• Advanced Questions

  How to get HPMC/CMC to not separate

  Posted by sohaibbg on January 3, 2022 at 7:55 pm

  I make a sulfate free shampoo for limited sale. Till now Guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride had sufficed as a thickener, but recently there is a demand to incorporate Salicylic Acid in the shampoo 

  To accommodate the very low pH of 4, I’ve tried both CMC and HPMC in the following formula:

  Item %

  Water 78.90375

  PQ-7 0.7

  Panthenol B5 0.1

  PEG-7 GC 0.7

  ARS Oil 0.3

  Vit E 0.1

  HPMC 0.5

  Coco Glucoside 5.88049

  Decyl Glucoside 4.22576

  CAPB 5.39

  Salicylic Acid 2

  Phenoxyethanol 0.6

  Potassium Sorbate 0.3

  Fragrance 0.3

  HPMC in distilled water heated to 60°C and sprinkled into a vortex separates over the course of an hour. When filled in a transparent bottle, the top third is thickened and the solution below is thin as water.

  Does anyone have experience using HPMC at such pH levels?

  sohaibbg replied 2 years, 11 months ago 2 Members · 4 Replies

  • cationic-guar-gum
  • cmc
  • hpmc
  • salicylic acid
  • thickener
• 4 Replies

• 

  sohaibbg

  Member

  January 3, 2022 at 7:58 pm

  I’m also curious as to the difference between CMC and HPMC. There did not appear functional differences between the two. Also would GHPC remain a good fit for this formula or not?

• 

  ketchito

  Member

  January 4, 2022 at 7:16 pm

  @sohaibbg GHPC would work better in a anionic formula, but it depends if you want not only conditioning but also clarity. I never liked celluloses because they don’t give much yield value, you could try some of the Carbopols or Synthalens designed for low pH systems. 

• 

  sohaibbg

  Member

  January 4, 2022 at 9:01 pm

  I will update after trying out “Emrapol 940” that is locally available and seems similar to Carbopol 940 (although detail is sparse online)

• 

  sohaibbg

  Member

  January 15, 2022 at 12:59 am

  wet hpmc initially for longer and up percentage to 1.3% works, hpmc appears, from documentation, less compatible with APGs, hence increasing percentage may help. I will however be switching to emrapol 940 due to it contributing a desired lubrication effect while shampooing, good against hair breakage.

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