Home Cosmetic Science Talk Formulating Ethyl Palmate

  • johnb

    Member
    November 11, 2016 at 10:11 am

    I have looked at the patents referred to in the Greenshield website and I am unable to find any real purpose for including ethyl palmate. Most of the examples given in each of the patents do not contain the material and in those that do, the amount is very low.

    The patents are fine examples of obfuscation and demonstrate (eventually) comletely unrealistic formulations.

    In the LOI of the quoted product thus:

    Water,
    Acetic Acid (Organic),
    Ethyl Alcohol (Organic),
    Cyamopsis
    Tetragonaloba Gum (Organic Guar Gum),
    Fragrance (Organic),
    Sodium
    Hydroxide,
    Sodium Carbonate,
    Calcium Chloride,
    Ethyl Palmate (Organic),

    Silica

    Note that acetic acid reacts with sodium hydroxide and sodium carbonate; sodium hydroxide and sodium carbonate react with calcium chloride.

    So, what is there in the final mixture?

    Sodium acetate - something granny may have used as a cleaning agent (formed from vinegar and sodium hydroxide and carbonate), possibly sodium palmate (soap) from the decomposition of ethyl palmate by sodium hydroxide.

    The key ingredients of each of the patents is soapberry or soapberry extract. This is strangely missing from the pack LOI in the link you gave.

  • Chemist77

    Member
    November 11, 2016 at 2:21 pm

    I doubt if they have mentioned the complete LOI, if it is high pH product solely depending on alkalis then I don’t think that calcium chloride is needed here until and unless you have used few enzymes which would be stabilized by it. The silica of course is an abrasive here if I am not mistaken, that ethyl palmate again is to control the suds here and used as a hydrotrope, I use potassium cocoate in such household and industrial formulations. Suds (foam) has to be controlled here as it is machine recipe and you don’t want your machine overflowing with foam. 
    I am not sure how efficient is this green thing. 

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