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Help my cleanser lather better - formula within
Just wondering how I can thicken my cleanser formula below and get some more lathering action, right now it creates a too thick IMO lather, more like a gel that turns white: xanthan gum is possibly not the best thickener choice. Any ingredient ideas? Tweaks?
Otherwise It’s a very nice, gentle, pH 4 formula that leaves your skin feeling clean and moist yet not totally stripped as with most soaps.
Distilled Water Decyl Polyglucoside Sodium Cocoamphoacetate Lactic Acid Willow Bark Extract Sodium Lactate Vegetable Glycerin PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract Panthenol Allantoin Niacinamide Phenoxyethanol (and) Caprylyl Glycol (and) Sorbic Acid -
12 Replies
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Try Crothix liquid from Croda, a very versatile thickener designed especially for such surfactant systems.
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Will do I have it at hand, otherwise I’m using 0.5% Xanthan in the current formula.
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This is specifically meant for such surfactant systems and I am sure it would perform much better than xanthan.
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Niacinamide doesn’t do so well below pH5 (hydrolysis).The glucosides don’t tend to thicken well with crothix, try HPMC instead. It takes a long time to hydrate though.Cocamidopropyl betaine is a good foam booster and the electrolytes in it can help with thickening too.
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Since it seems to be a sulfate free formula I am confused if the electrolyte part of CAPB is really going to aid in thickening, though Zink you can try HPMC which might thicken better than Crothix. No harm in trying and letting us know as well.
Cheers
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If you substitute Suganate 160 (APG Sulfonate) from Colonial for your Decyl polyglucoside, it will thicken synergistically with CAPB and salt.
Also, glycerin is a foam suppressant - try using less. -
@Bobzchemist now thats a wow suggestion. Apologies but taking it further from here, I have formulated something similar with a little gold pearl. If I use Aculyn 22 its holding the pearl but without the presence of polymer gel network its settling down even if i am able to increase the viscosity. Do you think a gel network is must to keep these pearls sudpended??? Its a normal pearl like cloissone or timica gold pearl.
Sorry again for encroaching!!!!! -
Suspension ability is a function of yield value/yield stress, not viscosity/thickness. It’s possible to formulate a relatively thin gel with good suspending capacity.
(http://www.lubrizol.com/Home-Care/Documents/Technical-Data-Sheets/TDS-244-Measurement-Understanding-Yield-Value-Personal-Care-Formulations.pdf )How this holds up for high-surfactant formulas isn’t something I’m familiar with. -
@Bobzchemist wonderful explanation.
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Thanks for reminding me about Niacinamide hydrolysis, had forgotten about that, the rate of hydrolysis at pH 4 is still low but better safe than sorry don’t want to trigger any flushing. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jps.2600510710/abstract
Will try HMPC.What humectants are considered good for cleansers? I read that glycerin stays on whereas sodium lactate/pca gets washed off. How about hyrwhatsitsname acid?Anything you guys feel is missing from this formula? I see that most cleanser use propylene glycol, presumable as a humectant and penetration enhancer?
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Hey, @Perry, you want to help out here on types/thickness of foams?
For humectants, I’d stick with glycerin. It’s cheap and it works. Why mess with that?Propylene Glycol, on the other hand, is used in most formulas as a carrier/solvent and sometimes a coupling agent. If you don’t need it, don’t put it in. (That statement should be carved over the door of every R&D lab) -
So hyralonic acid is just hype? I guess it can still be used for gelling at low pH where you don’t want to use xanthan gum and carbomer won’t work well..
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