Addressing Stickiness and Slow Drying in Eye Serum Formulation

Asked by: sakul_wudangzhan On: December 07, 2022 Product Type: Cosmetics

Question

How can I reduce stickiness and improve the drying time of my water-based eye serum formulation, which contains ingredients like 4DHyaluronin, Dipropylene glycol, peptides, and others? What ingredients should be adjusted (reduced or added)?

Answer

Addressing Stickiness and Slow Drying in Your Eyes Resume Formulation

The stickiness and slow drying time you are experiencing with your formulation are likely due to the combination and concentration of humectants and potentially film-forming ingredients.

Based on your ingredient list, the most probable contributors are:

  • 4DHyaluronin (4%): Hyaluronic acid derivatives are strong humectants and a common cause of stickiness, especially at this concentration in a water-based serum.
  • Dipropylene glycol (3%) and Dipropylene glycol Methyl Ether (3%): These glycols also contribute to the humectant effect and can add to tackiness, particularly when used together.
  • Yerba Santa Protein (1%) and VersaMoist™ (1%): Depending on their specific properties, these ingredients might also influence the feel and drying time.

To reduce the stickiness and speed up drying, here are some recommendations:

  1. Most Important: Reduce 4DHyaluronin. This is the most likely ingredient causing the primary issue. Significantly reduce its percentage. Try reducing it to 1-2%. This should have the biggest impact on reducing tackiness.
  2. Consider Reducing Glycols: If reducing 4DHyaluronin is not sufficient, you could consider slightly reducing the percentages of Dipropylene glycol and Dipropylene glycol Methyl Ether.
  3. Evaluate Other Ingredients: If further improvement is needed after adjusting humectants, evaluate the feel contribution of Yerba Santa Protein and VersaMoist™. Adjusting their percentages or considering alternative ingredients with different sensory profiles might help.
  4. Optional: Add a Tack-Reducing Agent: You could explore adding a small amount of an ingredient specifically designed to reduce tack or improve the dry-down feel in water-based serums, if available from your supplier and suitable for eye products. However, reducing the sticky components directly is usually the most effective first step.

By adjusting the concentration of the primary humectants, especially 4DHyaluronin, you should be able to significantly improve the texture and drying time of your formulation.