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A bit of soap in shampoos?
I’ve noticed some companies (eg.: L’oréal and Unilever) are using a bit of soap in their shampoos - probably to give a rich and creamy lather. An example from Dove/Unilever:
Aqua, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate, Polyacrylate-33, Parfum, Phenoxyethanol, Stearic Acid, Sodium Lauroyl Isethionate, Caprylyl Glycol, Lauric Acid, Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Sodium Hydroxide, Polyquaternium-10, Sodium Tallowate, Tetrasodium Edta, Sodium Isethionate, Sodium Stearate, Etidronic Acid, Sodium Cocoate/Sodium Palm Kernelate.Has anyone tried this “approach”? -
7 Replies
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Usually, the pH of shampoo and the pH of soap are so incompatible that a mixture of the two is not stable, and the soap goes back to its component parts.
My guess is that the companies know this, and find that it is just more palatable for the consumer to list sodium tallowate on the ingredient label, rather than listing tallow (beef fat) and sodium hydroxide. -
That’s an interesting approach. I doubt this product would foam too well though. Is this some kind of 3-in-1 with conditioning and styling in addition to cleansing? This is not a product that would be sold in the US as the word ‘tallow’ isn’t found too often anymore.
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This is a sulphate-free shampoo by the look of it. If we can believe the LOI, those “soap” components would be trace amounts. Notice that stearic acid is is below ‘parfum’ and sodium hydroxide is also there, well, those two combine to make sodium stearate.
The glycinate looks like a very nice surfactant.The Polyacrylate is the thickener. -
By the looks of the formula it seems that it is an opaque formulation and the literature for Polyacrylate-33 mentions that it is incorporated for low to medium surfactant systems. Since it is a HASE polymer I am supposing that the alkali has been used to neutralize the polymer and the fatty acids both. Further I think it would keep that very low amount of soap suspended and even if something goes wrong (in case of fatty acids getting separated and settling down) the styrene/acrylates copolymer would cover it up as it is providing an opaque appearance to the formula.
Just a wild guess though. -
It’s a new shampoo from Unilever to the Brazilian market… It claims to moisture the scalp, “respect” the pH of your skin etc.
But L’oréal has been using a bit of soap in their shampoos as well (sodium cocoate). An example:Aqua/ Water,Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Dimethicone, Coco Betaine, Sodium Chloride, Glycol Distearate, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Cocamide Mipa, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Cocoate, Sodium Hydroxide, Arginine, Salicylic Acid, Limonene, Linalool, 2-Oleamido-1, 3-octadecanediol, Carbomer, Methyl Cocoate, Citric Acid, Hexylene Glycol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Parfum/ Fragrance.It’s a very low amount, but may still have a “foamy impact”. -
soap/surfactant combinations in liquid products is an unusual technology unique to Unilever
the key material is the sodium cocoyl isethionate, as it apparently forms liquid crystals with fatty acids, giving the product a cream-like structure while retaining the foaming properties of a conventional shampoo or bodywash
Unilever have filed numerous patents related this technology - US7807612 (B2) is an illustrative recent example, and makes for interesting reading; also, it’s not just an exercise in theory, as various liquid products in the Dove range are formulated this way
it was something we attempted to replicate in a previous job, but the project was abandoned for practical and IP reasons
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Very interesting Bill, thanks for that.
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