10.02.23
Dear Valerie: I’m working on this conditioning shampoo using amino acid-based surfactants and noticed after it’s washed off, my hair doesn’t get that slippery conditioning feel that I want. I am using an acrylate as my thickener and was wondering if it is interfering with the quats?
—A Question on Quats
Dear Question:
I love amino acid surfactant-based cleansers. They are quite gentle and can be used alone or synergistically with more detergent anionics to improve the latter’s mildness. The foam profile they create is also quite pleasing—nice and creamy! The bubbles feel of rather high quality. If you don’t mind a powdery afterfeel, they’re a good choice for hair and skin. They’re also not super expensive.
However, they do have one glaring drawback. If you’re creating a purely “sulfate-free” system, they’re rather challenging to thicken using go-to surfactant combinations and varying ratios alone. You nearly always have to rely on a polymeric thickener or gum to build viscosity.
Acrylate thickeners are very effective at thickening amino acid surfactant systems, but—as you have seen—they can interfere with coacervation and deposition of conditioning goodies on hair. I would ditch this polymer and try to introduce other traditional thickening gums to the formulation, as well as other salt responsive surfactants. There are also ethoxylated thickeners that will do the trick, as well as boosting surfactants like sodium lauroyl lactylate. This should also help give the perception of conditioning.
Some amino acid-based surfactant suppliers have their own patented thickening technologies as they are well aware of the challenges formulating chemists face.
Ultimately, you may need a fine-tuned combination of all thickening tricks to get your optimum viscosity and still deliver that conditioning experience.
Dear Valerie: I’ve been trying to get a job as a formulating chemist and I am having horrible luck. I’ve been a perfumer technician, a stability chemist and now, I am a product development coordinator on the finished product side. It seems all the positions I apply for want someone with years of experience in the lab. I’ve been trying to teach myself with some of the SCC resources, but what else can I do to make myself more marketable or gain experience?
—Fledgling Formulator
Dear Fledgling:
I recall applying for positions right out of college, and it seemed all the desirable entry level roles required some level of experience…yet were entry level roles.
When thinking about what qualities a formulating chemist candidate should have, a few come to mind: an understanding of cosmetic chemistry lab vernacular, how to work with a variety of ingredients, experience making different product formats, familiarity with how modifications can impact the final formula, and an understanding what types of measurements and testing are done on products.
This basic foundation of a formulation chemist is typically gained from working as a lab technician or junior chemist—depending on the organization, the title may vary. If you don’t have this skill set, the hiring organization would have to train you. In my experience, most companies are either looking to hire candidates who can get right to work, or they don’t have the infrastructure in place to train from the ground up. Experience is a must.
However, I should say the RIGHT experience is a must, and you have some. Your tenure as a perfumer technician tells me you can batch formulas with precision and accuracy. The knowledge gained as a stability chemist is immensely helpful for when you have a finished product—you know all the things to look for! Currently, you are out of the lab on “the other side,” which tells me you’re gaining an understanding of the product development lifecycle, are marketing savvy and can project manage. The only missing skill set is time on the bench learning how to make personal care products. This will only come from hands-on experience.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot of significant hands-on experience available as coursework. Experience isn’t just taking a class or two—although both are invaluable! It also comes from tenure in a role. I think you would make a great formulation chemist with some investment in training. But if no one has been willing to take a chance on you—their loss—I recommend looking for an entry level role as a technician and start from the beginning. With all the knowledge you already have under your belt, you should be able to excel and grow quickly into a full-fledged formulation role.
Dear Valerie: I know that when plant extracts are made, the most common extraction method is to use ethanol, acetone or other organic solvents. But, when I look into skincare ingredient lists, and I see these extracts, there is usually no ethanol or anything else listed. How is this usually done?
—Volatile Vinny
Dear Volatile:
Plant extracts are interesting because they can be produced via varying extraction techniques with different solvents. Extracts can be extracted in—as you noted—ethanol or acetone, hexane, glycerin, glycols and diols and more. Of course, there is also supercritical CO2 extraction.
In the case of glycerin or a propanediol, these are often included in the INCI list as the extract is often stored in these solvents for use by the chemist.
In the case of a volatile solvent like isopropyl alcohol or acetone or hexane, these are “flashed off” or removed during the extraction process so they wouldn’t be listed as an intentionally added ingredient for the extract. They would be considered processing aids or impurities and they would only be present in small quantities (Probably infinitesimally present in the final product formula given most plant extracts are used as fairy dust).
The best way to know for sure about what to put on the label is to ask your extract manufacturers for their process and validate impurities with a certificate of analysis or purity statements. If the solvent is hexane I would definitely want to know that!
