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Sulphate free foaming liquid handsoap
Greetings to all the forum members.
I intend to make a sample of foaming handsoap.I have decided not to use SLES in formulating the handsoap. What are the substitutes for SLES as a primary surfactant ? Example formulations would be helpful. -
9 Replies
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Your question is too broad. What is the reason for avoid SLES?
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I intend to make a premium product which is derived from natural ingredients but at the same time does not compromise with the performance.
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The one who will manage to do it will make a fortune.
What’s your focus? Are you trying to make a mild product or a produt with a “natural” story? The most “natural” liquid cleanser is castile soap. It’s also harsher that any sulfate, drying, and has a ph above 10.
Another so called natural option that is popular at the moment is glucosides. I don’t know a single professional formulator who likes glucosides.
You can formulate a mild product with sulfate free story and great performance. It will be expensive and not “natural”
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I met with a person (Sales Manager) a few days ago who said that glucosides are a much better option as primary surfactants and that SLES could be replaced by say decylglucoside without compromising with the performance of the product.
My intention is to prepare a highly foaming handsoap, for example the one simulating the product Palmolive foaming handwash from Colgate-Palmolive.
I do have cost constraints. So yes, I am looking for a mild product with sulfate free story but a reasonable cost at the same time.
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Decyl glucoside is very difficult to thicken. It is not usually used as a primary surfactant. It can be used as a foam buster but it will descrease viscosity of the product. Decyl glucoside is also quite irritating for many people. The only benefit it has is it supports “natural” claims.
If you look at ingredient list of Palmolive handwash you will see it has quite typical combination of SLES and CABP (that makes it mild):Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Cocamide MEA, Sodium Salicylate, Fragrance, Sodium Benzoate, Citric Acid, Tetrasodium EDTA, Benzophenone-4, CI 19140, CI 17200, CI 42090.
Decyl glucoside is not even in this list. -
You can make a product with coco glucoside as a primary surfactant plus CAPB plus decyl glucoside at a low percentage. I wouldn’t call it mild or well performing though.
You will need to think how you are going to thicken it as well. You won’t be able to thicken such a product with salt as you can do with a SLES based product. You will need PEG based thickener such as crothix. Not sure whether that will suit your natural story. Another option is a gum (xanthan for example), but the texture will not be nice at all.
If you are looking for cheap and well performing sulfate-free surfactant, have a look at Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
https://www.ulprospector.com/en/na/Cleaners/Detail/918/524117/BIO-TERGE-AS-40-HAIt’s affordable, quite mild and foams well.
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ngarayeva001 said:Decyl glucoside is very difficult to thicken. It is not usually used as a primary surfactant. It can be used as a foam buster but it will descrease viscosity of the product. Decyl glucoside is also quite irritating for many people. The only benefit it has is it supports “natural” claims.
If you look at ingredient list of Palmolive handwash you will see it has quite typical combination of SLES and CABP (that makes it mild):Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Cocamide MEA, Sodium Salicylate, Fragrance, Sodium Benzoate, Citric Acid, Tetrasodium EDTA, Benzophenone-4, CI 19140, CI 17200, CI 42090.
Decyl glucoside is not even in this list.
To make the story more appealing can he replace citric acid with Lactic Acid , add some Plyquatarenium 7 , Alovera juce lemonin and linalool ?
And in case of hand wash perfume selection is a vital one . -
What could be the percentage of ingredients used in the Palmolive handwash ?
The foaming handwash has viscosity similar to that of water. How is such viscosity achieved ?
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Well if you are trying to achieve low viscosity for a foaming bottle you can use glucosides. As I mentioned these surfactants are very hard to thicken.
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