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Lets talk about waxes, oils, and butters.
I would like to know more about how the different properties of waxes, oils and butters impact formulas.
Melting temperature is an obvious one, the higher it is the harder it will be at room temperature. (Generally, at least)
But what about everything else?
What does acid value bring to a formula? Or Ester value? What about carbon chain length (which is also applicable to emollients)? Is saponification value important if you’re not making soap? I know when replacing things like this in formulas you want similar stats, but why?This chunk of formulation information is totally missing in my brain and I can’t seem to find many resources that explain any of it. I find many resources that catalog these properties and tell me what units they are measured in but none that explain why they are important.
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10 Replies
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Honestly, this is a huge topic and one which would quickly exceed the “band width” of a blog. There are numerous texts and credible resources from which to get “book knowledge” which you would follow-up with hands on experience. This question is analogous to “tell me about every possible condiment and flavoring used in cooking” in the following responses. Credible resources coupled with experience is the secret. There is no short cut.
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Here was a Starting summary article to use as a jumping off point; https://www.personalcaremagazine.com/story/20766/ingredients-focus-cosmetic-waxes-and-butters
https://www.personalcaremagazine.com/story/20771/formulating-with-natural-waxes-and-butters
https://www.personalcaremagazine.com/story/13988/analysis-of-cosmetic-waxes-and-butters
As you can see I cite the same source over and over. There are also plenty of other references out there.
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Thank you for the starting point, @Microformulation ! I guess my Google-fu isn’t as good as it used to be.
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Google is a horrible source. What many people don’t understand is that google itself uses internal marketing algorithms. Go to a few “natual” beauty blogs and outlets and soon you will see that Google almost always directs you to EWG (a horrible source) as a first citation. Google Scholar is better but ultimately trade magazines and credible blogs are your best resources.
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@Microformulation, thanks for the resources
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And don’t forget the excellent book on the subject
Unfortunately, it is an Allured book so it is currently out of print. But if you can find a copy, it’s worth it.
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Shame it’s out of print, I don’t think I can convince management here to spend $170 on a book!
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If you are a member of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists, you can download the pdf version for free.
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I’m personally not, but I think there is someone on the team who is. That solves that problem. Thanks Perry!
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The benefits of SCC Membership!
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