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MakingSkinCare’s HLB Calculator (Thanks!)
Hi everyone!
After getting some serious education on the HLB system (my hair gel project got put on hold) I finally attempted to an emulsion using the HLB system. I wanted to thank @MakingSkinCare for providing such a great calculator tool available for free. The software is expensive and I don’t have access to it for home, out of curiosity projects. I’m glad this is out there. I made the classic emulsifier using Polysorbate 80 and Sorbitan Oleate to make a quick lotion. I must say I was extremely excited when I succeeded because I tried the combination before using my own calculations and failed miserably. Like a dork brain I forgot to add a thickener so it wasn’t very thick, but still makes a great sprayable lotion. Adding Behenyl Alcohol (3.5%) after the emulsion didn’t help too much help either. I’m still in my infancy stages of cosmetic chemistry (I was pre-med before deciding to change career fields) so I still have that child like wonder 8->.
So question-In this formula I added Cetyl Palmitate (2%) and Myristyl Myristate (2%) to the oil phase for thickening, occlusion, and rub in properties, but it didn’t get very thick. Aren’t these proper thickeners or do I still need to add Cetyl, Behenyl, or cetearyl alcohol? Should I add the alcohols at a much higher percentage because the emulsifier is a liquid? The formula feels ok, but thicker would be nice. I plan working on this some more before expanding and trying new things, but I thought I’d asked in case I’m missing something.
Regards,
CosChemFan -
5 Replies
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CosChemFan - thank you, glad you found the HLB calculator http://www.makingskincare.com/hlb-calculator/) useful.Cetyl alcohol, unlike myristyl myristate and cetyl palmitate, helps build up the emulsion structure. It’s a surfactant, as the alcohol group is hydrophilic and the rest of the molecule is hydrophobic. As it’s near the oil/water interface, this makes the interface more rigid/solid. However, cetyl alcohol, is such a weak emulsifier that when you are using the HLB system it is considered an oil.Myristyl myristate I find: rich, good absorption, lowers playtime, matt, waxy, dry, gives some viscosity but not as much as cetyl palmitate.Cetyl palmitate gives a better skin feel than MM - less dry, glossy, more viscous than MM but less than cetyl alcohol.Behenyl gives a bouncy feel.Cetearyl alcohol is a combo of cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. Stearyl alcohol can be quite waxy.So if you would like your emulsion to be more viscous and more stable, I’d add more cetyl alcohol. For further, stability I find a combo of 0.2% xanthan gum and 0.35% carbomer work well with the cetyl.For a sprayable lotion, I’d use Pemulen TR2 (sold by the personalformulator) instead, however it has it’s own quirks. -
I would add the finish touch here either with Sepigel 305 or DC 2051 Thickener. The slip, the feel, the cushion-y rub in, everything seems perfect.
PS: Talking of quirks, avoid cationics and electrolytes. -
@MakingSkinCare You’re very welcome! I got inspired to play around with the idea by your posts here and your calculator. I actually prefer Cetyl Alcohol to all the others I listed. It works well in my hair conditioner formulas, but I really wanted to try some of the other raw materials that are in stock to get a feel for them. I’ll regroup tomorrow and try it all again with the new suggestions. Would it be in good practice to keep both the MM and Cetyl Palmitate? When I was reading their information sheets they seemed to work well together in my head which is why I included them. However, looking at your descriptions it would seem Cetyl Palmitate gives the more desirable effect in a lotion over MM. It would also seem the effects cancel each other out or complement each other as well as I thought. I did notice a slight drag on the skin when I rubbed it in which I did attributed to the MM. It wasn’t a bad feeling just noticeable.
@Chemist77 Thank you for the suggestions. I’ll see if I can get a hold of a sample. -
@MakingSkinCare I used your suggestion of adding cetyl alcohol (2%) and the new batch turned out really well. It thickened about right where I wanted it with maybe a few tweaks needed in the next batch. Although I did notice a slight change in viscosity when I added my fragrance. It wasn’t too bad, but definitely noticeable. I’ll address that in the next batch. Thank you again!
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You’re very welcome. So glad it worked out.
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