Compatibility of ThickClean™ with Liquid Salicylic Acid

Regarding your question about using ThickClean™ with Liquid Salicylic Acid, it's important to understand the nature of both ingredients.

Liquid Salicylic Acid (40% Active Salicylic, Cationic For Wash-Off) is a cationic ingredient, meaning it carries a positive charge.

ThickClean™ (Acrylates Copolymer, eq. Carbopol SF-1) is an Acrylates Copolymer, which is generally an anionic or non-ionic polymer. Anionic polymers are negatively charged and can be incompatible with cationic ingredients. This incompatibility can lead to issues such as precipitation, loss of thickening ability, or a cloudy appearance in your formulation.

Therefore, we do not recommend using ThickClean™ with Liquid Salicylic Acid due to potential incompatibility between the cationic nature of Liquid Salicylic Acid and the anionic/non-ionic nature of ThickClean™.

Recommended Thickeners for Liquid Salicylic Acid

If you wish to create a gel or cream with Liquid Salicylic Acid, we recommend using non-ionic thickeners such as Hydroxyethyl Cellulose or HPMC. These types of thickeners are more compatible with cationic ingredients and will help you achieve the desired texture without stability issues.

You can find links to all mentioned products below this answer.