Home Cosmetic Science Talk Formulating Sulfate-free Shampoo

  • Sulfate-free Shampoo

    Posted by Rrivet on October 1, 2018 at 7:01 pm

    This is my current formula:

    water q.s.
    Polyquat-10 1.00%
    Iselux 40.00%
    Optiphen Plus 1.00%
    Lavender Essential Oil 0.30%
    Salt 0.30%
    Proteol APL 2.00%
    Polysorbate 20 1.50%

    I’m trying to find something or things to add that might make it have a softer more conditioning feel on the hair.  I have already researched a few things that might work (the samples are on the way). I just wanted to see if you lovely people might have anything you particularly like to add to shampoos that might be good, or just any advice to improve it.  I appreciate any suggestions.   

    chemicalmatt replied 5 years, 7 months ago 9 Members · 16 Replies
  • 16 Replies
  • sven

    Member
    October 1, 2018 at 7:18 pm

    i find what works to get a softer shampoo is to do a mix of surfactants

  • Max

    Member
    October 2, 2018 at 12:48 am

    Hello, out of curiosity I looked at Iselux: if it is “Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate” I do not think that you are achieving your goal of Sulfate free!
    I like cocoglucosides, find them smooth in my formulations :) Good luck

  • ozgirl

    Member
    October 2, 2018 at 2:13 am
    Are you referring to Iselux Ultra Mild (surfactant blend) rather than Iselux (Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate)??
    If you are using Iselux Ultra Mild you could try to decrease the concentration to arount 30% as Innospec suggests that the typical usage rate of that product is 25 to 30%. This might make the shampoo a little less cleansing but result in a more conditioned feel.
    Not sure what samples you are getting but you could try some quaternized
    proteins (rice, wheat, soy etc) for a potential conditioning effect.
    @Max - Isethionates are considered sulfate free, they are however not sulphur free.

  • Max

    Member
    October 2, 2018 at 4:41 am

    @ozgirl Thanks :)

  • Microformulation

    Member
    October 2, 2018 at 1:12 pm
    Iselux is sulfate free. How do you support it being a sulfate?
  • belassi

    Member
    October 2, 2018 at 4:44 pm

    Sodium 2-(dodecanoyloxy)propane-1-sulfonate

  • Microformulation

    Member
    October 2, 2018 at 4:58 pm
    Yes, but the general wisdom in Marketing is that they assign the problems to sulfates to ALS/ALES/SLS/SLES. As someone who knows Chemistry, you can attest that you couldn’t avoid everything that is broadly called a “sulfate” based solely on the IUPAC designation. I would wager you could likely name 5 or so exceptions (especially on biological systems) that technically contain an anion with the empirical formula SO 2−.
    Let’s pump the brakes. I dread the day we ban raw materials just for the presence of the ‘sulf’ in the name.
    Sulfates occur widely in everyday life.

  • Rrivet

    Member
    October 2, 2018 at 5:38 pm

    I’m using Iselux SFS, which contains: Water (and) Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate (and) Cocamidopropyl Betaine (and) Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate (and) Sodium Methyl Oleoyl

  • Gunther

    Member
    October 2, 2018 at 5:44 pm

    Ain’t PQ-10 too much at 1%?
    Assuming it’s 1% active ingredient.

    If you already tried PQ-10 and it ain’t conditioning enough for you,
    then silicones are the next step.
    If that fails too, then co-wash or cleansing conditioners seem unavoidable.

  • belassi

    Member
    October 2, 2018 at 6:23 pm

    Ah so now we find out.
    Iselux SFS, OK.
    Iselux has been quite active promoting that as an all-purpose sulphate-free product. I evaluated it, maybe a couple of years ago I think. As usual, I did a cost analysis. I found it to be a good product, but my price workup showed that I could easily formulate sulphate-free shampoos using a variety of other surfactants that were rather more cost-effective.

  • Microformulation

    Member
    October 2, 2018 at 7:02 pm

    @Belassi I also found that it had some particular challenges in thickening.

  • Rrivet

    Member
    October 2, 2018 at 7:27 pm

    Thickening hasn’t been a problem

  • Dr Catherine Pratt

    Member
    October 8, 2018 at 12:22 pm

    To sulphonate or sarcosinate that is the question!!

  • sven

    Member
    October 8, 2018 at 8:03 pm

    @dr catherine sarcosinate seems to be my Achilles heel sadly been trying for some time to get the same foam profile with that as i get using my standard LGC sorb + CAPB + Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate. 

  • Dr Catherine Pratt

    Member
    October 9, 2018 at 2:11 am

    No you won’t !!! Sorry

  • chemicalmatt

    Member
    October 11, 2018 at 8:24 pm

    Widget: drop the polysorbate 20 and add more amphoteric (CAPB works OK, though not the best) and that will allow better dilution-deposition of the polyquat-10 onto hair, and you will feel better. Gunther was right: that is a lot of cationic polymer to use, depending on what MW it is. 

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