-
Issues with HEC to thicken face cream
Hello all,
Background: I’ve been trying to create a face cream which is light on the skin yet has a creamy texture. I’ve tried 6 versions of my formula so far. Currently the version I have feels ok on the skin (maybe a tad sticky, for which I plan to reduce glycerin by 0.7% and replace that with sodium lactate instead). But otherwise, it isn’t coming out creamy. Since my oil phase is quite low, I need a thickener that will aid in bulking up, but wont feel draggy at ALL.
I decided to try HEC for this but I’m new to working with it and I’ve read up quite a bit about hydrating it, yet I feel a bit lost on how to go about using it in a lotion. Most literature seems to be for making a gel out of it and then adding the gel to thicken the formula. I see some formulas made with HEC added to the oil phase and then continued with the normal lotion process of mixing heated oil and water phases.
What I did was disperse the HEC in glycerin, add part of the water phase (roughly equivalent to 30% of the formula), then stirred occasionally and let it hydrate for about 25-30 mins before adding this slightly thickened slurry into the heated water phase (using the remainder of the water) (to which all the other powders have already been added and mixed), and then adding the heated oil phase, mixing with a spatula before homogenizing.
Currently, my formula feels thick enough but the texture is all wrong. It has pulled in a lot of air even though a homogenizer was used (I’m guessing the HEC is somehow the reason here?). The end result is a bubbly weird “cream” which feels fine when applied but looks awful and doesn’t feel good when scooping. (SEE PIC)
Can someone please guide me on how to make this formula with the same amount of HEC, as in HOW DO I HYDRATE IT and which stage do I add it into the mix?
79.05% Distilled Water
0.30% Sodium Gluconate
3.00% Niacinamide
0.10% Aloe Vera 200x Powder
0.25% Moringa Powder
1.00% Arrowroot Powder
1.50% Glycerin
0.70% Hydroxyethyl Cellulose
2.00% Macadamia Nut Oil
2.00% Olive Squalane
3.00% Coco Caprylate Caprate
2.50% Montanov 68
2.00% Cetyl Alcohol
1.00% Green Tea Extract
0.10% Rosemary Oleoresin Extract
1.00% Geogard ECT
0.15% Clary Sage EO
0.13% Juniper Berry EO
0.13% Palmarosa EO
<google-sheets-html-origin></google-sheets-html-origin><google-sheets-html-origin></google-sheets-html-origin><google-sheets-html-origin></google-sheets-html-origin>
0.10% Frankincense EO
-
12 Replies
-
HEC is mostly used in personal lubes because it has very slippery feel. Not sure you want it in a face cream. I would suggest switching to Xanthan Gum Soft or even better some synthetic polymer like Sepimax Zen or Aristoflex.
But if we look even deeper to the original intention. You want to make your face cream creamier. Usually we use oil thickeners for this. Cetyl Alcohol is the one who gives this creaminess feel without making the cream heavy,
-
Hi, thanks for the suggestion. I’ve tried another version with xanthan gum and found it too snotty for my liking. I cannot get Sepimax Zen and Aristoflex where I live.
I did try another version with more cetyl alcohol but this felt a bit heavy personally for the face.
Can I please get some guidance on how to hydrate the HEC for this formulation so I can try out this formula with that and see if it serves my purpose?
-
Xanthan Gum has different grades. You need Xanthan Gum Soft. And definitely not the food grade.
Why do you even want to hydrate HEC? Just put it to oil phase, it gonna hydrate itself during emulsification.
-
I’m not able to find the Soft grade so easily here with suppliers. They have only two kinds as far as I’ve seen - labelled “Xanthan Gum” or “Xanthan Gum Transparent”.
Any idea why I’m having the bubbly texture in my formulation? I thought it might be because the HEC was not hydrated correctly.
-
I suspect “Xanthan Gum Transparent” is another name for Soft grade in your suppliers list.
I assume the reason it bubbles is the very high amount of HEC. The product is just too thick and bubbles can’t get out
-
This reply was modified 2 months, 2 weeks ago by fareloz.
-
I doubt it’s the thickness trapping the bubbles. I tried another version where I’d reduced it to 0.6% (had reduced the main oils also a little bit). That formula didn’t thicken as much and was a lotion consistency but still was full of bubbles. I tried hitting it repeatedly to try and remove the trapped air but no luck. It’s a bubbly lotion. I really don’t know how to work with HEC!!!
Would it work to hydrate the HEC in water and letting it sit overnight to get a clear gel and then adding it to thicken a lotion and get it to a creamy consistency without the bubbles???
-
This reply was modified 2 months, 2 weeks ago by
-
-
-
-
To reduce the bubbles, you can either add some dimethicone or replace your Montanov 68 with a different emulsifier, like PEG-100 stearate (and) Glyceryl stearate.
-
So are you saying it is not because of the HEC? I’m not sure I understand how changing the emulsifier might help? Could you please explain?
Also, I wanted to keep the formula “natural” for some personal reasons and do not want to use dimethicones.. Any alternatives that you think might do the same thing? I’ve tried using Isoamyl Laurate earlier in one of the versions at various percentages, and the cream felt too slick and slippy, which is not the feel I was going for. I suspect dimethicone or an equivalent might do the same?
And what is your suggestion for working with the HEC - how do I hydrate and incorporate it???
-
-
Bubbles like that form usually when the batch size is too small or when you introduce too much air during homogenization.
What is your batch size?
Can you send a picture of your homogenizer.
When i make samples of less than 500g with a hand mixer i face this problem too. Not with big batches.
-
I did doubt this too. I make 100g batches for trial. But I ensure the homogenizer is completely submerged and take a beaker that is tall and narrow so the head of the homogenizer doesn’t ever peep out. I use the Misceo 250P.
How would you hydrate HEC personally to use in creams? Is the percentage I’m using too high? I’ve seen lotion formulas (mind you, lotion not cream!) posted by some containing 2% HEC 😮 So I didn’t think 0.7% would be a big deal in my formula! And that lotion did not have any bubbles at all! Why on earth does mine have so many?! If I try not homogenizing only occasionally, and otherwise using a spatula to stir, I get a thin lotion consistency which is definitely not I want. But even then there’re a LOT of bubbles in it, unlike my usual lotions without HEC!
-
Add HEC after emulsion is made add it to some cold water,then to emulsion and as ketchito said increase the pH to 9, viscosity will increase in a few minutes, then reduce pH again.
How long can this homogenizer work continually?
-
This reply was modified 2 months, 2 weeks ago by Abdullah.
-
This reply was modified 2 months, 2 weeks ago by
-
-
-
Can you try not homogenizing the HEC but mixing it with something more simple, like a small turbine with blades? Also, after 5 min of mixing, you could add some base (like NaOH) to help hydrate the HEC, but lowering the mixing speed.
Log in to reply.