PEG-6 caprylic/capric glycerides micellar water: excitement and frustration

My new order of ingredients came two days ago, and let me tell you, boy was I excited! When I got home from work and saw that the box there waiting for me was from Lotioncrafter, I pretty much dropped everything and busted out my alchemy equipment!

I had a recipe all ready to try out, with similar ingredients to Bioderma's Sensibio. It included distilled water, PEG-6 caprylic/capric glycerides (of course!), xylitol, cucumber peel extract, disodium EDTA, and a preservative. It was a simple one-phase mixing process, as there are no water and oil parts to emulsify.

As soon as I added the PEG-6 caprylic/capric glycerides to the water, it went kind of cloudy, which surprised me a bit, as the Bioderma formula is clear. I didn't worry about it, because the stuff I made with Cromollient SCE is also milky. I added in the rest of the ingredients. As expected, when I added the cucumber peel extract, the colour changed a bit. I'm using a powdered rather than a liquid extract and it makes things kind of yellow-y green. But it was fine and I mixered it all up.

I obviously can't leave well enough alone, so I tried it out right away. It felt okay, but not very much like the Sensibio. It was cleansing, but the dry-down wasn't the same; more residue-y, maybe from the cucumber extract or the gooey liquid Germall Plus I used to preserve it.

Anyway, within a few hours, I noticed something was settling out of solution onto the bottom of my beaker. I initially thought it was the Germall, since it looked pretty thick, but by the morning, the solution was clear with all the thick stuff sitting on the bottom, so now I figure it must be the PEG-6 caprylic/capric glycerides! What the heck! It's supposed to be a solubilizer, why is it coming out of solution?!

Clearly I need to have another go or two at this one. Sadly, it might not be for a while, since I have to help someone move this weekend and work out of town all next week. Boo. I guess I have time to contemplate what went wrong this time, since I still haven't figured that part out yet....

UPDATE Aug 28, 2016: So the strangest thing happened. I was more-or-less away for 10 days, so I just left this to sit. When I got home today, I mixed it up again with a frother-style mixer, and, lo! and behold, it is a clear solution! What the heck!? Did it just need some time, or did it just need some more serious mixing, or both? Anyway, I tried it again. It makes the same few tiny bubbles on the cotton pad as Sensibio (if you rub the two sides of the pad together), and it does not feel nearly as "residue-y" as I remember from before. Maybe the cucumber extract hadn't entirely dissolved before. Anyway, it is quite nice. Definitely an improvement on the last time I tried it. Perhaps a little more cleansing than Sensibio. Maybe they only use 0.75% surfactant in the commercial formula. Yay!

Polysorbate-20 micellar water - 2nd try

I had another go at micellar water made with polysorbate-20 tonight. I kept with my super simple testing formula as follows:

1% surfactant (polysorbate-20, in this case)
q.s. preservative (used 0.5% liquid Germall Plus)
q.s distilled water to 100%

It is nice and clear, and doesn't foam or feel soapy on the skin or the cotton pad the way the decyl glucoside and the caprylyl/capryl glucoside did. It seemed to clean off my sunscreen and day's worth of oily-face adequately. The dry-down is nice, definitely not sticky, maybe a little powdery, even.

Compared to the Bioderma Sensibio, I feel the polysorbate-20 at 1% may be just a fraction more drying. I wouldn't call it a drying cleanser though; my face feels less dry after using this than it does after using one of my old standbys, Cliniderm Gentle Cleanser, which is designed for "senitive, allergic, reactive or dry skin." I'm in no particular rush to apply a moisturizer.

Plus, it doesn't burn on my face like my last try did, since there's no Optiphen in it, wooo!

Verdict: I like it. This is a good option for DIY micellar water. Polysorbate-20 is a common, easily accessible ingredient, it's pretty cheap, and it does the job nicely. I haven't done in-depth research on this, but I haven't heard of anyone being sensitive to it (not to say it never happens, people can be allergic to literally anything). It's gentle enough that it is the surfactant used in Bioderma's ABCDerm H2O micellar solution designed for baby skin. I bet my basic recipe could be prettied up with all kinds of things like aloe or allantoin or panthenol to make something fairly decent.

I don't know how it works on makeup, since I rarely wear any (I'm definitely more into skincare than makeup). If you try it, lemme know how it does!

Micellar water update

So, I picked up a couple little travel-sized bottles of Bioderma Sensibio, since it is the gold standard of micellar waters, in order to have a reference point of what a commercial product is like when I am formulating. Wow, it's really nice! I could totally get over my squickiness about a leave-on surfactant product if it feels like that does... at least for one cleanse a day. I've got my benchmark!

Of all the formulas I've tried so far, I think the polysorbate-20 feels the most similar to the Bioderma, though I want to try that one again with a non-Optiphen preservative.

