• Formulating

  Emulsion White, Sometimes Off-White

  Posted by JackDerrington on October 22, 2020 at 1:54 am

  Hi All,

  I am trying to isolate what’s causing a cream formulation to be white instead of off-white.

  Key ingredients:

  Water
  Cetearyl Alcohol, Polysorbate 60 (Emulsifying Wax)
  Avocado Oil ~5%
  Sunflower Seed Oil ~8%
  Shea Butter ~6%

  The shea butter is refined and white. This formula resulted in a very white cream, but after a few months and revisiting, the results are off-white and/or beige. I assume one of the oils may be a slightly darker shade, perhaps…

  But in general, what impacts the color of the emulsion/cream? The oils? If there is nothing otherwise that’s coloring…

  Thanks!

  Pharma replied 3 years, 6 months ago 2 Members · 1 Reply
• 1 Reply

• 

  Pharma

  Member

  October 22, 2020 at 7:28 pm

  Break the stored emulsion (heat till separated or centrifuge) to see whether the oil and/or water phase changed colour. Else, it’s simply your emulsion getting old = droplets increase in size and therefore light scattering reduces which reduces the illusion of an emulsion being white.

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