Organic and natural emulsifiers are some of the trickiest ingredients to work with when youāre making clean, green, and organic skincare or haircare formulations. An emulsion is a blend of water and oil, which are brought together by the use of an emulsifier ā creating a homogenous blend. There are many emulsifiers on the market that may be used by organic skincare and haircare formulators. They can be oil-in-water (O/W) or water-in-oil (W/O) emulsifiers, or they can be hot-processed or cold-processed.
Below list is a summary of plant-derived emulsifiers. They might not be all eco-cert cosmos certified but they are all chemically processed plant-based emulsifiers or co-emulsifiers.
| Emulsifier Trade Name | INCL | Type | Obtain from | Function | Usage Rate | Cosmo Ecocert Approved |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olivem 1000 | Cetearyl olivate, Sorbitan olivate | Oil-in-water self-emulsifier, non-ionic, non-ethoxylated | Fatty acids from olive oil esterified with cetearyl alcohol and sorbitan of vegetable origin | Emulsifier, allows the formation and durability of an emulsion (creamy or milky mixture of an aqueous phase and an oily phase) over time. | 2~8% | No |
| BTMS-50 | Cetearyl Alcohol and Behentrimonium Methosulfate | Cationic, non-ethoxylated emulsifier | Mixture of cetearyl alcohol (> 50%), fatty alcohol of vegetable origin and behentrimonium methosulfate (20-30%), cationic conditioner of vegetable origin (rapeseed, palm) | Emulsifier (allows the formation and hold off an emulsion over time) and hair conditioner (facilitates disentangling of the hair) | 2~10% | No |
| Emulsifiant CÅur de crĆØme | Glyceryl stearate citrate, sucrose stearate, polyglyceryl-4-cocoate, cetyl alcohol, sodium ricinoleate | Oil-in-water, self-emulsifier, non-ionic, non-ethoxylated | Ester of glycerol and stearic acid, ester of sugar, ester of polyglycerol and of coconut fatty acids, cetyl alcohol, castor soap | Emulsifier, allows the formation and holding of an emulsion (creamy or milky mixture of an aqueous phase and an oily phase) over time | 5~10% | No |
| ECOMulse | Glyceryl Stearate (and) Cetearyl Alcohol (and) Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate | self-emulsifier for oil in water emulsions. It contains no ethoxylated ingredients. | Derived from Coconut oil and vegetable oils | food-grade natural emulsifier blend that is ultra-gentle and was developed to mimic the skins own natural lipid barrier where it improves moisturization, skin feel, and water resistance in your formulations | 2~10% | Yes |
| Lecithin | Lecithin | Oil-in-water, non-ionic, non-ethoxylated co-emulsifier | Extracted from soybean oil, lecithin is a mixture of 60% phospholipids and glycolipids in oil | Co-emulsifier (improves the quality and stability of emulsions) and emollient (softens the skin) | 3~5% | No |
| Polawax | Cetearyl alcohol and polysorbate 60 | Self-emulsifying oil-in-water, non-ionic | Association of fatty alcohol of plant origin (cetearyl alcohol) and a sugar derivative (sorbitan) ethoxylated and esterified by fatty alcohol of plant origin | Emulsifier allows the formation and holding of an emulsion (creamy or milky mixture of an aqueous phase and an oily phase) over time | 4~10% | No |
| Cetearyl wheat straw glycosides, cetearyl alcohol | Oil-in-water self-emulsifier, non-ionic, non-ethoxylated | Association of fatty alcohol of plant origin (cetearyl alcohol) and sugar derivatives (xylose) from wheat straw | Emulsifier allows the formation and holding of an emulsion (creamy or milky mixture of an aqueous phase and an oily phase) over time Quality Vegetable origin (wheat straw, rapeseed and palm oils) | 3~5% | No | |
| Glyceryl stearate SE | Oil-in-water self-emulsifier, non-ionic, non-ethoxylated | Esters of fatty acids of plant origin and glycerol of plant origin. Vegetable (olive and coconut) and mineral (potassium) origin, without palm oil or palm derivatives | Emulsifier allows the formation and durability of an emulsion (creamy or milky mixture of an aqueous phase and an oily phase) over time. | 3~8% | No | |
| GĆ©lisucre | Glycerin **, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) oil *, Sucrose laurate, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) fruit water * (* Ingredient from Organic Farming, ** Processed from organic ingredients) | Oil-in-water emulsifier, nonionic, non-ethoxylated, can be used cold or hot (up to 80 Ā° C) | Glycerin **, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) oil *, Sucrose laurate, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) fruit water * (* Ingredient from Organic Farming, ** Processed from organic ingredients) | Emulsifier of 100% vegetable origin obtained by mixing vegetable glycerin ** (> 50%), sweet almond oil *, sugar ester (sucrose laurate), orange fruit water * Ingredients from organic farming ** Processed from organic ingredients | 6~99% | Yes |
