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Olivem 1000 - too greasy ???
First time formulating with Olivem 1000 at 4% along with xanthan gum (transparent grade) at 0.3%. Oil phase was fairly low at ~ 9% including EOs. Main oil used was CCT (6%). No waxes were used. 3% Glycerin, nothing out of the ordinary.
It feels as greasy and perhaps even greasier than Polawax! It sits on the skin for an unusually long time and was uncomfortable. I felt like I spread margarine on my skin. Soaping was bad as well so I gradually added dimethicone until I reached 1.5%. Soaping diminished significantly yet it stayed greasy.
What is the big hype about this ingredient? Is it because of its Ecocert status? I felt it was really not an enjoyable skin feel and Lanette N is superior as an Ecocert approved ingredient. (Not sure if it emulsifies silicones however.)
Could it be possible that the inclusion of the xanthan gum gives this negative skin feel? Opinions are appreciated.
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10 Replies
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4% Xanthan Gum is far too high. -
I think my sentence was poorly structured
4% Olivem 1000
0.3% Xanthan gum
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Many Formulators have moved away from Olivem 1000 for these very reasons. If you read the guidance they do recommend adding Glyceryl Stearate to the product to keep the Olivem down a bit. Another issue I have encountered in Production is the fact that Olivem 1000 is very process dependent. Variations in mixing speeds and energies can produce different final viscosity. In addition, we would wait 24 hours before testing.“Olivem 1000 is best utilized as a co-emulsifier in moisturizing creams or skin softening lotions. We recommend using 5-7% Olivem 1000 with 0.5%-1% Glyceryl Stearate, 1%-4% Fatty Alcohol (Behenyl Alcohol or Cetearyl Alcohol), and 0.2% XanThix to form a stable emulsion.”Many perceive a product “absorbs” or it “sits on the surface.” This is incorrect. The feeling of “absorption” comes from spreadability, an issue with Olivem. You can offset this to some extent with other emollients. But that is a discussion in and of itself.
And I agree. If given the choice, I would use Lanette N.
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Thank you for the detailed response. 2 of us tested it at different time intervals, 12h-48h. My partner just tried it on her face. Upon application, it feels like it spreads well but as you pointed out, it doesn’t. She felt the need to wash it off a few mins after application.
I was following a formulation presented by IPCS for an aftershave lotion. I thought it was a good introduction to the raw material, and I elected to try a first test as close to the initial formula which omits glyceryl stearate.
I am trying a test with Lanette N. Can it emulsify silicones?
Is it the “sulfate” tag that makes it less popular with the natural/ecocert crowd?
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Have you tried to put the Olivem 1000 into the water phase? I like it very much, and i’ve never noticed the effect described by you. Just some advices from me :
* With this oils level, do not use more than 3% Olivem. Also heat it into the water phase, but gain the temperature to 80-85 degrees.
* After the initial emulsification spread the Xanthan.
* Use fatty alcohols instead of increasing the emulsifier level.
* Also you can pair the Olivem with anionic emulsifier, for example 2,5% Olivem + 0,5% Glyceryl stearate citrate - this combination usually gives a kind of dry feeling.
Hope this helps! -
Agee with ggpetrov, and you could add some starch as well.
Try you CCT neat.
I have found…different batches from different vendors can sometime have dramatic differences. Stuff that is supposed to absorb like water in a desert…might sit on skin for hours….just cus it is a bad batch.
Consider the 165 series emulsifier….it gives a pretty dry feel, albeit you might not like PEG. -
I will try what ggpetrov suggested so I can investigate this material further. I tried a similar formula using Lanette N at 3.5% and it worked very well.
I don’t have glyceryl stearate citrate or 165 but I can make the SE version.
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Cafe33 said:I will try what ggpetrov suggested so I can investigate this material further. I tried a similar formula using Lanette N at 3.5% and it worked very well.
I don’t have glyceryl stearate citrate or 165 but I can make the SE version.
Sure, you can use GMS SE - it is also one my favourites, but keep in mind that it’s not a direct replacement of GMS Citrate. Both emulsifiers have a different haptic properties. I’d say that SE version gives very light and a kind of drier feeling emulsions than the Citrate.Also you can go with a bigger percents with the SE. I’ve got wonderful results as follow : 2% Olivem + 1% SE or 1.5% Olivem +1.5% SE (Olivem in to the water phase). In both ways it gives very pleasant textures with a kind of “moist” effect, but not oily or waxy.This variant combined with a smaller oil phase is suitable for the male skin. If you want something “rich” you can add Oliwax LC at 1%. -
I’ll just piggy back on to that….depending what you have on hand… 1% Montanov 68 will also add a nice richness to many emulsions. It is part of how I convert my day creams to night creams.
And…I simply couldn’t formulate without Cetyl Palmitate…the main constituent of Oliwax LC.
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Thank you all this is great advice. I am limited with the emulsifiers available to me from re-packers here in Mexico. When I saw Olivem 1000 finally available from a reputable source, I ordered some right way. I think I did see cetyl palmitate from a supplier… but it is quite challenging here, they don’t have nice e-commerce layouts like lotioncrafter so you often time have to figure out what they have yourself. We once called for a listed ingredient and they told us they haven’t sold it since 2002… yet it stays in the catalog online…
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