Valerie George
askvalerie@icloud.com
Valerie George is a cosmetic chemist, science communicator, educator, leader, and avid proponent of transparency in the beauty industry. She works on the latest research in hair color and hair care at her company, Simply Formulas, and is the co-host of The Beauty Brains podcast. You can find her on Instagram at @cosmetic_chemist or showcasing her favorite ingredients to small brands and home formulators at simply-ingredients.com
—A Question on Quats
Dear Question:
I love amino acid surfactant-based cleansers. They are quite gentle and can be used alone or synergistically with more detergent anionics to improve the latter’s mildness. The foam profile they create is also quite pleasing—nice and creamy! The bubbles feel of rather high quality. If you don’t mind a powdery afterfeel, they’re a good choice for hair and skin. They’re also not super expensive.
However, they do have one glaring drawback. If you’re creating a purely “sulfate-free” system, they’re rather challenging to thicken using go-to surfactant combinations and varying ratios alone. You nearly always have to rely on a polymeric thickener or gum to build viscosity.
Acrylate thickeners are very effective at thickening amino acid surfactant systems, but—as you have seen—they can interfere with coacervation and deposition of conditioning goodies on hair. I would ditch this polymer and try to introduce other traditional thickening gums to the formulation, as well as other salt responsive surfactants. There are also ethoxylated thickeners that will do the trick, as well as boosting surfactants like sodium lauroyl lactylate. This should also help give the perception of conditioning.
Some amino acid-based surfactant suppliers have their own patented thickening technologies as they are well aware of the challenges formulating chemists face.
Ultimately, you may need a fine-tuned combination of all thickening tricks to get your optimum viscosity and still deliver that conditioning experience.
Dear Valerie: I’ve been trying to get a job as a formulating chemist and I am having horrible luck. I’ve been a perfumer technician, a stability chemist and now, I am a product development coordinator on the finished product side. It seems all the positions I apply for want someone with years of experience in the lab. I’ve been trying to teach myself with some of the SCC resources, but what else can I do to make myself more marketable or gain experience?
—Fledgling Formulator
Dear Fledgling:
I recall applying for positions right out of college, and it seemed all the desirable entry level roles required some level of experience…yet were entry level roles.
When thinking about what qualities a formulating chemist candidate should have, a few come to mind: an understanding of cosmetic chemistry lab vernacular, how to work with a variety of ingredients, experience making different product formats, familiarity with how modifications can impact the final formula, and an understanding what types of measurements and testing are done on products.
This basic foundation of a formulation chemist is typically gained from working as a lab technician or junior chemist—depending on the organization, the title may vary. If you don’t have this skill set, the hiring organization would have to train you. In my experience, most companies are either looking to hire candidates who can get right to work, or they don’t have the infrastructure in place to train from the ground up. Experience is a must.
However, I should say the RIGHT experience is a must, and you have some. Your tenure as a perfumer technician tells me you can batch formulas with precision and accuracy. The knowledge gained as a stability chemist is immensely helpful for when you have a finished product—you know all the things to look for! Currently, you are out of the lab on “the other side,” which tells me you’re gaining an understanding of the product development lifecycle, are marketing savvy and can project manage. The only missing skill set is time on the bench learning how to make personal care products. This will only come from hands-on experience.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot of significant hands-on experience available as coursework. Experience isn’t just taking a class or two—although both are invaluable! It also comes from tenure in a role. I think you would make a great formulation chemist with some investment in training. But if no one has been willing to take a chance on you—their loss—I recommend looking for an entry level role as a technician and start from the beginning. With all the knowledge you already have under your belt, you should be able to excel and grow quickly into a full-fledged formulation role.
Dear Valerie: I know that when plant extracts are made, the most common extraction method is to use ethanol, acetone or other organic solvents. But, when I look into skincare ingredient lists, and I see these extracts, there is usually no ethanol or anything else listed. How is this usually done?
—Volatile Vinny
Dear Volatile:
Plant extracts are interesting because they can be produced via varying extraction techniques with different solvents. Extracts can be extracted in—as you noted—ethanol or acetone, hexane, glycerin, glycols and diols and more. Of course, there is also supercritical CO2 extraction.
In the case of glycerin or a propanediol, these are often included in the INCI list as the extract is often stored in these solvents for use by the chemist.
In the case of a volatile solvent like isopropyl alcohol or acetone or hexane, these are “flashed off” or removed during the extraction process so they wouldn’t be listed as an intentionally added ingredient for the extract. They would be considered processing aids or impurities and they would only be present in small quantities (Probably infinitesimally present in the final product formula given most plant extracts are used as fairy dust).
The best way to know for sure about what to put on the label is to ask your extract manufacturers for their process and validate impurities with a certificate of analysis or purity statements. If the solvent is hexane I would definitely want to know that!
Valerie George
askvalerie@icloud.com
Valerie George is a cosmetic chemist, science communicator, educator, leader, and avid proponent of transparency in the beauty industry. She works on the latest research in hair color and hair care at her company, Simply Formulas, and is the co-host of The Beauty Brains podcast. You can find her on Instagram at @cosmetic_chemist or showcasing her favorite ingredients to small brands and home formulators at simply-ingredients.com