Home Cosmetic Science Talk Formulating Coco Glucoside with lower water content?

  • Coco Glucoside with lower water content?

    Posted by Agate on December 30, 2019 at 3:42 pm
    I would like to incorporate Coco Glucoside in a “self-preserving” formula that I’ve been developing. All the Coco Glucoside I have found for purchase is normally at about 40-60% concentration, with the rest being water. If I could change that ratio to 80% CG / 20% water or ideally lower this would help a lot.
    I am tempted to just boil the water off a small batch to see what happens, but then I’m thinking there must be a reason that I haven’t seen waterless Coco Glucoside for sale.
    So my question is, is there a chemical reason why Coco Glucoside can’t exist without water? And what would the lowest water percentage that one could buy/achieve through modification?
    Agate replied 4 years, 10 months ago 2 Members · 2 Replies
  • 2 Replies
  • chemicalmatt

    Member
    December 30, 2019 at 10:25 pm

    Yup: without water as diluent that surfactant is a gummy mess. 

  • Agate

    Member
    December 30, 2019 at 11:30 pm
    Very interesting, thank you! I’ll have to see if I can work with gummy. At least I don’t seem to be pointlessly trying to break a chemical rule (thinking of the obvious impossibility of acidic shampoos containing soap for example).
    I did a small test with some Coco Glucoside in a fan oven for 3 hours at 50°C, which reduced it to 70% of the original amount. My starting batch had 55% Coco Glucoside, so assuming mostly water evaporated, I should be left with just about an 80/20 ratio. At 50°C it’s less viscous than the original product at room temperature, but I’ll wait to see what happens when it cools down and will try to work with it tomorrow.
    Edit: I just tested a bit of the very gummy scrapings from the sides of the container (near 100% CG?) and some of the presumed 80/20 mix, just washing my hands with them. The lather seems hard to work up and very fine/creamy.

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