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Triethyl citrate as an Odour Absorber
I am reading conflicting results about the effectiveness of triethyl citrate as absorber of odour in stick deodorants, some saying that its effectiveness was debunked in 1991.Any insights on this?
Also, I am trying to replace beeswax with vegetable wax (CSA) as they are cheaper with no smell. However, the resultant product always produces white patches which grow with time. Any assistance?
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3 Replies
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Depending on your gauge for “effectiveness”, triethyl citrate does reduce body odor to the extent it fixates, preventing it from exuding as a volatile (what we call “stank”). Compared to AL-Zr salts: weaker for sure but then these are drug actives here in the USA. As for your wax issue: sounds like it is creaming with the underarm sweat and its salts. Yikes! Better reach for the butylene glycol.
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I did not realize TEC was added to deo formulas as an odor absorber. Granted TEC is sooooo multi-functional.
Maybe a better question would have been….What does TEC do in deodorant, and (maybe) someone might be willing to show their cards.
You did not list the rest of your ingredients….so based on the mention of beeswax…I am guessing you also have some ingredients which will directly conflict with TEC.
That is a very interesting concept, @chemicalmatt, fixating the stank!
Is your product anhydrous…or an emulsion? Hard to have a TEC conversation without pH if it is an emulsion.
(Just my opinion)….but if your concept is to catch odors…than you have already lost the battle…(letting the bugs create the stank). Why not get a step ahead…and prevent the bugs from making the stank?
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I didn’t realise that TEC is/was used as ‘fixative’ so to speak. I can imagine that it does so, given it’s a low volatility solvent.What it also does (to my knowledge, it’s what it basically does) is to lower pH (@Graillotion it does so also in skin where there is enough water even if it’s applied in anhydrous form) which slows microbial growth and metabolism, hence odour formation.Aluminium and zirconium salts are not just lowering pH and denaturate microbial proteins, they also clogg sweat glands so there is less food and less humidity for the microbes. Allegedly, this is the reason why it’s so difficult to make good deodorants without aluminium salts.
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