Anatomy of an emulsion: Increasing the viscosity

3 min read

In our previous blog posts we started with a KISS formulation and showed you the impact of the oil phase concentration and the nature of the oil on emulsion properties:

Anatomy of an emulsion: The impact of the oil
Plant oils are a major part of “green” cosmetic formulations, at least in an artisanal scale. In the industrial scale, the big and small names mainly use hydrocarbons and ester oils for an improved oxidation stability and increased shelf-life and use just enough plant oils to be able to have
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Anatomy of an emulsion: varying the oil phase concentration
As mentioned in the previous part of this post, there are several factors that affect the stability, texture, viscosity and skin feel of an emulsion. One of the easiest ways to change the texture and viscosity of the emulsion is by playing with the oil phase concentration (in the range
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Anatomy of an emulsion/introduction
Making emulsions is one of the most fascinating activities in cosmetic formulation but creating stable emulsions can sometimes become quite challenging. Although the equipment has a huge impact on the outcome and stability of the emulsion, even the most expensive and high-end equipment can not save…
Skinchakra ScienceDr. Elham Eghbali

For this part we have swapped a part of the oil with:

Cetyl alcohol

Berry wax

Myrica wax

Cocoa butter

This is the 3% auxiliary lipid in the frame formulation.

They all increase the viscosity as expected. Cetyl alcohol is a coemulsifier and is blended in many commercial emulsifiers. In terms of texture and the skin feel those with berry wax, cocoa butter and myrica wax are superior to teh one with the cetyl alcohol. The texture and skin feel of the emulsion with berry wax are the most pleasant.

Keep in mind that when you apply butters and waxes in emulsions you need to prolong the cool down and the stirring period for an improved stability and for avoiding crystallization.

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