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Cold process
The usual way of making a cosmetic emulsion is by heating the two phases separately and bringing them together while mixing at high speed. Why is it usual to heat? not only to melt the lipophilic phase but also because of the emulsifier right?.. why the most of the emulsifiers work at high temperatures? is there a specific reason?
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7 Replies
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It depends on the nonpolar ingredients and emulsifiers. By using no solids and choosing an appropriate emulsifier system you can do cold process emulsions easily enough.
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Thank you for the answer! So any liquid emulsifier can be use for cold process?
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As Belassi said, if all ingredients are liquid at room temperature then there is no need to heat.
Cold process emulsifiers vary greatly and many have formulation restrictions so it’s advisable to research. I’d recommend the Seppic range - the simulgels, sepigels, sepiplus etc. They are sensitive to electrolytes.If you are a diy homecrafter you can buy these in small amounts: Sepigel 305 (personalformulator), Sepiplus (lotioncrafter), simulgel INS 100 (chemistrystore renamed it: body cream & lotion creator) or Simulgel EG (makingcosmetics renamed it: gelmaker emu). -
The upside is ease of production and not needing to spend time in a cool-down phase. The downside is likely to be the increased cost of using a more sophisticated emulsifier system.
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Agreed with @Belassi and @MakingSkincare but generally downsides overshadow the upsides. Anyhow my personal favorite is Sepigel 305 and its magical if used properly in a formula, hot or cold doesn’t matter.
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Thank you very much guys! Also for the examples. I was evaluating Stabylen 30, a polymeric emulsifier similar to a carbomer with hydrophobic characteristics. I guess it is not so well known as the ones you are mentioning. First it is better to search for formulation restrictions as you suggested
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@>65C, weaker hydrogen bonding!
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