Home Cosmetic Science Talk Formulating Use of Emulsifiers of Higher HLB Values

  • Use of Emulsifiers of Higher HLB Values

    Posted by Abbass_1 on September 2, 2019 at 7:51 am

    Hi, All.

    In the case of an oil-phase made of vegetable oils, is it okay to use emulsifiers of high HLB values such as Lanette Wax? I found GMS NSE to be ineffective. The product is now OK- but has anyone experienced a challenge on it?

    Also, any recommendations for a good book on cosmetic emulsifiers?

    My oil-phase consists of:

    Cetearyl Alcohol- 4%
    Vitamin E- 0.05%
    Avocado Oil- 0.30%
    GMS NSE-0.50%

    Do I need to emulsify the cetearyl alcohol also?

    ngarayeva001 replied 5 years, 2 months ago 3 Members · 5 Replies
  • 5 Replies
  • ngarayeva001

    Member
    September 2, 2019 at 1:22 pm

    Do I need to emulsify the cetearyl alcohol also?” if your question is whether you should count cetearyl alcohol in your HLB calculation as oil the answer is yes.

  • chemicalmatt

    Member
    September 3, 2019 at 6:57 pm

    Use GMS - Self Emulsifying, instead of “non” there and you may be OK. Not much oil to emulsify there either. I’d use a higher HLB co-emulsifier if you decide to increase that oil load. PEG-150 Stearate (HLB ~ 12) comes to mind, and not much of it.  I’ll leave the HLB math up to you. As for books on cosmetic emulsifiers, try the Allured index or buy Perry’s starter book. 

  • Abbass_1

    Member
    September 4, 2019 at 6:47 am

    “Do I need to emulsify the cetearyl alcohol also?” if your question is whether you should count cetearyl alcohol in your HLB calculation as oil the answer is yes.

    I meant should I count the cetearyl alcohol as a lipid that needs to be emulsified.

  • Abbass_1

    Member
    September 4, 2019 at 6:51 am

    Use GMS - Self Emulsifying, instead of “non” there and you may be OK. Not much oil to emulsify there either. I’d use a higher HLB co-emulsifier if you decide to increase that oil load. PEG-150 Stearate (HLB ~ 12) comes to mind, and not much of it.  I’ll leave the HLB math up to you. As for books on cosmetic emulsifiers, try the Allured index or buy Perry’s starter book. 

    Thank you.

    I have read Perry’s book (the one he co-edited) Conditioning Agents for Hair and Skin. I am more interested in first principle books- the ones that explain the process of emulsification itself, has data on practical use of emulsifiers in cosmetics. 

  • ngarayeva001

    Member
    September 4, 2019 at 6:03 pm

    Yes, you should count cetearyl alcohol as a lipid

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