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SOLUBILIZE 5% CAFFEIN IN AQUOUS MEDIUM
Hi everyone!
I hope someone can help me….
I am reformulating a 5% caffein aquous solution cause the Sodium benzoate restriction use (0,5%). Has anyone experience with this or know any book that can help managing it?Thank you!!!
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12 Replies
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Caffeine is only soluble in room temp water to 2%. You haven’t said how you got 5% to dissolve.
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We get it using 7% of sodium benzoate but then we realize it’s not legal !!! So I don’t know if there exist a combination of other ingredients that rise the caffein solubility…. I have checked the caffein’s solubility in different solvents and it is said that dichloromethane is 0,532M (water 0,105M). But it’s a cocktal for mesotherapy so I guess it could be toxic….isn’t it?
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Exactly. I don’t see a way you can get more than 2% into solution. Even then it’s going to drop out if the storage temp drops very much, since it appears to be highly dependent on temp. You might consider the use of similar stimulants such as quinine. After checking this page there is no way I would want to be associated with the risks.
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Is that 0.5% sodium benzoate figure absolute or does it apply to its use as a preservative?
Either way, do you really need 5% caffeine in your product?
Caffeine forms a water soluble complex with vanillin (1:1 equimolecular) and with niacinamide (1:1). You might want to consider those.
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I ought to point out that the vanillin/caffeine complex is the subject of an obscure Japanese patent. There has been no attempt to expand the area of coverage so the patent only applies to Japan.
Niacinamide/caffeine complexes were subject to patents but these are expired.
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We were using sodium benzoate to solubilize caffein. Thank you very much for your contributions! I would have a go
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Sorry this is an old thread but I have been looking into the topic myself and found this product which contains 5% caffeine:
http://theordinary.com/product/rdn-caffeine-solution-5pct-egcg-30ml
Can anyone weigh in on how they are getting such a high amount to dissolve safely? -
Look at the LOI: propanediol and Dimethyl isosorbide look kind of interesting…
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It’s intended for the skin but I’m toying with the idea of using it as a scalp serum to stimulate hair growth, having been unable to find an actual scalp product which doesn’t have some irritating ingredient or other. How it will work for such an application I’m unsure, will have to try and determin whether it feels sticky. Anyway, I thought it may be of interest to the original poster.
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Thank you, it sounds interesting! I will try it with propanediol and Dimethyl isosorbide. Being in the label after the caffeine means that have to be < 5%.
I will let you know when we get results. Thank you
Mmmm…. for stimulate the hair I recomend you hidro-alcoholic solution (for avoid stickyness) and adding a polyquaternium (conditioner). Salycilic acid and biotin can help you for stimulate hair growth
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You may want to consider niacinamide or vanillin or mixtures of these (as mentioned in my previous replies here). Niacinamide is a well known skin care ingredient.
Thank you, it sounds interesting! I will try it with propanediol and
Dimethyl isosorbide. Being in the label after the caffeine means that
have to be < 5%.It could be that propanediol is present at 4.9999%. Don’t forget glycerin is there as well. Maltodextrin may also have a solvent effect on caffeine. MD might be there at 4.9998% and glycerin at 4.9997%. I’m not suggesting that this is the real situation, just as an illustration as to how we can be lisled by a LOI. DMI is way down the list so it would be reasonable to forget that as an important solvent in this product.
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I have come across several discussion forums where people cite a study in which it was found that too much caffeine was actually detrimental to hair follicles. However, I seem to have drawn a blank in trying to find said study. I know Alpecin uses around 2% in their shampoo, much less in their leave on product. On the other hand I have found hair preparations (leave on) which have as much as 6% caffeine but this is from a company which is rather well known for creating skin and hair products with astoundingly high levels of actives to create marketing hype. Does anyone have any information on this front?
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