Adjusting Lotion Viscosity with Pentaerythrityl Distearate

Question

I have a lotion formula with the following ingredients and amounts: Stearic Acid 3 g, Coconut Oil 5 g, shea butter 1 g, Pentaerythrityl Distearate 3 g, Glycerin 1 g, Tween 60 2.5 g, Lanolin 2.5 g, Preservative 2 g, DI Water 80 g. The lotion texture is not viscous enough with the current ratio of Pentaerythrityl Distearate. How can I increase the ratio of Pentaerythrityl Distearate to achieve the desired viscosity? Thank you.

MySkinRecipes Expert · Accepted Answer

Adjusting Lotion Viscosity with Pentaerythrityl Distearate

You can increase the viscosity of your lotion formula by increasing the amount of Pentaerythrityl Distearate.

Pentaerythrityl Distearate is used as a texturizer to help increase the viscosity and improve the feel of creams and lotions. The typical recommended usage rate for this ingredient is between 1% and 5%.

Your current formula uses Pentaerythrityl Distearate at approximately 3% (3g in about 99g total). To achieve a thicker lotion consistency, you can increase the amount of Pentaerythrityl Distearate up to the maximum recommended rate of 5%.

Recommendation:

Gradually increase the amount of Pentaerythrityl Distearate in your formula. You could try increasing it to 4% or 5% of the total formula weight.
For your current batch size (approximately 99g), this would mean using around 4g (for 4%) or 5g (for 5%) of Pentaerythrityl Distearate.
Remember to reduce the amount of DI Water by the same amount you increase the Pentaerythrityl Distearate to keep the total batch size consistent.
Make a small test batch first to see if the desired viscosity is achieved before making a larger batch.

Ingredients like Stearic Acid and Shea Butter also contribute to the texture, but adjusting Pentaerythrityl Distearate is the primary way to increase thickness using this specific ingredient.

(Note: Your formula listed Pentaerythrityl Distearate but the link provided was for Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate. Pentaerythrityl Distearate is the ingredient that functions as a texturizer to increase viscosity.)*