FRAMING THE FORMULA

Formula: The core structure of consumer product formula constitutes ingredients under six categories

ACTIVE

STABILIZERS

SPECIALITY INGREDIENTS

PRESERVATIVES

OTHER ADDITIVES

BASE

Formula key consideration

Product Appearance and Benefits

Desired product benefits(Claims) for the consumer will set the range for selection and number of ingredients in the formula

Formula Cost

Target formula cost decides the range and concentration of ingredients in the formula, i.e. ingredients will be selected basis the benefits and their price

Base Ingredients

To form the base product. This give the product its texture, appearance, structure and stability

Specialty Ingredients

For the specific and advance benefits special actives are to be included in the formula chassis. For example: Anti-aging benefit like wrinkle removal, sunprotection etc..

INGREDIENT SCIENCE

Formula Base: Water or Solvent

Water: Water is the primarily a base/universal solvent in consumer products, it dissolves many of the formula ingredients such as, surfactants, conditioning agents, cleansing agents etc. and helps in the formation of emulsions.

Water; free of toxins, pollutants and microbes is fit for formulation of personal care/home care/non-pharma products

Different type or grade of water for personal care/Home care/non-pharma products:

Deionized water
Demineralized water
Distilled water
Purified water
Reverse osmosis water
Potable water

Different grade of water for formulation of Pharmaceutical products:

Purified water
Water for injection
Water for preparation of extracts

Note: For complete details on different types of water and respective specifications please refer following standards

WATER STANDARD/SPECIFICATION:

FDA: US Food & Drug administration
USP: United States Pharmacopeia
EMA: European Medicines Agency
ASTM: American Society for Testing and Materials
ISO: International Organization for Standardization

Formula Base: Solvent

Depending upon the type of product (like cleaning products) and its end benefit/claim/function, the formula base ingredient could be a solvent, For example: Ethanol, Isopropyl alcohol, silicon & glycolic ether

Surfactants

There are four major categories of surfactants :

Anionic Surfactant: with negative charge on their hydrophilic head

Function: Excellent dirt and grease removal. Strong foaming. Eg. Sodium lauryl ether sulfate, linear alkylbenzene sulfonates

etc..

Cationic Surfactant: with positive charge on their hydrophilic head

Function: Anti-microbial, hair conditioners, fabric conditioners etc.. E.g. Benzalkonium Chloride, Cetrimonium Chloride etc..

Nonionic Surfactant: they have no charge and are neutral

Function: Gentle cleaning, emulsifier etc.. E.g. Alcohol ethoxylates, decyl glucoside etc..

Amphoteric Surfactant(or zwitterionic): have both positive and negative charges on their hydrophilic head, resulting in a net neutral charge

Function: Mild cleaning, Foam booster, supports viscosity. E.g. Betaines, Lauryl amine oxide etc..

APPLICATION:

Functionality provided by surfactants: Cleaning, wetting, dispersing, emulsifying, foaming and anti-foaming effects
Product application: Shampoos, shower gel, hair conditioners, floor cleaners, glass cleaner, heavy grease removers, toothpastes, cosmetic products, antiseptics etc..

Note:

Water solubility of nonionic surfactants decreases with increase in temperature
Nonionic surfactants are less sensitive to water hardness than anionic surfactants
Nonionic surfactants foam less strongly
Surfactants can irritate and damage the skin as they disrupt the lipid membrane that protects skin and other cells.
Skin irritancy: nonionic < amphoteric < anionic < cationic surfactants..
Amphoteric surfactants have high salt tolerance and are stable at broader pH range

Emulsifiers

Different types of emulsifiers and their applications :

Anionic Emulsifier: They have negatively charged group in their molecular structure. They are commonly derived from

carboxylic acids, sulfonic acids, or phosphoric acids.

Different types: Alkyl sulfates, soaps and acyl glutamates

Application: Cleansing and foaming products. E.g. sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium stearoyl lactylate, sodium

dodecylbenzenesulfonate, Sodium lauryl ether sulfate etc..

Cationic Emulsifier: They have positively charged group in their molecular structure. They are often called as quaternary ammonium compounds or QUATS. Due to the positive charge these emulsifiers adheres the product strongly to the surface of the skin and hair. Also they are likely to irritate the skin at high concentration in the formula.

5 generations of QUATS are available with additional benefits.

Application: Anti-microbial, hair conditioners, fabric conditioners, long wear makeup, beach sunscreen etc.. E.g. Benzalkonium

Chloride, Cetrimonium Chloride etc..

Nonionic Emulsifier: They have no charge in their molecular structure and are neutral. No doubt they are the first choice of formulators for most the formulation types as they are very versatile and stable across broader pH range. A blend of non-ionic and ionic emulsifier provides much stronger stability and salt tolerance to the formula.

Different types: Ethoxylated alcohol and esters, glyceryl esters, sorbitan esters and alkyl polyglucosides.

Application: Gentle cleaning, etc.. E.g. Polysorbate, decyl glucoside, sorbitan esters, PEG derivatives etc..

Amphoteric Emulsifier: These emulsifiers exhibits anionic or cationic properties depending upon the pH of the medium or surroundings. Also at isoelectric point they exhibit no net charge. Because of their amphoteric nature they support both oil-in-water and water-in-oil types of emulsions.

Application: Mild cleaning, Foam booster, supports viscosity. E.g. Betaines, Lecithin, phospholipids etc..

Different types: Betaines and amino acids

Natural Emulsifier: They are derived from natural sources like, plants, animals and even microorganisms

Application: Mild & eco-friendly skin care, supports viscosity. E.g. Beeswax, lecithin, acacia gum, sorbitan olivate etc.

