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Oleth vs. Ceteareth - 10 vs. 20 moles
Hello guys,
What are the main differences of those emulsifying agents? In what situation should I choose one over the other?
Many thanks!
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7 Replies
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@Will what i’am sure that there is diffrence in the hlb value may also there is diffrence in fusion temperature.
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This is just a matter of experimenting. One might work better for your particular oil phase but they might just both work fine. The Oleth 10, 20 are liquids so they might be easier to work with.
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Thank you @Fekher and @Perry!
And what are the advantages of using ethoxylated vs. non-ethoxylated alcohols?
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oleth-(n) and ceteareth-(n) give emulsions with very different properties, due to the difference in volumeceteareth-(n) is linear, while oleth-(n) is wedge-shaped and takes up more space at the water/oil interface, meaning it results in fewer molecules per micelle and therefore a larger number of micelles; the difference is particularly noticeable at high levels of emulsifier -
Thank you @Bill_Toge! In practical terms, let’s say while making a body cream, what could one expect in terms of texture/consistency/rheology of the final product when choosing ceteareth vs. oleth?
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@Will ceteareth-(n) would make it more like a conventional cream, oleth-(n) would make it more fluid, unless used at high levels (10% w/w or more in total), then the product would start to resemble the oil phase itselfit’s difficult to explain without a physical example to hand
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Thanks a lot @Bill_Toge!
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