How to use pre-blended surfactants in cosmetic formulas

 

Pre-blended surfactants can be a great and easy addition when creating foaming cleanser formulas such as face and body wash, hand wash and even shampoo - but what exactly are they, when should they be used, and how much is typically added to a cosmetic formula?

How to use pre-blended surfactants in cosmetic formulas

How foaming cleansers and shampoo formulas are normally created

To provide a good foam and thorough clean, foaming cleansers and shampoo formulas need to contain a primary anionic surfactant. Anionic surfactants are negatively charged, and strong anionic surfactants are great at removing positively charged dirt particles and oil droplets by ionic charge. The anionic surfactant gives the strongest clean and usually the biggest foam, but even mild anionic surfactants can be a bit harsh when used in cosmetic formulas on their own.


To make foaming formulas and shampoos more mild an amphoteric surfactant is usually added. Common examples you would see on product labels include cocamidopropyl betaine, cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine and amphoacetate materials. These ingredients not only boost foam and cleansing power, but dramatically improve the mildness of those strong anionic surfactants whilst also providing an additive effect such that less overall surfactant is then needed in the formula.


Finally, at least one non-ionic surfactant is usually added to a foaming formula as well. This further boosts mildness and adds other features, like dense foam, soft wash off feeling or other benefits to the formula.


For many years, surfactants have only been available as single materials, so a foaming cleanser or shampoo formula had to be created with the right mix of anionic, amphoteric and non-ionic surfactant to get a suitable foam and cleansing performance whilst ensuring a mild and soft feeling for the user. Now, however, we can get pre-blended materials, that combine these three types of surfactants (and sometimes another mildness additive) into the one product – so only one foaming blended material is needed. This is convenient for beginners as it enables them to purchase and use just the one pre-blended material. In addition to this, suppliers have usually tried and tested the blend to make sure it will give the great foam, clean and mildness that is expected.
 

What are examples of pre-blended surfactants?

The Create Cosmetic Formulas program has pre-blended surfactants in the formula build: shampoo/body wash/face wash – pre-blended surfactants. The types you can choose from include:

  • Iselux SLC: a combination of sodium lauryl methyl isethionate, sodium lauroamphoacetate and cocamide MIPA.
  • SugaDet Mild: a combination of sodium laurylglucoside hydroxypropylsulfonate, sodium methyl cocoyl taurate, cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine, sodium bis-hydroxyethyl glycinate coco-glucoside cross polymer and sodium stearoyl lactylate.

Both of these options provide a great clean and foam profile, as well as being mild and sulfate free. Pre-blended surfactants are available in the skin and hair program – and while they are mostly naturally derived, because they contain some synthetically modified ingredients, they are not suitable to use in organic formulas.
 

How much pre-blended surfactants should you use?

The Create Cosmetic Formulas program will guide you on how much pre-blended surfactant to use as part of your formula. As a general rule:

  • Use 30 – 35%w/w in a face or hand wash formula;
  • Use 35 – 45%w/w in a body wash formula;
  • Use 40 – 55%w/w in a shampoo formula.

Shampoo usually needs the highest input of surfactants, especially when created for oily hair. For dry or short hair, the lower recommended input for shampoo can be used. The amount of pre-blended surfactant for use in face and hand wash products is much lower, because they have a much smaller surface area to clean and spread over.
You’ll find guidance on how to use pre-blended surfactants, and how much to use, in the general skin & hair care versions of the program, in the ‘shampoo/body wash/face wash – pre-blended emulsifiers’ formulation build.
 

The pros and cons of using pre-blended surfactants

As with all cosmetic ingredients, there are reasons why we might choose one type of ingredient over another:

  • pre-blended surfactants are a convenient choice to purchase one material instead of three different types of ingredients, and this obviously means less different ingredients to measure out when making a foaming formula. They are great for beginners and those who want a simple ‘go-to’ foaming and cleansing ingredient blend.
  • however, pre-blended surfactants usually cost more per kilo when you calculate the cost of your formula and have less formulation flexibility than using individual surfactants. For example, if you want to create more advanced or specialized formulas, or exfoliants, you will need to use individual surfactants to overcome potential formulation incompatibilities. They also require a slightly higher pH (around 6 – 6.5) than some types of surfactants, so the final formula may not be able to host certain types of active ingredients or preservatives. This is when you might want to choose the more traditional types of foaming formulation builds.

The great thing is the Create Cosmetic Formulas program accommodates all of these different choices, so it really is up to you what you choose to create!

 

So… what cosmetic formula will you create today?

If you are making foaming cleansers or shampoo for yourself, choose whichever one you prefer! If you are making foaming cleansers or shampoo formulas to suit a specific target market, then consider what best addresses their preferences: do you need to use actives, preservatives or other ingredients that don’t suit the pre-blends, and will the budget fit? Or is the pre-blend an ideal choice for convenience and regular performance?


Consumers won’t know if you’ve used a pre-blend of surfactants or individual materials, but they will know if they like your product; so use what you need to get the best results for your user.


Remember too, creating cosmetic formulas is all about having fun, so try some pre-blended surfactants and see how easy they are to use in your next development.
 

Happy formulating!

 

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