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My Deodorant Stick is sticky and doesn’t glide easily
Hello,
I’m currently working on formulating an anhydrous deodorant stick and have tested different waxes in various combinations and percentages. However, I’m finding it difficult to achieve the right balance, especially to ensure that:
- The stick remains intact when applied.
- It isn’t overly sticky, particularly for armpit hair.
Some of my attempts resulted in a texture so sticky that I almost felt like I had created a styling wax for my armpits!
Waxes tested:
- Cutina HR Powder (BASF) – Hydrogenated Castor Oil
- Cera Alba (Beeswax)
- Carnauba Wax
- Candelilla Wax
- Sunflower Wax
- Rice Wax
Oils used:
- Organic Refined Sunflower Oil
- Organic Unrefined Shea Butter
Odor-absorbing ingredients:
- Zea Mays (Corn) Starch
- Sodium Bicarbonate
I have managed to create a formulation where the deodorant stick holds up well and glides decently. However, it still feels too sticky when applied, particularly on armpit hair.
Recipe A:
- Sunflower Oil – 55.1%
- Shea Butter – 4%
- Carnauba Wax – 2%
- Hydrogenated Castor Oil – 2%
- Cera Alba (Beeswax) – 8%
- Tocopherol – 0.2%
- Zea Mays (Corn) Starch – 20%
- Sodium Bicarbonate – 8%
I reached out to my manufacturer (who isn’t specialized in stick formulations), and they suggested that the stickiness might be due to the Hydrogenated Castor Oil, as castor oil itself tends to be quite sticky.
So, I created a new formulation by reducing the amount of Hydrogenated Castor Oil and introducing Rice Wax to improve the glide. This updated version seems to be the most balanced so far:
Recipe B:
- Sunflower Oil – 53.1%
- Shea Butter – 4%
- Carnauba Wax – 1%
- Hydrogenated Castor Oil – 1%
- Cera Alba (Beeswax) – 8%
- Rice Wax – 4%
- Tocopherol – 0.2%
- Zea Mays (Corn) Starch – 20%
- Sodium Bicarbonate – 8%
I also tried another variation where I increased Sodium Bicarbonate to 20% (to balance it with Corn Starch at 20%), but this made the stick too brittle—it broke easily. I feel like I need more wax for structure, but I’m worried that adding more will just increase the stickiness.
Additionally, I noticed that my T-shirt had a lot of white marks—could this be due to the Sodium Bicarbonate?
My main challenges:
- Reducing stickiness, especially on armpit hair.
- Improving glide without compromising structure.
Does anyone have insights or recommendations to improve the formulation? Would another type of wax help? Should I adjust the ratio of powders?
Thanks a lot for your help!
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15 Replies
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Its overall not a stable recipe. For a powdery feel and better glide, a fatty alcohol/cationic surfactant will help significantly. Wax when mixed with the wrong ration of oil creates “petrolatum”. Which is why it’s not gliding.
I would use only one wax, increase butter and lower oil as a start and add a fatty alcohol.
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PS. Anything under arms will generally feel sticky, its fairly common. So you do have to experiment and be realistic. As long as it does what it says it does is the key.
Recipe A:
- Sunflower Oil – 55.1% VERY HIGH
- Shea Butter – 4% A LITTLE LOW
- Carnauba Wax – 2% OK WHEN PARIED WITH FATTY ALCOHOL
- Hydrogenated Castor Oil – 2% ELIMINATE
- Cera Alba (Beeswax) – 8% MIGHT BE HIGH BUT RATIO OF OIL MATTERS
- Tocopherol – 0.2%
- Zea Mays (Corn) Starch – 20% EXPERIMENT WITH 22%-30 for comparison
- Sodium Bicarbonate – 8% YOU CAN LOWER SLIGHTLY FOR SENSITIVE SKIN
Recipe B:
- Sunflower Oil – 53.1% LOWER SUBSTANTIALLY
- Shea Butter – 4% CAN INCREASE SUBSTANTIALLY but optional
- Carnauba Wax – 1% INCREASE TO 3-5% to compare
- Hydrogenated Castor Oil – 1% NOT NECESSARY
- Cera Alba (Beeswax) – 8% MAY BE TO HIGH
- Rice Wax – 4% NO NEED FOR MORE THAN ONE WAX will increase tackiness
- Tocopherol – 0.2%
- Zea Mays (Corn) Starch – 20%
- Sodium Bicarbonate – 8%
You can add clay, another powder like rice starch or mag hydroxide
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Sodium Bicarbonate is often regarded as irritating by many people when used in these types of products.
