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How about we make a Top Ten list for posterity? Topic …. Barrier function.
On and off for the past couple of years, I have tried to help beginners on various forums, to create better products. One thing you can almost guarantee with beginner formulas are too little humectants, and not even a conceptual idea of barrier function. Other than their propensity to load them up with grease, they give the proverbial blank stare when you ask about barrier function, which I consider one of the cornerstones of making an emulsified moisturizer.
So…. Let me hear you shout out what you feel is both the most efficient barrier….and let’s spice things up with tossing in haptics. Some barrier functions will feel like exactly that….a barrier. Some can do a bit less effective job but can do it without hardly being detectable (the Ace up your sleave ingredient).
So here are the list parameters: List however many you choose to mention, and list them in order of effectiveness. Then off to the side…. mention those that are most intrusive….and those that get the job done…in an almost undetectable manner.
Have fun….and consider your efforts a gift the the next generation.
Aloha.
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2 Replies
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I guess I’ll start…. I suspect the hands down winner and king of barrier will be petrolatum. As EDTA is the King of chelates, I suspect petrolatum will be crowned the King of barriers. From the inception of my formulating forays, I have used neither EDTA nor petrolatum. Neither one do I have an issue with, just didn’t want to be in the same ‘box’ as every other formulator. I also wanted to target a piece of the market that might frown on these ingredients. So, for chelate, I have only used GLDA. Barrier has been another story… Since I chosen the road less traveled, and I have a tendency to complicate things vs make them simple….AND…I want the barrier to be imperceptible, I have focused on using the following barriers tools in synergy:
Acai Sterols …. Feels just like Vaseline…and gives what I feel is almost the same barrier punch as petrolatum… but due to it’s viscosity…must be used in moderation
Squalane Wax … Vitaly turned me on to this product a year ago… Simply a OMG moment, that ranks right there with my first encounter with Polymethylsilsesquioxane. Squalane wax comes out of Spain, and once you let this slip into your skin….you’ll wonder where the word ‘wax’ fits in. Think of it as the best natural plant butter….you were never able to find.
Floraesters K-20W Jojoba … Well….simply…how can you make anything without this guy???
Dimethicone Kill two birds with one stone here….add a little barrier, and rest assured you have no soaping.
Life doesn’t get any better.The last group, I’ll just lump together as the provide a little, but not much: behenyl alcohol, cetyl palmitate and Myristyl myristate. These are added for structure and haptics, and a little barrier comes along for the ride.
Aloha.
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Those ingredients sound so cool , I didn’t even know about the existence of that Squalane Wax and Acai Sterile ???? , thanks for sharing
Other ingredients that have good barrier properties are
Lanolin
less effective than petrolatum but still great
Niacinamide
not actually a barrier , but has been found to also reduce effectively TEWL
Mineral oil
Again less efective than petrolatum but better skin feel and easy to work withAnd that’s it , sorry my recomendatios aren’t as elegant as yours
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