Finding the right surfactants to use is crucial in formulating mild and safe rinse-off products like baby and intimate washes.
The main purpose of surfactants is to remove dirt and excess oil on skin. But gentle products focus on effectivity of the cleansing system, while being able to maintain the natural moisturizing properties of the skin’s lipid barrier and prevent skin damage and irritation. Aside from this, chosen surfactants should provide a good foaming sensory feel. Rising concerns on surfactants mainly involve safety and mildness and demand has been increasing for nature-derived ingredients.
Cocamidopropyl betaine is an amphoteric surfactant that has been utilized for mild washes for many years. Recent studies however, show that it may contain traces of dicholoroacetic acid (DCA) which is toxic and a carcinogen. DCA is among the chemicals listed in the California Proposition 65 and it was highly suggested to find an alternative against its use in washes.
Chemrez has accomplished extensive research and development in order to offer safe, mild and natural surfactants for personal care products. Notable among the extensive list is Fil-Oxide 100 which is an amphoteric surfactant that provides formulations with cleansing and conditioning properties. Fil-Oxide 100 is a plant-derived mild surfactant and can be used in a wide pH range.
FIL-OXIDE 100
INCI Name: Cocamidopropylamine Oxide
Fil-Oxide 100 is an amphoteric surfactant that can be used for both personal and home care products. It is coconut-derived and safe to use in rinse-off products. Cocamidopropylamine Oxide has shown low toxicity with animals and suggests no carcinogenic potential1. Fil-oxide 100 can also be used as foam booster and viscosity builder in rinse-off formulations. In-house trials also suggest that Fil-Oxide 100 is mild on skin and does not disrupt skin’s pH, minimizes trans-epidermal water loss and maintains skin’s hydration.
FOAMING ABILITY
Comparison lab test with the most commonly used foam booster in the market, Lauramine Oxide, have shown that Fil-oxide 100 has comparable foam height. In addition, both samples have stable foam quality even after 5 minutes.
VISCOSITY BUILDING
Based on the above graph, Fil-oxide 100 will give a higher viscosity value than Lauramine Oxide as the dosage of salt in the formulation increases. This will give formulations the opportunity to achieve and claim higher viscosity levels.
MILDNESS TEST (Zeta Potential Test)
Both Fil-Oxide 100 and Alkyl Polyglucoside were subjected to Zeta Potential determination. Based on several scientific journals and publications, zeta potential in surfactants is related to protein dissolution, which is an indication of irritation potential.
Based on the surfactants’ zeta potential, the closer the value is to 0, the milder it is. Although the two surfactants’s results show that they are both mild, FilOxide 100 has a significantly impressive score of – |0.426| at 10.0% compared to Alkyl Polyglucoside’s |-6.11| at 10.0%. For comparison purposes, SLES, a known irritant, has a score of |-36| at 10.0% concentration.
SKIN PH
Forearm wash test (in-house procedure) was done to test the mildness of Fil-Oxide 100 against SLES. Both samples were diluted to have 1.75% active. Then after the forearm wash test procedure, the skin pH of the skin were determined. The gray bar represents the difference between the initial reading (before the test) and after the wash test. It shows above that there’s a large difference in skin pH using SLES than using Fil-Oxide 100.
After one hour, the pH of the skin was examined to check if the skin’s acid mantle has recovered. The green bar represents the difference between the initial reading and the value after an hour. It shows that the skin pH has almost returned back to its initial state for Fil-Oxide 100, while for SLES, the value is still quite high.
FORMULATION SAMPLES
Fil-oxide 100 is a natural, safe and sustainable surfactant for mild washes. For sample requests, message us or click this link: //bit.ly/ChemrezInquiryForm
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