Try looking at deodorant actives such as Triethyl Citrate or Ethylhexylglycerin for better performance.
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Hello,
Thank you for all of your messages.
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What would be your approximate recommended butter-to-oil ratio?
In my tests, I used more oil than butter. When the butter content is too high, the glide is reduced, and the application becomes uncomfortable, especially for armpit hair — I even noticed some hair being pulled out.
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I’m planning to test a fatty alcohol: Stearyl Alcohol and/or Cetyl Alcohol.
Regarding cationic surfactants, I’ll try “AminoSensyl” from INOLEX (INCI: Brassica Alcohol, Brassicyl Isoleucinate Esylate).
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About the wax: I’ve tried many combinations during my tests.
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I only use 1% Carnauba Wax. Any more than that makes the stick too hard and difficult to glide.
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Rice Wax has been very helpful for improving glide — that’s why I included it.
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At less than 8% Beeswax, the stick would break when pushing it up from the packaging.
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Hydrogenated Castor Oil was added just to improve glide, but I’ll test new versions without it and with fatty alcohol and/or the cationic surfactant.
Wax when mixed with the wrong ration of oil creates “petrolatum”. Which is why it’s not gliding.
4. Do you have any advice on the ideal oil-to-wax ratio?
I would use only one wax, increase butter and lower oil as a start and add a fatty alcohol.
5. Thanks — I’ll definitely try that approach.
6. Regarding powders like rice starch or magnesium hydroxide:
Do you think rice starch is better than corn starch?
Would it be beneficial to combine different starches with sodium bicarbonate or magnesium hydroxide to improve efficacy?
Thank you
Yes, I know baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) can be irritating, but I haven’t yet found anything more effective.
Triethyl Citrate doesn’t seem to work well for me, and Ethylhexylglycerin is water-soluble — I can’t use it in my formula without an emulsifier.
But I’m totally open to alternatives. If there’s a combination that can replace sodium bicarbonate and really works, I’d be very happy to test it.
Thanks again to both of you!
Thanks I will look.
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Of course TEC will not work at ALL for you. It is an ester of citric acid. You have a VERY high pH product. TEC won’t do what it is supposed to do above a pH of 5.5. The only purpose it has in a deo, is to maintain a low pH. You can laugh for the rest of the day now.
You cannot mix and match…. concepts you find across the internet. You must pick a theme….and stick with it.
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Noted, thank you for your detailed explication.
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I planned to stay out of this conversation, but assuming you’re here to add to your knowledge, not to follow any formula you’re given, I have some things to say:
I’m sure the professionals here could have given you more than one formula, but this forum is not about that. As one of them said a while ago “It is best used as a source for research and direction for your further study.”
Considering you inquire about a probiotic, it seems you didn’t take the essential from graillotion’s comment: picking a theme and sticking with it. That meant to decide if you’re going to make an anhydrous product- usually an alkaline ph, or go for a water-based one- usually an acidic pH.
Pretty often people think that an anhydrous product is much easier to make than an emulsion: far from the truth, as one needs a good number of experiments to come to a great result. I suggested you to read the posts on “deodorant stick” because one could learn A LOT from all the comments, and also do a lot of research, prompted by the same comments. Also, more often than not, you’ll find a link or two, which will spare you a lot of searching-time. So a win-win for you.
