Emulsification experimentation

Long time no post!


So last week-ish I did some experimenting with some new-to-me emulsifiers. I tried out Montanov 68 (Cetearyl Alcohol (and) Cetearyl Glucoside), Simulgreen 18-2 (Hydroxystearyl Alcohol and Hydroxystearyl Glucoside) - both available from LotionCrafter, and CreamMaker CA-20 (Cetearyl alcohol, ceteareth-20) from MakingCosmetics. I was excited about the first two, as they are supposed to be liquid crystal emulsifiers, meaning they create a layered structure in the emulsion instead of the usual spherical micellar structure. It is supposed to more closely mimic the lipid layering of the skin, and therefore provide more effective moisturizing.

So I made three tiny batches of lotion, with all the same ingredients save for the 3% of each of the emulsifiers.

My lotion featured cetyl alcohol, dimethicone, rosehip oil, squalane, evening primrose oil, and vitamin E in the oil phase, and glycerin, niacinamide, and water in the water phase. Powdered Germall Plus and cyclomethicone rounded out the cool-down section.

The phases were heated and held, and mixed at about 70 degrees C. I used the whisk attachment for my mini mixer, which as we see later, may have caused some issues.

The lotion made with Montanov 68 was very, very thin to start with. However, it held together okay, and had thickened up to a normal, medium thickness lotion consistency by the following morning.

The lotion made with the CreamMaker CA-20 thickened pretty normally. As soon as the mixture started to cool during mixing it became a medium thickness lotion. It has held up nicely, but looks a little "grainy" (if you are a soaper, you'd call it light ricing). It shows no sign of separation, but looks like it could have used a little more thorough mixing perhaps.

And finally the lotion made with the Simulgreen 18-2. It thickened so nicely, really thick right away. The texture was nice and smooth, and my hopes were high. It looked really great for about 48 hours, after which soupy water started coming out the tube I'd put it in before the thick part would squeeze out. It had separated! Boo! I've since thrown this one out.

So, I think the root of my problem with the Simulgreen 18-2 was my mixing. Susan over at Point of Interest, coincidentally mentioned a few days after I made these lotions, that the Montanov and Simulgreen are meant to be mixed with a high-shear mixer (like a stick blender) before switching to a low-shear mixer (like whisk or hand mixer). I double checked the usage instructions on LotionCrafter's website, and sure enough she was right. None of mine got high-shear mixing. The one with Montanov seems to have tolerated my omission, the Simulgreen has not.

I can't really comment on the relative moisturizing capabilities of each emulsifier. I am a very oily girl to start with, and these lotions contain waaaay more oil than I am used to applying to my face. I chose the oils carefully, to be high in linoleic acid and therefore hopefully beneficial for acne-prone skin, and they haven't broken me out at all, but they do feel distinctly more oily than I am used to.