Dear customers,
Today you are receiving the last issue of our Personal Care Newsletter for 2024. We are dedicating this issue primarily to innovations and formulation technology in the rinse-off area of personal care. Find out more about the optimization of surfactant formulations and new products from our partner Innospec. Our new employee Giuseppe Russo introduces himself in an interview.
We would like to thank you for the good and trusting cooperation in 2024 and wish you a peaceful Advent season and a good start to the new year 2025!
Your STOCKMEIER Personal Care Team
Growth together with customers and partners
5 tips for optimizing a surfactant formulation
1. pH value
Organic acids are often used to preserve surfactant formulations that require a pH value of around 5.0. Some surfactants, e.g. sulphosuccinates, are susceptible to hydrolysis at acidic pH values. When using such products, it is recommended to shift the pH value to 5.5-6.0 and at the same time select an appropriate preservation system. If the pH value rises or falls during the storage test, a suitable chelating agent could help to buffer the pH value. In addition, chelating agents can have a positive influence on the preservation system.
2. Salt concentration/electrolyte content
When thickening surfactants with NaCl, does the viscosity not want to increase or does it even continue to decrease? This may be due to the fact that the area of salt thickening lies outside the stable pH range. Before considering the use of external rheology modifiers, taurates, for example, can shift the salt curve and thus make thickening possible. Too many cationic surfactants or a high electrolyte content can also lead to poorer thickening. Possible sources of electrolytes can be preservatives, perfumes, active ingredients or plant extracts, but water quality also plays an important role.
3. Micelle structure
When selecting base and co-surfactants and their application concentration/ratio, the molecular structure of the individual substances should be considered. Depending on the composition, the packing density and shape of the micelles can change and also reform as soon as substances are added or removed.
4. Raw material quality
Consistent raw material quality is extremely important for the reproducibility of stable formulations. For example, the amphoteric surfactant cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB) can be produced in different ways. Oil-based CAPB contains glycerine as a by-product, which reduces the viscosity build-up. Switching to CAPB made from fatty acid ensures that the viscosity can be built up better with NaCl.
5. Processing temperature
Some surfactants are very solid at room temperature and can be better processed by heating. However, high temperatures can accelerate the hydrolysis of surfactants and thus lead to instabilities within the formulation.
Our raw material portfolio offers a large selection of anionic, non-ionic and amphoteric surfactants. We will be happy to advise you on which combination is suitable for your formulation.
Please let me know if these tips have helped you get a handle on unstable surfactant formulations.
Laboratory & Technical Marketing Manager Personal CareContact
STOCKMEIER Chemie
Viktoria Regula
Laboratory & Technical Marketing Manager
+49 521 / 3037-0
viktoria.regula@stockmeier.com
Pureact LSR
Contact
STOCKMEIER Chemie
Sonja Gehm
Sales & Product Manager Life Science
+49 521 / 3037-0
sonja.gehm@stockmeier.com
Empigen® BSP
Contact
5 questions to ...
2. What is your role in the STOCKMEIER Personal Care Team?
I take care of our personal care customers in the office for southern Germany, in close cooperation with the field service. My focus is on actively advising customers, preparing quotations and processing orders.
3. What excites you most about personal care?
I find it fascinating to realize that I have used many personal care products countless times without knowing how much know-how is behind them. Now, with a deeper understanding of the processes - from research and development to sales - I walk through the drugstores with completely different eyes. It motivates me to be part of a team that works to such high standards to meet the needs of customers and consumers. Being actively involved in this makes me proud.
4. What do you particularly like about dealing with customers?
For me, communication is the key. The daily, personal exchange makes it possible to find solutions together - no matter how big or small the challenge is. This is the only way to create sustainable customer relationships. If you take every customer seriously and get fully involved every day, everyone benefits in the end. This creates a pleasant working atmosphere and makes the job fulfilling.
5. How do you balance your day-to-day work?
In my free time I am active in sports, whether in the gym, jogging through the beautiful parks in Bielefeld or on long walks with my wife. I also enjoy traveling or spending time with friends at the weekend. If the weather is not playing along, I also enjoy a cozy movie or series evening.
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Disclaimer
The information on products and applications is intended to provide our customers with information and suggestions. They do not imply any legal assurance of certain properties of the products or their suitability for a specific application. Our technical advice, information and recommendations are given to the best of our knowledge and are not binding. They do not release the buyer from testing our products for their suitability for the intended applications and purposes. The contents of the of this newsletter correspond to our current state of knowledge and do not claim to be complete.