Who like Mayonnaise? If this were a presentation, most in the audience would’ve raised their hand. But seriously, who doesn’t like Mayonnaise. It goes great on burgers, hot dogs, macaroni salads, and if you believe the Dutch, with french fries (still have doubts about this one). What makes Mayo possible? They’re called emulsifiers.
Now that I have your attention, let’s discuss one of my favorite topics in personal care chemistry: emulsifiers. What are they, and what are they used for? Emulsifiers are what make two immiscible phases come and stay together in what is know as an emulsion. Emulsions in cosmetics are usually in the form of creams, lotions, masks, conditioners, some serums, shaving creams, and more. The science is that there are two phases that normally don’t mix (oil and water), but with the addition of emulsifiers, the surface tension is reduced, and with agitation and temperature, the once repellent phases now become roommates so to speak. The mechanism is executed via a hydrophilic head region and a hydrophobic tail region. If they sound like surfactants, that’s because surfactants are emulsifiers. A common emulsifier in food, like Mayonnaise, is Lecithin, which is also used in water-in-oil (w/o) skincare emulsions. Although animal-derived Lecithin has fallen out of use, thanks to science, there’s Soybean-derived Lecithin, that is also GMO-free.
Some o/w emulsifiers (green, of course):
- Cetearyl Alcohol NF (run of the mill co-emulsifier)
- Stearic Acid (make sure to get RSPO certified)
- Glyceryl Stearate Citrate (great for lotions)
- Olivem 1000 (RSPO certified and one of my favorites)
- Montanov 68MB (RSPO and forms a lamellar or bilayered structure)
- Montanov L (RSPO and forms a lamellar or bilayered structure)
Here are some w/o emulsifiers:
- Lecithin
- Glyceryl Stearate SE (can be used as a thickener in o/w emulsions)
- Sorbitan stearate
- Polyglyceryl oleate
These are some of the most commonly used emulsifiers throughout the industry. There are emulsifiers that function more as ways to solubilize fragrances or hydrophobic material into water, aptly named solubilizers. Below, you’ll find some of the ones often utilized:
My personal favorite is Tego Solve 90MB. It’s green, RSPO certified, and Evonik has great customer service. If you’re looking for a more cost-effective ingredients, Polysugamulse D9 works magic too. Colonial Chemical is a leader in green surfactant technology. These are just a small laundry list of the continuously expanding world of emulsifiers. Options keep growing as manufacturers continue to push the boundaries of green chemistry in this field.
Greengen Labs 