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Washing up liquid formulation cloudy
Hi everyone. I formulated a washing up liquid using xanthan gum as a thickening agent I find that the grade of xanthan I used is making the liquid cloudy in addition the formulation process is really laborious when adding xanthan so I’ve decided to remove it from the formulation. It seems I cannot use salt because it is not compatible with the anionic surfactant in my product when I researched it. I learned through extensive research that cocamidopropyl betaine can thicken as well as the added benefits of foaming qualities which my formulation previously lacked from a consumer perspective. I’ve since incorporated cocamidopropyl betaine into the formula and had horrible snot like results. Through research I learnt I added too much so reduced it. When I reduced it and used citric acid to adjust the ph the liquid became cloudy almost white . I also had to add xanthan to the formulation even with the reduced amount of cocami betaine it still didnt form a gel like liquid. I’ve done so much research and I still cant find how to fix this and it is through that extensive research that I found this forum. So thanks so much in advance for any help I know this post is long and I apologise for this. Here’s my formula.
Anionic - sodium cocoyl glutamate -15%
Non ionic - capryl/ caprylyl glucoside - 10%
Amphoteric - cocamidopropyl betaine - 3%
Preservative- dehydroacetic acid and benzyl alcohol- 1%
Parfum- essential oils - 2%
Aqua - 69%
Ph adjuster - citric acid.
For the thickener I used 8g glycerine 4g xanthan.Thank you.
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2 Replies
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@Aya The first thing you need to know is that Cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB) can be in neutral or cationic form according to pH. At pH lower than 5.5, it behaves as a cationic surfactant, and since you have an anionic surfactant in your product, they will form an insoluble complex (that’s why you see the turbidity that becomes whiter the lower you go in pH). The fix here is to increase pH to around 6.0. Also, I’d replace Xanthan gum for a non ionic thickener, such as Hydroxyethylcellulose.
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@ketchito thank you . My ph is indeed low its below 5.5 because in the past I’ve noticed ph 6 and above would cause microbiological growth after a couple of weeks. Maybe I can swap out the preservative for one that is compatible with a higher ph and incorporate the non ionic thickener I’m really grateful for this response. Thanks again .
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