I assume you’re going for “natural”, so taking a good look at the ingredients used in the “natural” solid deodorants out there will help you understand the concept they are based on. That does not mean that they work for everyone, but it’s a good starting point. You’ll also notice that they don’t use most of the ingredients you use in your formula, and there’s a good reason behind that.
Best of luck with researching and reformulating🙂
PS- no, deodorants are not sticky by default- if they are, it’s a formulation issue
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Hello Aniela,
Thank you for your message! 🙂
Just to clarify, I don’t follow a formula blindly without adjusting it based on my experience or what I want to achieve. However, your advice has been helpful in potentially addressing my issue.
When I posted about this subject, I had already created 20 versions but hadn’t found something truly satisfactory (except for the recipient I selected). However, it wasn’t fully developed because it didn’t perform as I wanted. That’s why I decided to bring it up here, and your response was very helpful. Now, I need to create new tests/versions based on the feedback received. Some points really opened my eyes to things I hadn’t considered before (such as the use of fatty oils, for example).
Regarding the probiotic, I followed your suggestions for research and learning. I hadn’t seen a deodorant formula with probiotics like that (in an anhydrous formula) and was curious, which is why I asked. This doesn’t mean I’ll include it in my formula, but it’s an interesting idea that I hadn’t thought of, and it could be useful for future formulations.
Before posting, I did some research on this forum using keywords like “deodorant,” “stick,” “lip balm,” etc., and it was very helpful. It influenced both my initial formula and my subsequent versions.
Regarding the stick, initially, I used different waxes because my subcontractor and the wax distributor advised me to use oils with different melting points to improve the stability of the stick. That’s why I experimented with various combinations. Rice wax helped improve the glide of the formula, but now I believe I can remove it if I find the right ratio, as suggested in this post.
However, I’ll admit that sometimes I used waxes without fully understanding why, like Hydrogenated Castor Oil. But after testing it with and without, I noticed a difference, so I kept using it. After reading your responses, though, I’ve changed my approach and will try something new.
I agree with you that the sticky issue is a formulation problem, which is exactly why I want to resolve it. I’ve seen many products on the market with this sticky issue, but I definitely don’t want that for mine.
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Ethylhexylglycerin is only slightly soluble in water (0.1%). It is is more soluble in glycols (e.g. butylene glycol) and also in paraffin and silcone oils.
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Yes, that’s true. What I meant to say is that it’s incompatible with a 100% anhydrous formula.
Maybe it could be useful to use it with a solubilizer, but I’m afraid the solubilizer might be sticky and irritating.
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This is my exact recipe. Its more of synergy than just ratio or ingredients. This deodorant makes the nicest lotion bar but worked well as a deo of course. Anything under the arms does feel a little sticky so you can add more powder than I did, I did about 4+ trials before this one. I still need to tweak it. But this gives you an idea of how simple the recipe can be. You can simplify it even more. I don’t have much experience in making deodorant bars so maybe someone else will know more. Some people are sensitive to corn starch but shouldn’t make a difference. Rice starch is more expensive.
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This reply was modified 2 weeks, 4 days ago by MaidenOrangeBlossom.
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Cetyl will improve glide, so does the right combinations of butters and
oils. I wish my recipe was better but overall it is powdery though I
would add a few percent more and adjust the oil to a bit less. Getting
glide from wax/oils is excellent but from my experience its very tricky
to get the exact ration down so cetyl does most of the work for you. -
Thank you for your assistance and for providing the details. I will give it a try and see what works best for me. I’m currently waiting for my Cetyl sample before continuing the test.
Regarding the probiotic, since it’s aqueous, how did you manage to mix it without an emulsifier or solubilizer? Perhaps, as you mentioned a concentration of 5% (which seems high), you included the solubilizer in your percentage?
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Kokum has a high level of steric and there is a lot of powders to soak up the water based ingredient so along with cetyl, it is stable. Not sure how or why without a solubalizer or full emulsifier. It mixes right up. And its so hard that it sets immediately without precipitation.
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This reply was modified 2 weeks, 4 days ago by
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