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Why is my sulphate-free shampoo not thickening?
PHASE A
Distilled Water - q.s. to 100%
Sodium Phytate - 0.2%
Propanediol - 3.6% + Hydroxyethyl Cellulose - 1.2% - SLURRY
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate - 9% active surfactant matter
Lauryl Glucoside - 6% ” “
Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate - 5% ” “
(Total active surfactant : 20%)
PHASE B (Cool Down)
Sapindus Mukorossi (Reetha) Fruit Extract - 1% (water based)
Acacia Concinna (Shikakai) Fruit Extract - 1% (water based)
Trigonella Foenum-Graecum (Fenugreek) Seed Extract - 1% (water based)
Phyllanthus Emblica Fruit Extract - 1% (ethanol based)
Ananas Sativas (Pineapple) Extract - 1% (ethanol based)
Curcumin Water-Soluble 25% Colour Strength Powder - 0.3%
Lemongrass Leaf Oil - 0.09%
Peppermint Leaf Oil -0.06%
Geogard ECT - 1%
Lactic Acid - q.s. to pH 5.5
- Heat Phase A to 75 degrees celsius, till everything is dissolved and HEC is well hydrated.
- Add Phase B below 35 degrees celsius.
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^^ After this failure, I’ve made some changes and this is what I’ll be making next-
Phase A — Water/Surfactant Phase
Aqua (Water) = 58.35%
Sodium Phytate = 0.20%
Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate = 3.0% active surfactant matter
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate = 3.0% ” “
Lauryl Glucoside = 9.88% ” “
(Total active surfactant : ~15.9%) -> lowered total active surfactants and anionic surfactant’s proportion
Phase B — Cool-Down / Actives
TEGO®️ Remo 95 MB (Sorbitan Caprylate, Glyceryl Oleate) = 1.00% -> new thickener I came across (will it work? or should I HEC too?)
Sapindus Mukorossi (Reetha) Fruit Extract (water-based) = 1.00%
Acacia Concinna (Shikakai) Fruit Extract (water-based) = 1.00%
Trigonella Foenum-Graecum (Fenugreek) Seed Extract (water-based) = 1.00%
Phyllanthus Emblica (Amla) Fruit Extract (ethanol-based) = 1.00%
Ananas Sativus (Pineapple) Extract (ethanol-based) = 1.00%
Curcumin (WS 25% powder) = 0.30%
Cymbopogon Citratus (Lemongrass) Oil = 0.09%
Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil = 0.06%
Optiphen (Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol) = 1.00% -> changed preservative
Lactic Acid = q.s. to pH 5.3–5.5
Manufacturing Process
- To the main vessel, add water (room temp).
- Add Sodium Phytate; mix to dissolve (low–medium shear).
- Heat to 60–65 °C (This helps dissolve taurate paste and reduces APG viscosity.)
- Add Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, mix until uniform.
- Add Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, mix until completely dissolved (scrape walls; avoid aeration).
- Add Lauryl Glucoside; mix gently until homogeneous.
- Hold 5–10 min at 60–65 °C to ensure a clear, uniform base.
- Start cooling with slow sweep.
- Weigh the vessel and top up evaporative loss with DI water to the original target mass.
- Cool to ≤40 °C before adding heat-sensitive materials.
- Add water-based botanical extracts (Reetha, Shikakai, Fenugreek) one by one, mix well.
- Add ethanol-based extracts (Amla, Pineapple), mix gently.
- Disperse Curcumin WS 25%; mix until uniform color.
- Add TEGO®️ Remo 95 MB (1.00%) at 30–40 °C, slowly in a thin stream with low–medium sweep. Mix 10–15 min; then allow 20–30 min rest for micelles to reorganize (viscosity will develop during this window).
- Add Lemongrass and Peppermint oils; mix until homogeneous.
- Add Optiphen (1.00%) at ≤40 °C; mix 5–10 min.
- Measure pH. Adjust slowly with diluted lactic acid to pH 5.3–5.5.
- Stand 30–60 min at 25 °C and recheck viscosity & pH. Ensure final pH isn’t drifting below 5.5. Fill when stable.
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Please suggest any more changes I need to make to achieve shampoo like viscosity and have a stable product?
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This discussion was modified 2 weeks, 6 days ago by
arastellar09.
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This discussion was modified 2 weeks, 6 days ago by arastellar09.
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This discussion was modified 2 weeks, 6 days ago by arastellar09.
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2 Replies
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Tego Remo 95 MB by Evonik is a lipid associative thickener. Ingredient supplier posted a video of making shampoo with this ingredient on YouTube. In the video, they used Sodium Cocoamphoacetate + Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate + Coco Betaine surfactant system. Only 1% of this thickener was able to achieve a good viscosity. Should I give it a try too? with my Taurate+Sarcosinate+APG surfactant system…?
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Taurate surfactants can be thickened with amphoterics (such as cocamidopropyl betaine) and salt (https://www.clariant.com/en/Business-Units/Care-Chemicals/Personal-Care/Sensorial-Effects/Surfactants/Taurates-mild-surfactants). Is there any reason you haven’t tried an amphoteric?
Glucoside surfactants are difficult to thicken so I would suggest lowering the amount of glucosides in your formula.
Try making the formula without all of you extracts and then adding them in one by one as the ethanol in the extracts could also be contributing the low viscosity. Reduce them to claims levels if necessary (0.01%).
Hope this helps 😊
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