Suspension Issues - Chemists Corner

Formulating

Suspension Issues

Posted by georgetedder on July 12, 2015 at 8:34 pm

I’m formulating a body wash with jojoba beads (simply for color, not for any functional use) And am having trouble getting them to stay suspended. I stripped away the fragrance, the polysorbate, and all other claims ingredients, but the formula below still does not perform properly.

H20 qs
SLES (25%) 25
SCI (85% noodle) 5
BETAINE (30%) 16
Ultrez 20 .8%
TEA 1.2%
Blue jojoba Beads .5%

Ultrez was originally around .6, but I upped it to .8 for higher viscosity - beads still just float to the top. I’ve added some crothix, to get a very high viscosity formula, but they still slowly migrate to the top (albeit slowly). Should I go higher on the Ultrez? Just looking for some general suggestions about how to make this work. Any feedback and help is appreciated thank you

AuroraBorealis replied 8 years, 9 months ago 8 Members · 16 Replies
16 Replies

Chemist77

Member
July 13, 2015 at 12:00 am

Bulletin 7 — Flow and Suspension Properties - Lubrizol

Try reading above and you will be clear on viscosity and suspension. I can’t copy paste the link but google it.
Bobzchemist

Member
July 13, 2015 at 12:29 am

http://www.essentialingredients.com/pdf/How%20Do%20I%20Thicken%20my%20Cosmetic%20Formula.pdf

https://personal-care.evonik.com/product/personal-care/en/media-center/downloads/publications/Documents/sofw-thickening-agents.pdf

https://www.lubrizol.com/Home-Care/Documents/Technical-Data-Sheets/TDS-244-Measurement-Understanding-Yield-Value-Personal-Care-Formulations.pdf

http://www.elementis-specialties.com/esweb/webprodliterature.nsf/allbydocid/3BCB996F45DEBB93852575FB004C77BA/$FILE/Rheology%20cosmetics%20brochure%20Dec-2013.pdf

https://www.lubrizol.com/Personal-Care/Documents/Technical-Papers-and-Presentations/More-than-Rheology-Multi-functional-Polymers-with-Superior-Aesthetics-in-Hair-Care-Applications.pdf

http://www.cosmeticsandtoiletries.com/formulating/function/viscositymod/132813818.html
belassi

Member
July 13, 2015 at 4:08 pm

ultrez-20 not the best choice for surfactants. Try Aqua SF-1
Chemist77

Member
July 13, 2015 at 4:13 pm

@Belassi Don’t forget to mention the persistant aeration that comes with handling of Aqua SF1.
David

Member
July 13, 2015 at 9:03 pm

@Chemist77 correct but I was informed that the aeration properties is what makes the SF1 so good at suspending - it is not easy to trap air.
Chemist77

Member
July 13, 2015 at 11:48 pm

@David Honestly thats a revelation for me as I never came across such kind of info that aeration is must for suspension. Still I would also try to dig out more on this as aeration is undesired in many clear products.
belassi

Member
July 14, 2015 at 2:13 am

I don’t like any carbomer myself in shampoo. It is just too much hassle.
charmer

Member
July 15, 2015 at 9:54 am

What beads you used,?

And how you process the mixture?

FIRST you must decrease BETAINE TO 12%
Bill_Toge

Member
July 15, 2015 at 12:00 pm

my view is that you have too many surfactants all round; these thin carbomers and carbomer-type polymers, and result in more Newtonian flow, which is not what you want for suspension

also, from personal experience, Carbopol Aqua SF-2 suspends particles very efficiently at low usage levels

a bonus of this is that lower levels = less trapped air
David

Member
July 15, 2015 at 11:08 pm

@ Chemist77 - I am not sure it is a must but there is definitely a correlation - if somebody know how to make for example a gel that can hold particles but not air please let me know!
georgetedder

Member
July 16, 2015 at 4:25 am

Thank everyone so much for the responses. This forum is really so cool, friendly and helpful all around. Also, @bobzchemist thank you so much for posting all of those links. The articles were very insightful. Your Comments on all the discussions are always very helpful and interesting. Thank you guys so much!
Bobzchemist

Member
July 16, 2015 at 1:33 pm

Check with the folks that sell particles, etc. to be suspended. I’d bet serious amounts of money that they have plenty of starting formulas for you to work with.
charmer

Member
August 8, 2015 at 3:09 pm

APRES REFLEXION JE PENSE QUE VOUS DEVRIEZ CHANGER DE BILLES
David

Member
August 10, 2015 at 10:49 pm

google translate : after reflection i think you should change balls??

Chemist77

Member

August 11, 2015 at 3:32 am

REFLECTION AFTER I THINK YOU SHOULD CHANGE BALLS

This is what I got after                                         translation, any comments @charmer???

AuroraBorealis

Member
August 11, 2015 at 12:45 pm

LOL. Beads… not balls.

Translation:

” I think you should change the beads”