Home Cosmetic Science Talk Formulating Why are oil and water phases heated separately?

  • Why are oil and water phases heated separately?

    Posted by Anonymous on January 24, 2020 at 4:15 pm

    In any emulsion, Why are oil and water phases heated separately? I tried formulating a cream by adding both and heating it Together and it was more stable than if they were added separately. Can anyone help explain this. Thanks

    oldperry replied 4 years, 2 months ago 2 Members · 3 Replies
  • 3 Replies
  • oldperry

    Member
    January 24, 2020 at 10:54 pm

    I suspect it is because you want to make a homogenous mixtures so that when the emulsion forms the particles are all made up of consistent “stuff”. This would help with reproducibility from batch to batch.

    If you blend everything together all at the same time you might have some micelles filled with one type of oil phase ingredient and another with other oil phase ingredients. This may lead to instability because the particles will coalesce at different rates. 

    I can’t explain the particular case that you’re describing except to say every system is a bit different. 

  • EVchem

    Member
    January 27, 2020 at 12:59 pm

    Can I ask how you know the stability? How did you characterize that between the two iterations

  • oldperry

    Member
    January 27, 2020 at 1:49 pm

    You conduct a cosmetic stability test.

Log in to reply.