Polymeric Emulsifiers: They are a class of synthetic emulsifiers. While selecting the correct polymeric emulsifier, compatibility with other ingredients of the formula like surfactants must be considered. Also they have low salt tolerance. Their advantage is that at low concentration and in combination with other ingredients they can boost the viscosity and form a very stable emulsion system

E.g. Carbomers, acrylic copolymers

BENEFITS:

Emulsifiers stabilizes emulsions and hence the product
Shapes the texture and appearance of product
Improves product absorption time and feel over the skin

POINTS TO CONSIDER WHILE SELECTING THE CORRECT EMULSIFIER FOR YOUR FORMULA:

Read HLB scale below to select the suitable emulsifier for your formula

Calculate HLB value:

Griffin Method

HLB = (Molecular Weight of Hydrophilic Portion) X 100

Molecular Weight of Total Molecule)

Consider the desired appearance or texture of your product
Consider the pH stability of the emulsifier through manufacturer's document.
Stable product need appropriate emulsifier combination and carefully designed process and equipments
After emulsifier combination selection, do ensure that the oil concentration is not too high
Slowly addition of non-polar/oil phase with continuous mixing is best for a stable product
Batch processing temperature control is also very important
Avoid sudden pH and temperature changes
General consideration for selecting emulsifier combination:

Note: The final appearance or texture of product may get affected by other formula ingredients

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FRAMING THE FORMULA

Formula key consideration

Product Appearance and Benefits

Formula Cost

Base Ingredients

Specialty Ingredients

INGREDIENT SCIENCE

Different type or grade of water for personal care/Home care/non-pharma products:

Deionized water

Demineralized water

Distilled water

Purified water

Reverse osmosis water​

Potable water

​

​

Different grade of water for formulation of Pharmaceutical products:

​

Purified water

Water for injection

Water for preparation of extracts

​​

Note: For complete details on different types of water and respective specifications please refer following standards

​​

WATER STANDARD/SPECIFICATION:

​

FDA: US Food & Drug administration

USP: United States Pharmacopeia

EMA: European Medicines Agency

ASTM: American Society for Testing and Materials

ISO: International Organization for Standardization

​

Anionic Surfactant: with negative charge on their hydrophilic head

Function: Excellent dirt and grease removal. Strong foaming. Eg. Sodium lauryl ether sulfate, linear alkylbenzene sulfonates

etc..

Cationic Surfactant: with positive charge on their hydrophilic head

Function: Anti-microbial, hair conditioners, fabric conditioners etc.. E.g. Benzalkonium Chloride, Cetrimonium Chloride etc..

Nonionic Surfactant: they have no charge and are neutral

Function: Gentle cleaning, emulsifier etc.. E.g. Alcohol ethoxylates, decyl glucoside etc..

Amphoteric Surfactant(or zwitterionic): have both positive and negative charges on their hydrophilic head, resulting in a net neutral charge

Function: Mild cleaning, Foam booster, supports viscosity. E.g. Betaines, Lauryl amine oxide etc..

​​​​​

APPLICATION:

​

Functionality provided by surfactants: Cleaning, wetting, dispersing, emulsifying, foaming and anti-foaming effects

Product application: Shampoos, shower gel, hair conditioners, floor cleaners, glass cleaner, heavy grease removers, toothpastes, cosmetic products, antiseptics etc..​

Note:

Water solubility of nonionic surfactants decreases with increase in temperature

Nonionic surfactants are less sensitive to water hardness than anionic surfactants

Nonionic surfactants foam less strongly

Surfactants can irritate and damage the skin as they disrupt the lipid membrane that protects skin and other cells.

Skin irritancy: nonionic < amphoteric < anionic < cationic surfactants..​

Amphoteric surfactants have high salt tolerance and are stable at broader pH range

​

Emulsifiers

Anionic Emulsifier: They have negatively charged group in their molecular structure. They are commonly derived from

carboxylic acids, sulfonic acids, or phosphoric acids.

Different types: Alkyl sulfates, soaps and acyl glutamates

Application: Cleansing and foaming products. E.g. sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium stearoyl lactylate, sodium

dodecylbenzenesulfonate, Sodium lauryl ether sulfate etc..

​

5 generations of QUATS are available with additional benefits.

Application: Anti-microbial, hair conditioners, fabric conditioners, long wear makeup, beach sunscreen etc.. E.g. Benzalkonium

Chloride, Cetrimonium Chloride etc..

​

Different types: Ethoxylated alcohol and esters, glyceryl esters, sorbitan esters and alkyl polyglucosides.

Application: Gentle cleaning, etc.. E.g. Polysorbate, decyl glucoside, sorbitan esters, PEG derivatives etc..

​

Amphoteric Emulsifier: These emulsifiers exhibits anionic or cationic properties depending upon the pH of the medium or surroundings. Also at isoelectric point they exhibit no net charge. Because of their amphoteric nature they support both oil-in-water and water-in-oil types of emulsions.

Application: Mild cleaning, Foam booster, supports viscosity. E.g. Betaines, Lecithin, phospholipids etc..

Different types: Betaines and amino acids

Natural Emulsifier: They are derived from natural sources like, plants, animals and even microorganisms

Application: Mild & eco-friendly skin care, supports viscosity. E.g. Beeswax, lecithin, acacia gum, sorbitan olivate etc.

​

E.g. Carbomers, acrylic copolymers

​​​​​

BENEFITS:

​

Emulsifiers stabilizes emulsions and hence the product​

Shapes the texture and appearance of product

Reverse osmosis water

Product application: Shampoos, shower gel, hair conditioners, floor cleaners, glass cleaner, heavy grease removers, toothpastes, cosmetic products, antiseptics etc..

Skin irritancy: nonionic < amphoteric < anionic < cationic surfactants..

Emulsifiers stabilizes emulsions and hence the product

Avoid sudden pH and temperature changes

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Please come back soon for more information.