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Which emulsifier is best for the skin?
I’ve been iterating on a moisturizing lotion, currently using soy lecithin and polysorbate 20 as the emulsification system due to the fact that lecithin exists naturally in the skin, particularly various phospholipids (I initially wanted to use liquid egg lecithin but availability was a problem, interesting analysis of soy vs egg used topically herein “Liposomes for Topical Use A Physico-Chemical Comparison of Vesicles Prepared from Egg or Soy Lecithin, 2013”.)
So, what emulsifier do you think, or even better, has seen evidence for, has the least risk of side effects and does the most good to the skin, i.e. aiding its structural and moisture retaining properties?I know there’s not one way an emulsifier can be “best”, but let me know if you have any informed thoughts on the subject.
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9 Replies
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Anyone?
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I don’t really have an answer for this, but I wonder what made you ask the question?
You must be thinking that there is something wrong with standard emulsifiers like Glyceryl Stearate or Stearic Acid. What made you think that was a problem?For anyone to give you an answer you have to let us know what property you are trying to find the best for. Glyceryl Stearate is the “best” for most systems although it is really going to depend on what oils are in your formula.And the polymeric emulsifiers are probably even better choices as they have less probability of negatively interacting with skin.It’s a difficult question you ask without more specific details. -
Some emulsifiers can add skin care benefits as well. The Japanese Nikkol claims that emulsifier can offer anti-inflammatory and moisturizing effects:
I love emulsifiers from Nikkol. But like most Japanese raw materials they are usually very expensive. -
What made me ask the question is that I want to make the best possible products for the skin, products that enhance skin barrier function over time without making you dependent on the product (i.e. you can stop using it without suffering from significant side-effects). That doesn’t imply there is something wrong with traditional emulsifiers at all, but it asks whether we know if some are better for the skin than others.
I guess you could boil the question down to: What emulsifier has the best long term effects on skin barrier functioning and skin inflammation?
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Thanks for the clarification. I’m just not sure that type of research has ever been done, or at least it hasn’t been published.
It would be extremely difficult to have an answer however since the differences would be slight and may not be detectable based on the technology we have available in the cosmetic industry. It is hard enough to show a difference in the moisturizing effect of two different formulas. Determining any noticeable difference in the barrier effect between emulsifiers in a formula seems nearly impossible based on evaluation techniques today.But that’s just my opinion. I’d be happy to see what other people have to say. -
@Zink. Personally I think a function of an emulsifier, being emulsifying, should be good enough for the skin. Without an emulsifier you will not have a aesthetically prepared creamy medium and you can’t deliver both oil and water simultaneously onto the skin so to me that’s benefit enough.
But if you’re thinking about a way to market every ingredient in your product as beneficial, I’m sure with some creative writing you can pass any emulsifier as a top notch, skin pleasing ingredient! You have to be a tad creative!Now I have a question, what do you mean by “… over time without making you dependent on the product”. If it’s a cosmetic, there shouldn’t be a dependency issue at all. If it’s a drug the dependency doesn’t come from the product, rather from the user’s biology. -
I don’t know of any emulsifier that has any benefit for the skin - except for maybe cleaning it. Their job is to make an emulsion and as little and as mild types as possible should be used - my intuition - not something I can backup with literature though.
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My guess is that no one knows, because the research hasn’t been done yet.
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My guess is it is also a difficult question to answer since as posed it interweaves the Science and the marketing (“best possible products for the skin”, “without making you dependent on the product”).
If I were looking to promote skin barrier function I would treat the emulsifier as secondary and perhaps focus on other modalities such as ceramides, etc.
Inflammation from the emulsifier is rare in my experience and in general is usually traced back to other constituents of the formulation.
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