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Surfactant in face wash
Hi I’m looking to formulate a mild face wash. I have tried using coco glucoside and smack taurate paste blend and I get pretty good results. However I’m wondering if anyone has any experience using Plantapon SF INCI Name: Sodium cocoamphoacetate and glycerin, lauryl glucoside and sodium cocoyl glutamate, sodium lauryl glucose carboxylate.
As compared to coco glucoside? Is either one more mild?
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11 Replies
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Sorry typo above, it is SMC taurate paste that I mix with coco glucoside.
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No experience necessary, love. As a rule, the higher carbon-chain analogs are milder. So, coco-glucoside will be milder than lauryl glucoside, milder than decyl glucoside, etc. Sodium Cocoamphoacetate is a good mild amphoteric used extensively in hair-care. Sodium cocoyl glutamate also very mild and a good foamer. You are better off, if you can, to purchase these separately and save some money. Not sure what “SMC Taurate paste” is, but sounds expensive if it is a taurate salt. Leave the glycerin out. It kills viscosity, hinders foam and doesn’t do anything in a system such as yours.
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Thank you Chemicalmatt! For starters, how do you know what surfactants are higher carbon-chain analogs? Also I was under the assumption that glycerine helps boost foam in a face wash, this must be incorrect? I put it in there to help the wash not be so drying. Also Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate is the INCI for SMC taurate paste. What is your opinion on this surfactant?
I appreciate you letting me know that purchasing the surfactants each will save me money.
But from a beginners stand point and for the sake of ease (at least for now) would you recommend cocoglucoside over the blend mentioned above for a very mild, non drying face wash?
Thanks for your help! -
You need to know your nomenclature for fatty acid homologs: deceyl = C10, dodecyl = C12, Lauryl = C14, Palmitic = C16, Stearyl = C18, Behenyl = C22, all saturated carbon chains. Unsaturated ones (olefins) have different names. Perry ought to add a link someplace to study these. You cannot go wrong with coco glucosides, though building viscosity is a small hurdle to overcome, you are well advised to make it the base surfactant for your wash and begin from there. I do not have much experience with SMC Taurate, though I do know it was used early on in the “sulfate-free” game. The glucosides and sarcosinates are less expensive and foam better than the taurates, if memory serves. Those glutamates are superb - but wierdly expensive in my opinion. Glycerin is vastly over-rated in body washes, for the reasons mentioned earlier.
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Thank you for the thorough answer, I appreciate your help on this!
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Does anyone have an opinion on Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate in terms of mildness compared to coco glucoside or the other surfactants? Also any ideas on what I can use to replace Cocamidopropyl Betaine as a cosurfactant in a face wash to increase mildness of other surfactants?
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I find nothing wrong with using Cocamidopropyl Betaine. In every wash or shampoo we make and never a complaint.
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@David is there any issue if CAPB is preserved with formaldehyde donor preservative like DMDM or Quaternium-15??
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To be honest I am not sure what the CAPB I use is preserved with but I personally don’t see a problem with that. We use DMDM Hydantoin as a preservative in some of our products.
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Thanks David
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I have used Plantapon SF in a body wash with CAPB as the secondary surfactant. It is recommended by BASF for facial cleansers so there should be no issues with it being mild enough. The only issues that I came across were that it is not a great foamer (ok but not sulfate type foam) and that the final formulation was not very thick. Not sure if either of those things matter to you.
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