Cetyl alcohol, cetearyl alcohol, and stearic acid are not emulsifiers! Let’s demonstrate this by looking at molecules and the HLB system

A diagram showing the molecules for stearic acid, cetyl alcohol, and stearyl alcohol. These have an 18 carbon chain with an acid or alcohol group on the end. Please read the post for more information.

I’ve been asked quite a few times in over the last year or two if Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, and stearic acid are emulsifiers, and the answer is no, they’re structuring agents, oil soluble ingredients that have a required HLB. They are not emulsifiers. They aren’t surfactants. They can’t bring oil and water together to...

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All kinds of information on making cationic (positively charged) emulsions! 

We touched on this topic a titch in this post – Let’s create a gorgeous dry hair & scalp hydrating conditioner using BTMS-50 with loads of botanicals and actives (includes formula) – but I thought I should share more information here so it’s not lost! The short answer is that cationic (positively charged) emulsions are...

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Q&A: How to use Sepimax ZEN in an emulsion (part two)

Welcome back to this short series on using Sepimax ZEN in emulsions! Yesterday, in part one, we learned how to use it in an emulsion; why we use the smaller amounts we do; and how to wet, disperse, and hydrate it. We took a look at a formula in which we used 0.2% to thicken...

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Q&A: How to use Sepimax ZEN in an emulsion (part one)

Lotion on a green spatula with a beaker with more lotion in the background

In the monthly Q&A, Jaime asked, Hi Susan. I could use your advice working with Sepimax ZEN. I have a thick foot cream that I make with 2.5% Sepimax ZEN (INCI: Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6). (Note, it’s an anionic or negatively charged rheology modifier that works to thicken the oil phase by gelling.) When I mix it...

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Demythifying the myths: Stearic acid is not an anionic emulsifier

I can’t stress this enough – stearic acid is a non-ionic fatty acid that thickens anhydrous products and emulsions. It is not an anionic (negatively charged) emulsifier.  Sight, I thought we’d demythified this one years and years ago, but here it is, out in the wild, messing things up again. Out there in the world...

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