I also have grand plans for my micellar water recipes, and I haven't even got my PEG-6 caprylic/capric glycerides surfactant yet! I picked up some rose water and some orange blossom water from the international foods section of a local grocery store and I think I'll try to include them in some recipes. I'm so excited! :D

Polysorbate-80 micellar water

The one solubilizing surfactant I own that I haven't tried in a micellar water yet: polysorbate-80.

I've continued on with my stripped down testing method, making the micellar water with just distilled water, 1% surfactant, and preservative.

Maybe 1% surfactant is not enough, or maybe polysorbate-80 is just a sticky one, but my skin feels moist and not terribly clean after using this product. I must say that it is a good-looking product though, making a nice, clear solution.

I have to say, so far I prefer polysorbate-20 and PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil to the others I've tried. But... I just ordered some PEG-6 capric/caprylic triglyceride from Lotioncrafter (why they've trade-named it SurfPro CC-6, I'll never understand, it makes it so hard to find). This surfactant is the one used in the celebrated Bioderma Sensibio/Crealine, so I have high expectations even though I haven't tried the original. (Hint: Watch for a Sensibio dupe attempt coming up once I receive my ingredients!)

Micellar water: critical micellization concentration (CMC) of different surfactants

As I hinted in this post, there is a property that surfactants have called critical micellization concentration (CMC). I did a bit of research on it when I was trying to find out how much surfactant is used in a micellar cleansing water (which is obviously a different amount for different surfactants)... it can't be "micellar" water unless there are micelles! If you don't know what a micelle is, go spend a few minutes at the University of Google, and meet me back here.

So, to simplify, the CMC is the lowest concentration of a surfactant that will form micelles in water (or whatever diluent the researcher is determining/stating the CMC for... we are really only concerned about water), so it is the lowest concentration of surfactant you need to be able to call your solution a micellar water!

These values didn't end up being super helpful in determining proper surfactant concentrations for micellar cleanser, since they are so low as to likely be inadequate for cleansing purposes, but they are interesting nonetheless and, by definition, form the lower limit for surfactant concentrations in a micellar cleanser.

The ones I have collected are for surfactants I own; if you know others you'd like to submit to this list, please comment with the values! CMCs are listed in various units including ppm (parts per million), mol/L (moles per litre), and g/L (grams per litre). I am listing in grams per litre of water, since that is most useful in cosmetic chemistry formulating, but if you are a nerd like me you can sort out how to convert from mol/L to g/L (that's how I got the value for decyl glucoside).

CMCs of various surfactants
1.7 g/L caprylyl/capryl glucoside
0.7 g/L decyl glucoside
0.06 g/L (60 mg/L) polysorbate-20
1.1 g/L PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil

N.B. It is just my assumption, but I would think that the CMCs refer to concentrations of active chemicals in your surfactants, since they can come in different strengths. That is, you'd need 10 grams of a 10% active surfactant to get 1 gram of the actual surfactant ingredient into your formulation. The stuff as it comes out of the bottle is not 100% active; for example, the decyl glucoside I have is 51% active. Note that I write my formulas for "as it comes out of the bottle." So my decyl glucoside micellar water that was "1% decyl glucoside" actually only had 0.51% active decyl glucoside in it.

PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil micellar water

I hadn't opened my container of PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil (hereinafter referred to as PEG-40) yet, so I thought I'd give another micellar water a go using this as the surfactant. Given that I liked how my skin felt using the polysorbate-20 version (after rinsing off the nasty stinging Optiphen Plus), I was hopeful that I might like this one too; they are both non-foaming surfactants, usually used as solubilizers.

Following the formula of my last couple of batches, this one was just water, surfactant, and preservative. I switched out my 1% of Optiphen Plus and used 0.5% of liquid Germall Plus instead. This time I heated the water and PEG-40 together so the PEG-40 would melt; it's quite thick at room temperature. Once it cooled down, I added the preservative.

My opinion of this one is that it feels much nicer than the caprylyl/capryl glucoside and the decyl glucoside versions due to the lack of soapiness and not feeling crazy-dry after using it, and better than both of those and the polysorbate-20 version due to not having the Optiphen sting. I also think I like it better than my first Cromollient version because it's not as sticky, but I think that is the fault of the glycerin in that recipe.

My skin felt clean-ish and fresh after using this recipe. Bear in mind that I don't wear makeup, but I do use a prescription lotion and a sunscreen, as well as having really oily skin, which is what the cleanser was having to deal with after a full day at work. I don't know if I'll ever really be able to get behind a leave-on cleanser (I'm totally neurotic about rinsing toothpaste out of my mouth too), but it will be a convenient thing to have when camping or working outside in the summer, which is something I do fairly regularly.

Of all the recipes I've tried, this is my favourite so far, but I definitely want to give a fair chance to the Cromollient and polysorbate-20 by trying them in recipes without stuff that me and my skin don't like.

