Surfactants

Question 1

What are Carboxylate Salts best for?

Answer 1

Soap making

Question 2

What are Alkyl Sulfates best for?

Answer 2

Budget products

Question 3

What are Alkyl Ester Sulfates best for?

Answer 3

Budget but milder than Alkyl Sulfates

Question 4

What are Sulfosuccinates best for?

Answer 4

Co-surfactants with Alkyl Sulfates to improve mildness and hard water issues

Question 5

What are Fatty Acid Isethionates best for?

Answer 5

Premium/Salon facial products

Question 6

What are Fatty Acid Taurides best for?

Answer 6

Premium/salon hair products

Question 7

What are Alkyl Glutomates best for?

Answer 7

Baby & sensitive skin products

Question 8

What are Alkyl Sarcosinates best for?

Answer 8

Mid priced, suits most personal care products. Used where mildness and foaming is required. May need additional foam boosters and viscosity modifiers

Question 9

Best surfactant for budget products?

Answer 9

Alkyl sulfates

Question 10

Best surfactant for premium hair products?

Answer 10

Fatty Acid Taurides

Question 11

Best surfactant for premium facial products?

Answer 11

Fatty Acid Isethionates

Question 12

Best for budget but milder?

Answer 12

Alkyl ester sulfate

Question 13

Great Co-Surfactant to improve mildness and hard-water issues?

Answer 13

Sulfosuccinates

Question 14

Mild mid priced all rounder?

Answer 14

Acyl Sarcosinates

Question 15

Best surfactant for Baby or sensitive skin products

Answer 15

Acyl Glutomates

Question 16

Name 3 things you would do to keep a budget product in check? (eg hotel product, very cheap supermarket product)

Answer 16

1. Use Anionic and amphoteric surfactants only
2. Minimal input
3. Use cheap materials eg Alkyl Sulfates, Cocomidopropyl betain
4. Minimal ingredients

Question 17

3 things to consider when making a mid priced product

Answer 17

1. Use Anionic and amphoteric and 1 superfatting/non-ionic and polyquat/hydrolized protein or active and small inputs of added extras for point of difference
2. Use midpoint surfactant to achieve moderate foam and performance
3. Use some cheap and some luxury ingredients
4. Minimum necessary ingredients and some for point of difference/improved performance

Question 18

3 things to keep budget on premium/salon/pharmacy products?

Answer 18

1. Use 1-2 Anionic and 1 amphoteric and 2-3 non-ionic/superfatting and polyquat/hydrolyzed protein and actives and small inputs of added extras
2. Use mid-high point surfactant to achieve good foam and high standard of performance
3. Use salon performance materials and actives eg fatty acid Isethionates, fatty acid Taurides
4. Use several premium ingredients to ensure great performance and marketing story and results

Question 19

What % of active content is typically used with Anionic surfactants? And how many?

Answer 19

3-10%

1-3

Question 20

What % of active content is typically used with Non-Anionic surfactants? And how many?

Answer 20

1.5-5%

1-3

Question 21

What % of active content is typically used with Amphoteric surfactants? And how many?

Answer 21

3-10%

1 only

Question 22

What input would you use for face/hands-small surface area?

Answer 22

Low side

Question 23

What input would you use for body=large surface area?

Answer 23

Mid-high

Question 24

2 things about Anionic surfactants and examples of

Answer 24

1. Negative charge
2. Used as primary surfactant
3. Generally incompatible with cationic surfactants
4. Common Anionic Surfactants:
   - Carboxylate salts

-Alkyl Sulfates=sodium laurel sulfate. Ammonium lauryl sulfate, TEA-lauryl sulfate

Alkyl Ester Sulfates= sodium laureate sulfate, ammonia laureth sulfate, sodium C12-13 pareth sulfate

Sulfosuccinates= disodium lauryl Sulfosuccinate, disodium laureth Sulfosuccinate, disodium peg-12 dimethicone

Fatty Acid Isethionates= sodium cocoyl isethionate

Fatty Acid Taurides = sodium methyl cocoyl taurate

Acyl glutomates= sodium cocoyl glutamate

Acyl sarcosinates = sodium lauroyl Sarcosinate

Question 25

Common non-ionic surfactants

Answer 25

Alkoxylated alcohols-PEG esters (oleth-5, laureth-7) propoxylated alcohols (PPG esters) Ethoxylated fats and oils= PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil, PEG-50 lanolin Ethoxylated fatty acid esters= PEG-150 distearate Glycol esters, glycerol esters and Ethoxylated derivatives= PEG-10 pyglyceryl-2 laurate Sorbitan and sorbitol esters and Ethoxylated derivatives= sorbitan monolaurate and polysorbate 20 Sucrose esters= sucrose stearate, sucrose palmitate, sucrose laurate Alkyl polyglycosides= decyl glycoside and coco-glucoside

Question 26

Non-Ionic Surfactants, name 5 varieties

Answer 26

1. Emulsifiers- help form an emulsion. Often waxy form, builds viscosity 2. An opacifier- great for making foaming products look pearlescent (glycol stearate) 3. A solubiliser- liquid very high HLB >15 4. Superfatting Agent-where an Ethoxylated or water loving portion with a significant fatty acid or lipid portion (and high HLB) the material will impart conditioning properties to a wash off product but form a mixed Michelle with the cleansing agents ensuring stability. May be waxy, but more commonly liquid at room temperature A Foaming product- very high HLB liquid non-ionic surfactants are good cleansing and foaming agents. Most commonly alkyl polyglycosides eg decyl glycoside