• Formulating

  Hand cream with soaping effect

  Posted by debbie890 on October 25, 2025 at 5:29 am

  Hi everyone! I made a hand cream for dry skin which is taking too much time to be fully absorbed by the skin. As far as I know emulsifiers contribute to this problem if they are used excessively and I am not sure if that is the case with this formula. Here it is:

  Aqua 73.9%

  Glycerin 2.5%

  Xanthan gum 0.3%

  Ceteareth 20 1.3%

  GMS SE 3.7%

  Shea butter 7%

  Sunflower oil 4%

  Sweet almond oil 4%

  Cetearyl alcohol 2%

  BHT 0.05%

  Phenoxyethanol + EHG 1%

  Fragrance 0.25%

  Fekher replied 5 minutes ago 4 Members · 3 Replies
• 3 Replies

• 

  molecularbiologist

  Member

  October 27, 2025 at 3:31 pm

  It’s often the type of the emulsifiers and structuring agents that causes soaping. You can simply include 1-2% dimethicone 100 to eliminate soaping. If that doesn’t completely eliminate soaping, you could also include 5% pentylene glycol, 1-6% isoamyl laurate, 1-2% isopropyl myristate, all of which will reduce soaping and dramatically enhance the skin penetration. The soaping has nothing to do with skin penetration.

  You could use lotionpro 165 with gms non-se. The aforementioned changes will lower the viscosity of the emulsion, so you’ll have to increase the concentrations of both lotionpro 165 and gms non-se. A higher concentration of gms non-se will produce a perception of faster absorption and a drier feeling.

  I wouldn’t use xanthan gum but you don’t have any hydrophilic actives, so it’s OK.

  Your oil phase is too heavy (7% shea?). For a hand cream, I’d only use 2-5% macadamia oil and 1-3% petrolatum, in addition to the fatty acid esters I mentioned above.

• 

  Graillotion

  Member

  October 27, 2025 at 5:37 pm

  As mentioned,…. dimethicone is typically the ‘one and done’ solution. the emulsifier is also a player, consider working through a few different ones.

  As mentioned….can’t imagine that much shea, making for a nice product???

  Here is a thread where you might be able to glean some insight:

  Thinking outside the box on soaping. - Chemists Corner

  • This reply was modified 1 day, 16 hours ago by  Graillotion.

  

  chemistscorner.com

  Thinking outside the box on soaping. - Chemists Corner

  First let me say, I have no issues with soaping, I use the Gold standard, the Silver standard, and the Bronze standard and the participation…

• 

  Fekher

  Member

  October 29, 2025 at 10:26 am

  i already use very similar emulsifiers system and it didn’t soap really .however my suspect is more in xanthan gum many gums cause some soaping…
  About the level of Shea butter i guess it can be fine for hand but for faster penetration you can reduce it and use some light oils.

  • This reply was modified 2 minutes ago by  Fekher.
  • This reply was modified 1 minute ago by  Fekher.

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