| Vegetable Conditioner Emulsifier | Cetearyl Alcohol, Lecithin, Sodium cetearyl sulfate, Vegetable oil | Mixture of nonionic and anionic emulsifiers, non-ethoxylated | Blend of cetearyl alcohol, lecithin, vegetable oil and a surfactant of vegetable origin. Plant origin (coconut, rapeseed, palm kernel) | Emulsifier (allows the formation and holding of an emulsion over time) and hair conditioning agent (facilitates disentangling of the hair) | 5~10% | No |
| Ester de sucre | Sucrose stearate | Oil-in-water self-emulsifier, non-ionic, non-ethoxylated | Product of the association of a sugar and a fatty acid of vegetable origin. 100% vegetable origin (palm oil, beet sugar) | Emulsifier, allows the formation and durability of an emulsion (creamy or milky mixture of an aqueous phase and an oily phase) over time. | 3~20% | No |
| Olive oil polyglyceryl-6 esters, Polyglyceryl-6 pentaoleate | water-in-oil emulsifier | Derived from fatty acids from olives and from palm-free vegetable glycerin (rapeseed, sunflower), obtained by “green” processes. 100% vegetable origin (Olive, Rapeseed, Sunflower), guaranteed without palm oil or palm derivatives | Emulsifier, used to prepare creams and lotions | 4~15% | Yes | |
| Potassium olivoyl hydrolyzed wheat protein, cetearyl alcohol, glyceryl oleate, glyceryl stearate, potassium hydroxide | Oil-in-water self-emulsifier, non-ionic, non-ethoxylated | Lipoprotein composed of fatty acids from olive oil and proteins from wheat, combined with texturing agents and co-emulsifiers of plant origin (cetearyl alcohol, glyceryl oleate, glyceryl stearate). 99.7% vegetable origin (olive, coconut, palm), the rest being constituted by the preservatives sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate. | Emulsifier, allows the formation and durability of an emulsion (creamy or milky mixture of an aqueous phase and an oily phase) over time. | 5~10% | No | |
| Emulsan | Methyl glucose sesquistearate | Oil-in-water emulsifier, non-ionic, non-ethoxylated | Esterification from stearic acid and glucose | Emulsifier, allows the formation and durability of an emulsion (creamy or milky mixture of an aqueous phase and an oily phase) over time. 100% vegetable origin (rapeseed, corn) | 2~6% | No |
| Cetearyl alcohol | Cetearyl alcohol | Oil-in-water, non-ionic, non-ethoxylated co-emulsifier | Fatty alcohol derived from vegetable fatty acids | Co-emulsifier (improves the quality and stability of emulsions), texture agent (thickener) and emollient (softens the skin) | 1 ~ 10% | No |
| Cetyl alcohol | Cetyl alcohol | Oil-in-water, non-ionic, non-ethoxylated co-emulsifier | Fatty alcohol derived from vegetable fatty acids | Co-emulsifier (improves the quality and stability of emulsions) and emollient (softens the skin) | 2~5% | No |
| Conditioner Emulsifier | Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine | Cationic, non-ethoxylated emulsifier | Stearamidopropyl dimethylamine: amino derivative of stearic acid, which becomes quaternary ammonium in an acidic medium. Vegetable origin (obtained by processing palm oil) | Co-emulsifier (improves the stability of emulsions) and hair conditioner (facilitates hair disentangling) | 4~5% | No |
Durosoft SF | Polyglyceryl-4 Oleate | water-in-oil (W/O) co-emulsifier | Produced from Sunflower Seed, Rapeseed, or Castor Oil, which is a pale Yellow to Amber coloured liquid. | co-emulsifier for incorporating water-soluble raw materials into oily formulas. It gives shiny, silky, and non-greasy creams with a non-greasy feel | 5.0 – 15.0% | No |
- Related Post: Where to buy all the cosmetic materials?
This is a non-exhaustive list and it will be updated over time. Let me know if I missed out on any of natural, plant-based emulsifiers, please let a message to let me know.
And finally, I hope this summary helps you to understand more about the plant-derived emulsifiers and maybe even helps you to decide which one to choose.
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Calleigh
Hi, I am Calleigh, MEng Chemical Engineering and a process engineer, and I'm here to show you how to DIY your skincare and household products with the correct formulation and using only natural ingredients. I believe that eating good food (Yes I have cooking recipes too!) and living in a chemical-free environment are the keys to having a healthy lifestyle. And that doesn't need to be expensive.
