Incorporating Oil Flavor in Baby Wash/Shampoo

Both methods you considered are feasible for adding oil-soluble flavors to your baby bath and shampoo formula.

• Option 1: SugarThick + Flora Solve Clear
  This combination is effective for incorporating oil-soluble flavors and achieving a clear formula. Flora Solve Clear acts as a solubilizer to disperse the oil flavor evenly in the water-based system, while SugarThick provides the desired viscosity. SugarThick is also noted as ideal for baby products and helps reduce irritation.

  • Mixing: You would typically mix the oil flavor with Flora Solve Clear first (using 2-5 parts Flora Solve Clear per 1 part oil flavor, depending on the specific flavor), then add this mixture to your main formula containing SugarThick. SugarThick may require gentle warming (50-60°C) or warming separately before adding to the formula to dissolve properly.

• Option 2: ClearClean
  Using ClearClean alone can also incorporate the oil flavor, but as you observed, it will likely result in a cloudy formula. ClearClean primarily acts as a thickener and suspending agent. While it can help disperse the oil, it doesn't fully solubilize it like Flora Solve Clear would for clarity. This method is generally more cost-effective if clarity is not a priority.

  • Mixing: Add ClearClean to the water phase, then add your detergents and other ingredients. Adjust the pH to the 4-6 range (pH 5.5 is ideal for skin). You can then add your oil flavor and mix well. Gentle warming (60-70°C) during mixing can help ClearClean dissolve better, but avoid high-speed mixing which can damage the polymer.

Gentleness

Regarding gentleness for baby skin, both SugarThick and ClearClean are considered suitable for use in gentle cleansing formulations. SugarThick is specifically highlighted as ideal for baby products and helps reduce irritation from detergents. ClearClean works effectively in skin-friendly pH ranges (4-6). Neither ingredient is expected to cause significant irritation, making both options appropriate for a baby product base.

Recommendation

Given your preference for cost-effectiveness and acceptance of a cloudy formula, using ClearClean is a suitable and more economical approach compared to the SugarThick + Flora Solve Clear combination. If you were aiming for a clear product, the combination with Flora Solve Clear would be necessary.