Hi,
I am in the process of making a light weight sodium lactate cream. Below is my formula
Water. 75. 2
Grapeseed oil. 7
Caprylic triglycerides. 3
Sodium lactate 5
Propylene glycol 4
Arlacel 1.5
cetyl alcohol. 1
sclerotium gum. 1.5
Sepimax Zen 0.5
Hydroxy ethyl cellulose. 0.3
Citric acid/lactic acid to adjust pH
Phenoxyethanol + EHG(Euxyl PE 9010). 1
My question is how do I add the thickeners - sclerotium gum, sepimax zen and HEC.
In my first trial, after emulsification I made a slurry of 1.5% sclerotium gum and then added to the emulsified formula while blending with stick blender.
But I prefer more viscosity and little different texture so I added 0.5% sepimax zen. From what I read about zen, blending will disrupt the gel. So I just added it to the cream, after leaving it for overnight, hand stirred it.
I want the final product to be more firm, so I added 0.3% HEC slurry, left it for few hours.
On hand stirring the following, I could see gel globules here and there.
So now I used my blender for few minutes to get an uniform product. However, I do see few very small gel globules here and there.
P. S I did love the skin feel and I wish to repeat it.
Can anyone please simplify this entire thickeners adding process. Do I add all three in heated oil phase and melt it and then blend after adding Water phase to oil.? Can same shear be used for all three thickeners? Or is there any other way to do then please let me know.
Thanks.
Comments
I want it to be of cream consistency suitable for cream jars, as well as of light texture.
You mean to say add the thickeners to water phase and blend them in and then proceed with the heating of phases and mixing?
(Other gums are ok with high shear)
You are also missing antioxidant. Grapeseed oil does easily oxidise, so your cream would not last long time.
Hope that helps
I was just searching forum for help on preventing pilling /balling your reply is a savior.
Zen is not electrolyte resistant...just more tolerant than the others. With that much sodium lactate....I think you need to stick with the gums.... Try Solagum AX, as I think this one is a little less likely to have the 'pilling' effect. I am not a gum fan....so I typically don't ever add gums above .25%.
I think Aristoflex AVC give the best haptics...but is one of the most sensitive to the electrolytes, but I have done numerous experiments, and found I can do a blended humectant program with 1.5% sodium lactate, and a mix of others with no ill effect on the gelling. So also consider lowering the Sodium lactate, and doing a polymeric/gum blend.
I always add my polymerics to the oil phase, before heating. They just hang out there....doing nothing until the phases are combined. I do not enjoy working with super thick water phases. The .25% gum...will already make my water phase as thick as I want to deal with.
Texture and viscosity need to come from multiple angles...or you will get a very monolithic end product.... So you don't want a huge amount of gelling agents if you want a cream gell. Just enough to make the cream have something special. I like to use cetyl esters blended with behenyl alcohol...this is where I feel I get the best creams. Straight up cetyl for me...gives too unctuous a feel for a face cream.....ok for body and hand.
165 does not give as much viscosity as some of the others...consider adding 1% of Montanov 202 or (God forgive me) OliveM 1000 (M 68 can be subbed for OM 1000)....these will also increase the viscosity. The latter will make it much heavier....and the former...much lighter.
Aloha.
IMHO...HEC is just gross...and only used when it is about the only choice (cationics)....just my opinion.
Your Zen level...is also on the 'about to be gross' level. At .5% and above...it gets a nasty jiggle to it. But maybe the Sodium lactate broke your zen...so you did not notice. Aristo and EMT 10 will not jiggle like jello at those levels.
Just mix the water, the Sodium Lactate, and the polymeric....shear it together, (at the levels you will formulate at) and observe for 24 hours.
Mystery solved. My genius mentor says... if there is an incompatibility...it will manifest itself very quickly.
One more qtn pls.. If I use emulsifiers that add viscosity and then include additional fatty alcohols, do I still add any thickener for better stability of end product? If the total oil phase is at 10%
To put it also in another way, imagine those things
Gum, polymer = net
Emulsifier = trap
So emulsifier traps all the oil droplets and prevents them from clumping back together. Where the gum net prevents those emulsified droplets from moving. So they stay put -> harder for them to clump again. This means you get the best stability. Some rheology modifiers (gum, polymers) are better, some worse. Some can stabilize bigger particles, some won't stabilize those at all.
So your formula should look similar to this for O/W emulsion:
Water
Humectant - preferably
Water compatible rheology modifier
Lipid
High HLB non-ionic emulsifier (preferable blend for better packing)
(Also good to have a little bit of anionic emulsifier, but if you're using salt, no point)
Antioxidant (if required)
Chelating agent - preferably
Preservative
+ added extras, such as extracts, fragrance, actives etc ...
Aloha.