Chemistry

Why is the cosmetic formulator concerned with solubility, viscosity, surface tension, contact angles, wetting, refractive index, specific gravity, spreadability, play time, cushion, drag, and melting point?

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I thought we’d take some time to process what we’ve learned over the last few days about these very interesting concepts by considering some emollient combinations. Defining some scientific terms: Solubility, viscosity, surface tension, and interfaces Defining some scientific terms: Contact angle, wetting, refractive index, and specific gravity Defining some cosmetic chemistry terms: Spreadability, play...

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Defining some scientific terms: Contact angle, wetting, refractive index, and specific gravity

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Yesterday, we took a look at some concepts we’ll need when discussing silicones, esters, and thickeners for surfactants. Today, let’s take a look at a few more. Contact angle: “The contact angle is defined as the angle the water makes with the surface. In this illustration, a low contact angle (θ<90 ̊) means the surface...

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Defining some scientific terms: Solubility, viscosity, surface tension, and interfaces

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I’ve been trying to write some posts on silicones, surfactant thickeners, and esters for quite a while now, and I keep running into the issue that I need to define a bunch of terms before I can start. As I have a question from someone from the May Q&A that hasn’t been answered yet, I...

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Q&A: Why do people use apple cider vinegar rinse after washing with alkaline products? Why not just make the shampoo bars with very low pH? (Tons of information about hair chemistry and shampoo bars…)

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In the July Q&A post, I live in an area with very hard water, and I’ve heard that could cause a problem when using shampoo bars. I’ve also heard about apple cider vinegar rinse, which does not sound too pleasant to me. Would you shine more light on this? Does the vinegar rinse work because of...

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Chemistry time! Acids and bases and pH – oh my!

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I’m not sure what’s going on out there in the world, but there seem to be some serious misunderstandings about acids, bases, pH, and more, so let’s just get down to it. I’ll give you a quick summary in bold, and a longer explanation, if you want it. WHAT DOES pH MEAN? pH is a...

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