Home Cosmetic Science Talk Formulating General Foreign Matter identification

  • Foreign Matter identification

    Posted by Lucylu747 on August 6, 2018 at 11:40 am

    Hi There, we have an issue in our production facility in that when we make certain products with no viscosity (such as some toners or room sprays) the products develop a sediment of small particles over time that float around at the base of the product.  The bulk is filtered with a 10 micron filter at production so it is not contamination from a raw material, but rather a particle that is developing over time.  It appears as small grey or black particles.  They also do not occur consistently and some batches will develop them and some will not.  They occur at room temperature after anywhere from 3-6 months.  Does anyone have any idea what they could be - does a particular ingredient in this formulation stand out as the cause?  We suspected metal ions and increased the chelating agent in the product but it didn’t help.  Alternatively does anyone know of a laboratory we can send a sample to that could possibly identify this foreign particle?  This is the formulation of a toner that is sometime affected.

    RAW
    MATERIAL
    %
    Aqua 84.01
    Hamamelis
    Virginiana Water
    5
    Rosa
    Centifolia Flower Water
    5
    Propylene
    Glycol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Diazolidinyl Urea
    1
    Propylene
    Glycol
    1
    Glycereth-26 1
    Disodium
    EDTA
    0.8
    Polysorbate-80 0.7
    PEG-40
    Hydrogenated Castor Oil
    0.5
    Parfum 0.4
    Benzophenone-4 0.2
    Allantoin 0.1
    Camellia
    Sinensis Leaf Extract, Bambusa Vulgaris Shoot Extract, Propylene Glycol
    0.1
    Cetrimonium
    Chloride, Isopropyl Alcohol
    0.05
    Citric
    Acid
    0.05
    Sodium
    Hydroxide
    0.05
    CI
    42090
    0.015
    CI
    19140
    0.009
    CI
    17200
    0.005
    Hydrolyzed
    Silk
    0.01
    Bisabolol 0.005
      100.00
    Sibech replied 6 years, 7 months ago 3 Members · 3 Replies
  • 3 Replies
  • Gunther

    Member
    August 6, 2018 at 8:10 pm

    What are the CIs?

    Please try without the plant extracts, or try adding some antioxidant like BHT to see if it works.
    You may need to wait several months to get the answer, so try to make as many different test batches as you can.

  • Lucylu747

    Member
    August 8, 2018 at 7:01 am

    Hi Gunther.  The CIs are colour pigments.

  • Sibech

    Member
    August 8, 2018 at 5:42 pm
    CI 42090 - Brilliant Blue FCF
    CI 19140 - Tartrazine yellow
    CI 17200 - Acid Red 33

    All of which are water-soluble dyes, not pigments.
    Does the colour of the product change during/after precipitation

    Seeing as you have to wait for several months you can add antioxidants as @Gunther suggested and do a knock-out (removing one ingredient) with all possible ingredients (except water of course)?

Log in to reply.

Chemists Corner