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How to make emulsions with surfactants?
Hello all,
I have made plenty of emulsions before but never with any surfactants included. Now I want to try making a mild cream cleanser but I’m just a little confused about some basic things, mainly:
1: Do i just put the surfactants in with the water phase, heat it all up and mix together with the heated oil phase, or is there a special way to add surfactants…like during cool down? I have no idea.
2: When mixing, wont the bubbly nature of the surfactants cause an unacceptable amount of bubbles in the end product?I want this to be a VERY mild and VERY softening cleanser, and i plan on using sodium cocoyl isethionate as my primary (or maybe even my only) surfactant and Glyceryl stearate se as my emulsifier, fwiw. Would 25% SCI be too much?Thanks for any tips! -
5 Replies
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Ahh surfactants. There are definitely a few nuances here:
https://chemistscorner.com/what-kinds-of-surfactants-are-used-in-cosmetics/
In sum, they carry charges. And if you pick poorly, you can end up with an emulsion that completely separates due to the detergents. Cationic + Nonionic= OK, Cationic+ anionic= bad. You want to pick two surfactants with different strengths (mild + strong for example, or high sud + low sud) as they complement. Surfactants tend to be less than 20% w/w but be mindful of what you’re using.
I add mine after the emulsification step as the high-sheer tends to cause crazy suds and its just a nice process when added later. But test this theory out yourself and see what you like.
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Ok, good to know I can add surfactants either during or after the emulsification step.
However my current predicament is a bit complicated because of my choice of SCI, which i usually have to dissolve in a much higher % of water. So im not sure the best way to go about it with SCI…i’m assuming i couldnt just add the SCI powder straight into the emulsion without first
dissolving it, right? -
You can purchase SCI that is pre-dissolved. No, you cannot just put SCI powder directly in your cream … it will not dissolve w/o substantial heat + time.
Why don’t you use a surfactant that is easier to incorporate such as Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate (paste).
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@MarkBroussard do you know where i can purchase this pre-dissolved SCI? That sounds like an incredibly convenient option, i’d love to have it. Is it the same as this buttery form of SCI from this website?
https://www.theherbarie.com/SCI-Pearl-Surfactant.html
i’m using it because i find it to have unique properties that no other surfactant has, even its liquid cousin SLMI.
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If it’s a paste, then it should work in adding it to the cream post-emulsification
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