Home Cosmetic Science Talk Formulating Cosmetic Industry Hydrogenated Castor Oil

  • Hydrogenated Castor Oil

    Posted by mayiknow on March 15, 2016 at 3:40 am

    Hay all

    i wanna to know more about the function of Hydrogenated Castor Oil,

    1. it’s safe or no, if i mix just with oil phase (as we know function HCO is as emulsifier w/o)
    2. if i use HCO in oilbased pomade, it will have expired period ? 
    KingRoland78 replied 5 years ago 11 Members · 15 Replies
  • 15 Replies
  • chemicalmatt

    Member
    March 15, 2016 at 8:37 pm

    HCO is quite safe to use mayiknow - don’t believe what you read in internet posts that associate it with the poison Ricin, which is derived from castor oil. By itself it is not an emulsifier however - you CAN believe that. It will be miscible with most polar oils. Historical note: PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil is thought to be the first ethoxylated nonionic emulsifier introduced to industry, by BASF back in the post-WWII era.

  • mayiknow

    Member
    March 16, 2016 at 4:30 am

    Thank a lot Chemicalmatt, however sometimes when i mix HCO in oil phase and pomade already cooling down, i get little oil not harden well with the wax, how to solve its problem ?

  • Margaret2

    Member
    March 16, 2016 at 2:23 pm

    Perhaps you should heat the hydrogenated castor oil along with the rest of the oil phase versus adding it  when the pomade is cooling down. 

  • bobzchemist

    Member
    March 16, 2016 at 4:19 pm

    I agree with @Magreat, HCO is a wax, why would you add it on cool-down?

  • bill_toge

    Member
    March 16, 2016 at 8:04 pm

    agree with both of the previous posters - plus, it’s got a very high melting point, so if you add it in the cooldown there’s a real risk it won’t fully melt

  • bobzchemist

    Member
    March 16, 2016 at 10:54 pm

    Just in case you’re confused.

    Castor Oil is an emollient liquid. Hydrogenate it and you get Hydrogenated Castor Oil, a hard, high melt point wax. Further modify the HCO, and you get PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, which is an emulsifier and solubilizer.
    3 different molecules. 3 different functions and physical characteristics. Not the slightest bit interchangeable.
  • mayiknow

    Member
    March 17, 2016 at 7:23 am

    yaa, i already mix all together with high temperature (around 85C-100C),
    i mean when the mixture cooling down, i get oil not harden well with wax,

    and how about the expired period guys, ?
    should i to add preservatives for that ?

  • gfeldman

    Member
    March 17, 2016 at 3:38 pm

    @chemicalmatt thanks for the fun fact on the “PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil!”

  • bill_toge

    Member
    March 17, 2016 at 5:37 pm

    when dissolved in oil, hydrogenated castor oil forms a gel structure and doesn’t harden

    (this is why it helps stabilise W/O emulsions - it gels the oil phase, gives it some zero-shear viscosity, and prevent the droplets of the water phase from moving while at rest)

    if you want to make your pomade harder, try something else like beeswax or carnauba wax

  • mayiknow

    Member
    March 18, 2016 at 3:39 am

    Perfect!!, thank you @Bill_Toge

    i want to make a pomade heavy but easy to scoop, and HCO solve it

  • jiroband

    Member
    March 30, 2016 at 6:35 pm

    Adding Cera bellina ( INCI: Polyglycerol-3 Beeswax) can be helpful in getting oils, butters, and waxes to blend together more uniformly and smoothly. It’s great for creating oil gels and increasing stability. 


  • Clark

    Member
    April 3, 2016 at 2:24 am

    good stuff here - took me MONTHS to realize “Hydrogenated Castor Oil” and “PEG-40 HCO” are two totally different things. HCO is a flaky wax where as PEG-40 is a goop. Real scientific descriptions I know - hope that distinction is clear.

  • gnomebeard

    Member
    June 28, 2018 at 7:24 pm

    I have Castor Jelly from Essential Wholesale and Labs.  It includes hydrogenated castor oil and castor oil.  

    https://www.essentialwholesale.com/product/1528/castor-jelly?gclid=Cj0KCQjwjtLZBRDLARIsAKT6fXx0dYTr2sJbEaVQQhN7Rurf8X2twSZPFRw4XXdwjPg9gU3NpQtWjPoaAgniEALw_wcB

  • amitvedakar

    Member
    June 29, 2018 at 6:41 am
    useful for oil containing formulation. stop them from separating.    
    More grade available.

  • KingRoland78

    Member
    March 24, 2019 at 10:32 pm

    @bobzchemist @bill_toge @gnomebeard

    I also purchased castor jelly from Essential Wholesale & Labs.  I use it in an oil-based pomade I make and wondering if I can substitute it with castor wax.  

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