formulation to a cannister, add the dip tube-cap with a casket & seal it, then add the propellants afterwards (pumping them into under pressure).
  • Peppas_I

    Member
    July 19, 2019 at 7:27 am

    Sibech said:

    @Peppas_I basically you package the formulation to a cannister, add the dip tube-cap with a casket & seal it, then add the propellants afterwards (pumping them into under pressure).

    And just pumping propellants into appropriate container is sufficient to get them trapped in the gel?

  • Sibech

    Member
    July 19, 2019 at 11:23 am

    Yes, remember that when you are filling the container you are adding the propellant through the exit valve and under pressure the gasses which are used as propellants are liquid.

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