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Gummy/oily texture - scrub - need help
Hello,
I am trying for a week now to achieve a gummy texture, replicating a product.
Their ingredients:
aqua
sodium laureth sulphate
pumice
glycerin
cocoamido-propyl betaine
cocoamide DEA
Then crosspolymers etc etc - meaning carbopol or similar
alcohol denat
parfum
peg 40 - h. castor oil
xantham gum
and then preservatives etc that I dont think it matters here.Well, I have tried dozens of different procedures:
hidrate de carbopol first, then last
neutralize first, then last
add more glycerin, less water
burning my brain with this, I cannnot thicken this solution…
This has a nice gummy texture, like an oily gel that slips very well, that togheter with the pumice makes a great exfoliator.
Where am I going wrong?
I am making more or less:
65% water
9% glycerin
9% sles
0.5% carbopol
1%DEA and 1% betaine
0.2%xanthan gumI have tryed several possible ways to make the carbopol gel with the other ingredients, none suceeded.
Carbopol gel is perfect until I add anything else.
please help….
thanks! -
13 Replies
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1. You failed to say which Carbopol you used. This is important.
2. 0.5% looks to be way too much. 0.2% is more normal.
3. Where is the neutralising agent? I see no neutraliser (typically TEA or NaOH) in your list.
4. I assume you mean cocamide DEA. Not a good marketing ingredient to include and unnecessary in this product. -
Neutralized with DEA.
I tried also with 0.2% and its still liquid.
I have tried to make the gel - only water and DEA plus carbopol 940 and it work perfect. Nice clear gel.
But as soon as I add something else the gel goes apart and its liquid again…
Tried to make the opposite. mixe everything but the carbopol and, in the end, add the carbopol plus DEA , no success… -
TEA not DEA - sorry- neutralized with TEA
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Surfactants with 940 carbomer? Does that actually work?
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@Belassi it doesn’t, and therein lies the problem
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Yeah I thought not. Thanks Bill.
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well, i made it!
made a very thick gel (0.8%) then added 5% SLES and 0.3% xanthan gum and 5% glycerin. Stired ir at low speed. Added the preservative , fragance and colour. Perfect sticky gel. In the end added the pumice. I have now a nice exfoliating gel, which when Scrubing and cleaning with water gives a fair amount of bubbles. I’m pround of myself. :smiley: -
And what if instead of carbopol gel I make the gel with something cellulosic?
Like hydroxyethylcelulose? Whats your though on this? -
Sorry, but that won’t work. Crosspolymers are a huge branch and one of the hardest things to figure out when imitating a formula, since you have hundreds that can be named with one name. 940 won’t work, that’s not it’s purpose.
For what you are trying to make I suggest you try this:
10% SLES 70%
10% CAPB
5% glycerin
Qs of salt and citric acid.That’s basically a very simple base formula. You can later add nonionics with moisturising properties for example. Or increase the surfactants for oily skin.
Use HEC if you are going to suspend something, otherwise just skip it.
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You want to make an exfoliating body scrub. OK.
In general, you could use carbomer but it would not be 940, it would be one of the specialist ones that allows back-acid thickening.
Xanthan gum is best used at about 0.2%, too much gives horrible sensorials.
9% glycerine seems excessive, sticky. Try 3%
Use SLES and CAPB. You only need carbomer if you are going to suspend a solid - eg pumice. -
thank you guys!
I want to suspend pumice, yes.
I’ll try with the HEC and reduce the glycerin and xanthan.
I’ll update you on my experiments. -
Check the yield value before you think of suspending anything in the solution.
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very nice, thank you Chemist77
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