IO Oil-in-Water Emulsifier Paste

This ingredient at a glance

IO Oil-in-Water Emulsifier Paste is a pasty substance that can turn into a harder lump without losing its properties, as the card notes. It is an emulsifier intended for oil-in-water emulsions. Most face and body creams, lotions and milks are oil-in-water emulsions: small oil droplets dispersed in a continuous water phase. They feel light and fresh and are easy to rinse from the hands. Check the INCI name, HLB value and recommended level on the supplier data sheet and CoA.

What an emulsifier does

Oil and water do not mix on their own. Shake them together and they separate within minutes. An emulsifier has one part that likes water and one part that likes oil, so it sits at the boundary of each droplet and keeps the droplets apart. The choice of emulsifier shapes the texture, stability and skin feel of the whole product.

Product formats

Face creams

Day and night creams with a smooth texture.

Body lotions

Fluid lotions that spread easily.

Cleansing milks

Light milks for gentle makeup removal.

Hand creams

Rich hand creams with a higher oil phase.

Processing

Weigh the paste into the oil phase with the other oils, butters and fatty alcohols. Heat to 70 to 75 °C until fully melted. Heat the water phase to the same temperature, add the oil phase to the water phase while mixing with a homogenizer, then cool while stirring. If the paste has hardened in storage, simply melt it with the oil phase.

Good partners

Fatty alcohols such as cetearyl alcohol add body and stability. IO Palm-Free Emulsifier Powder is a co-emulsifier option, and IO Consistency Wax Granules adds consistency. Browse more in the actives catalog.

Testing

Run centrifuge and warm-cabinet tests, and check viscosity and droplet size under a microscope after one day and after several weeks.

Claims

Light, smooth texture; stable emulsion; pleasant skin feel.

Characteristics

Appearance: pasty substance; can form a harder lump without losing properties. Use: emulsifier for oil-in-water emulsions. INCI, HLB and level: supplier data sheet and CoA.

Original recipe: everyday body lotion, 100 g

Distilled water 75.30 g, glycerin 4.00 g, xanthan gum 0.20 g, IO Oil-in-Water Emulsifier Paste 4.00 g, cetearyl alcohol 1.50 g, sunflower oil 8.00 g, caprylic capric triglyceride 4.00 g, tocopherol 0.50 g, panthenol 1.00 g, phenoxyethanol and ethylhexylglycerin 1.00 g, citric acid 0.50 g. Melt IO Oil-in-Water Emulsifier Paste with the oils and cetearyl alcohol, emulsify into the heated water phase, cool, add panthenol and the preservative and adjust the pH.

Choosing the emulsifier level

The amount of emulsifier depends on the size of the oil phase. A light lotion with little oil needs less emulsifier, while a rich cream needs more. Start from the supplier's recommended ratio of emulsifier to oil and adjust in small steps.

Combining with co-emulsifiers

Many stable emulsions use a primary emulsifier plus a co-emulsifier or fatty alcohol. The combination gives better stability and a richer texture than a single emulsifier.

Range ideas

A body lotion, a hand cream and a cleansing milk can share this ingredient as the emulsifier base.

Lot records

Keep each CoA with the batch file and note the lot used.

Handling hardened lumps

Paste emulsifiers can become firm when stored in a cool room. Since the card notes that this does not change the properties, simply cut or scoop the amount needed and melt it with the oil phase. Avoid overheating while melting, and stir until the oil phase is fully clear before emulsifying.

Texture tuning

A lotion made with a light oil phase and a small amount of fatty alcohol stays fluid. Raise the fatty alcohol and butter content for a cream. Gums in the water phase help keep light lotions stable.

Storage

Store closed in a cool place. Close the container after use.