Home Cosmetic Science Talk Formulating Liquid soap clogging pump

  • Liquid soap clogging pump

    Posted by humblebutton on December 31, 2023 at 1:41 pm

    I use the following (approx.) liquid soap recipe:

    54% oils

    13% water

    13% glycerin

    12% KOH

    2% super fat

    2% SLSA

    3% fragrance

    ————————-

    (85-95% of total paste weight) water for dilution

    ————————-

    (.8% total finished weight) salt dissolved in part of dilution water

    I am a self-taught formulator without much experience.

    It works really well, has decent foam, washes well, doesn’t leave residue in the sink, leaves hands feeling nice, doesn’t dry out skin, doesn’t separate, holds scent well and smells good even unscented, and all that good stuff.

    The only issue I’m still having and haven’t been able to find a solution to yet, is that it tends to thicken up and create a “blob” at the end of the pump.

    I asked for advice before and it was suggested that I could try increasing the glycerin. I did this but it decreased the foam quality/quantity and it didn’t stop the “blobbing” from happening. They also suggested posting here for advice.

    I need it to be fairly mild because it’s being used on skin with eczema. It’s not being marketed for that purpose but I, and much of my family have skin issues and I’d just like to be able to use my own soap without having adverse reactions to it. SLS seems to make my skin flair up but the SLSA doesn’t. I don’t know if there’s anything else that does as well or not.

    Has anyone had this “blobbing” issue?

    I was also considering the possibility of using cocamidopropyl betaine for foaming. How does it compare to SLSA? Can it replace the SLSA or be used in conjunction with it?

    Any suggestions/advice is welcome.

    humblebutton replied 4 months ago 2 Members · 2 Replies
  • 2 Replies
  • mikethair

    Member
    December 31, 2023 at 7:14 pm

    Yes indeed, we have experienced this issue since we started manufacturing and exporting in 2009.

    I experimented with various bottle pump types and settled on one. But at the end of the day, the issue was never 100% resolved. But it was never an issue for customers.

    • humblebutton

      Member
      January 1, 2024 at 9:36 pm

      Thank you for this insight.

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