Polysorbate-20 micellar water

After the unwanted foaminess with the caprylyl/capryl glucoside and decyl glucoside attempts, I decided to change course and go for a definitely-non-foaming surfactant, polysorbate-20.

I followed the same strategy and processing as in the decyl glucoside formula, with just water, surfactant, and preservative, at the same percentages.

I couldn't believe it when this one stung too! Polysorbate-20 is recommended at up to 20% of a formula (and is mostly used for leave-on products)! That's when I figured out it wasn't likely the surfactants stinging... it was the Optiphen. Looks like my skin prefers parabens and formaldehyde donors... on my face, anyway. Oh well, I'm not afraid of well-tested ingredients. I also feel like powdered Germall Plus is on its way to becoming my favourite preservative anyway; it's so much cheaper and you use so little of it!

My skin felt good after using this formula (after rinsing it off to stop the Optiphen sting), not crunchy like with the last one. So, I'll be trying this one again some time with a different preservative.

Decyl glucoside micellar water

I have learned to start simple now. At least after two semi-fails.

Next surfactant on the to-try list is decyl glucoside. After the stinging I experienced with the caprylyl/capryl glucoside recipe, I stripped this one down to three ingredients: water, surfactant, and preservative. Just distilled water, 1% decyl glucoside, and Optiphen Plus.

Boiled the water, added the surfactant, cooled, added preservative, and mixed.

It foamed and stung when I used it. Boo. I had to rinse my skin after applying this, and it felt stripped, as though I had used a strong-ish rinse-off cleanser. That decyl glucoside is powerful stuff.

At this point I still hadn't put two and two together regarding the Optiphen stinging, I was too taken aback by all the foam!

Caprylyl/capryl glucoside micellar water

Given that I have a camping trip coming up in a few weeks, and that I am neurotic about twice-daily face washing, I figured I should design myself some nice micellar cleansing water so that I only have to make the trek to the shower station once a day...

You might have already read about my previous micellar water experiment, but I felt like it was kinda sticky, probably from the few percent of glycerin I put in it, so I wanted to improve my recipe.

I also have several surfactants to try, so I think I will have a little series of micellar water posts. This one will be using caprylyl/capryl glucoside as the surfactant.

I still haven't learned to start simple, as you will see in this post.

Micellar water, as the name implies, is mostly water, with some surfactant added in at a sufficient concentration to form micelles. That "sufficient concentration" I refer to is different for each surfactant, and in chemistry is referred to as the critical micellization concentration, or the CMC. More on that in a later post. Micellar waters also contain things to make them nice for your skin, and also preservative(s) so they don't start looking like kombucha and/or give you a nasty infection.

The recipe I invented this time included water with 1% caprylyl/capryl glucoside and 1% or less of the following: hydrolyzed oats (general niceness), allantoin (occlusive), propylene glycol (dirt solvent/moisturizer), xylitol (for slip), lactic acid (exfoliation), and Optiphen Plus (preservative).

I pre-boiled the distilled water, and mixed everything together, and that was it.

It was waaay sudsier than I expected, including foaming up a bit on the cotton pad and on the skin when used. Perhaps my surfactant concentration is too high, as this is way too foamy and feels too much like a rinse-off cleanser.

Also it stings when I use it. Initially I thought that was from the lactic acid, but given that I can use 10% lactic acid gel with less stinging, I was suspicious. Upon further experimentation, I believe my face is sensitive to the Optiphen.

surfactants in micellar water

Here's a link to an interesting article on surfactants, with a section on surfactants used in micellar cleansing waters. It gives some idea about types of surfactants used, and the usage rates.

Micellar water

So, micellar water is all the rage in North American skin care at the moment. It also has, like, five ingredients. That's basically an invitation for a DIY version.

My version contains water, preservative, Cromollient SCE (INCI Di-PPG-2 Myreth-10 Adipate), which is an emollient, solubilizing surfactant, and a touch of glycerin and panthenol to make it nice.

It's not clear, so it doesn't look like water. Perhaps I should call it micellar milk and launch the newest trend. It makes my face feel a bit warm when I use it; I figure this may be due to the mild warming sensation glycerin can cause. It also makes my skin feel a little crunchy; I'm less sure about this part, it might be that the cotton pads I use it with are more abrasive on my dainty hide than my hands (which is how I normally apply cleanser), or it could be that the fact that it is a rinse-free product and is leaving residual surfactant on my skin.

It's not mind-blowing, but using it would certainly be better than not cleaning my face at all, which is one of the things I hate most in the world. I think it might be good for a mid-day wipe-off after, for example, going for a sweaty walk outside on a day like today, when the temperature is 34°C and the humidex is 40°C.

I may try to make other versions with different surfactants in the future, since I see how this could be a convenient product. I've seen other examples made with decyl glucoside and caprylyl/capryl glucoside, and also polysorbate 20.