Thickening Agents In Cosmetics

ByAnay.Nilesh.KachariaAnay.Nilesh.Kacharia

Role Of Thickening Agent in Cosmetic

Principles involved in Thickening

• Stokes's law - is the basis of the falling-sphere viscometer, in which the fluid is stationary in a vertical glass tube. A sphere descends through the liquid. it reaches terminal velocity, which can be measured by the time it takes to pass two marks on the tube.

• Thixiotropy - It is a property of certain gels which tend to flow on the account of stress applied on it.

Classification Of Thickening Agents

• Lipid Thickeners- (Beeswax, Cetyl alcohol, Steryl alcohol ) • Naturally Derived thickeners- (Modified Cellulose, Guar gum, Xanthan Gum, Gelatin )

•Synthetic Thickeners- (Carbomers, Polyethylene Glycol)

• Ionic Thickeners- (Salt)

Carbomer’s• A family of Cross-Linked Acid Polymers

• They are essential ingredients in Cosmetics and Pharmaceuticals • They are Excellent Rheology Modifiers

Carbopol Polymers

• They are High Mol.Wt Polyacrylic acids, Cross-Linked with polyalkenylether

• They provide Thickening with a wide range of flow properties

Thickening Mechanism

Ingredient Weight % Function

Deionized Water 61.2 Diluent

PVP 2.5 Hair Settling Resin

Aminomethyl Propanol 0.30 Neutralizing Agent

CARBOPOL 0.5 Rheology Modifier

Wheat Protein 0.5 Conditioner

Methyl Paraben 0.5 Preservative

Ethanol 34.5 Solvent

Hair Styling Gel Formulation

Hydroxy Ethyl Cellulose

• It is derived from cellulose

• It is a non-ionic water soluble Polymer

• It can – 1) Thicken 2) Bind 3) Emulsify 4) Form Films 5) Retains Water

Salient Features Of H.E.C

• Provides a smooth and silky feel to product

• It has high ionic tolerance

• It gives an extremely high clarity in gels

• It offers good compatibility with surfactants

• Wide range of viscosities can be achived with HEC

• A purified cellulose is treated with NaOH to form a swollen alkali cellulose

• This swollen alkali cellulose is treated with ethylene oxide to get a long chains of hydroxy ethyl cellulose

Physical Properties

Problems with HEC

• CLOUDINESS tends to appear in clear solution in a short span of time

• It gives a sticky feeling on the hand over a period of time.

• It consists of 5% of volitile matter which is not accepted worldwide.

Ingredienta % weight

Gelling agent (HEC) 1

Humectant(Glycerine) 10-30

Abrasive(CaCO3) 15-40

Sweetner(Saccharin) 0.1-0.2

Flavour 1-1.5

Surface active agent 1-2

Presevative ,colour & Water qs

Toothpaste Formulation With HEC

References-

• Harrys cosmeticology

• Noveon website

• ISP Product handbook

• Lubrizol website

Thank you