Enhancing Makeup Removal in Facial Cleansing Cream Formula

Question

I have a facial cleansing cream formula with the following ingredients. How can I improve its effectiveness in removing makeup?

Ingredients:

Purified Water
Glycerin [gives the formula slip when used on skin]
Lauryl Glucoside, Decyl Glucoside [Surfactant group Glucoside is gentle but doesn't produce much foam]
Cocamidopropyl Betaine [Surfactant]
Cocamide DEA [Foam booster / Dangerous, currently discouraged]
Glycereth-7 [Water-oil emulsifier]
Ammonium Laureth Sulfate [Surfactant / Irritating / Currently discouraged]
Sodium Cocoyl Sarcosinate [Gentle surfactant, gives good foam. Can use AminoWash™ instead]
Glycol Stearate [Creates pearly texture, makes formula look shiny = emulPearl™ (pearly shine, soap/shampoo)]
PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate [Thickener = SugarThick™]
Tetrasodium EDTA [Chelating agent. Can use Disodium EDTA instead]
DMDM Hydantoin [Preservative. Please choose any other preservative instead]
Citric Acid [pH adjuster]
Fragrance

Regarding the usage percentage of each ingredient, members can check the details on the website for each ingredient.

MySkinRecipes Expert · Accepted Answer

Enhancing Makeup Removal in Your Cleansing Cream

Based on the analysis of your facial cleansing cream formula, to enhance its ability to remove makeup effectively, you can incorporate ingredients that specifically target and emulsify oil-based makeup.

We recommend adding the following ingredients:

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride: This is a light emollient that is excellent at dissolving makeup. Adding this oil phase helps break down stubborn cosmetic formulations on the skin. You can start by adding it at a concentration of 5-10%.
Polysorbate 80: This non-ionic surfactant acts as a powerful solubilizer and emulsifier. It helps to disperse the oil phase (containing the dissolved makeup) into the water phase, allowing everything to be easily rinsed away without leaving a greasy residue. A starting concentration of 5-10% is suggested.

Your current formula already contains gentle surfactants like Lauryl Glucoside, Decyl Glucoside, and Sodium Cocoyl Sarcosinate, which contribute to the overall cleansing action and foam. Ingredients like Glycerin provide a smooth feel, Glycol Stearate adds a pearlescent appearance (like emulPearl™), and PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate (like SugarThick™) acts as a thickener. EDTA (such as Disodium EDTA or Tetrasodium EDTA) helps with formula stability by chelating metal ions, and Citric Acid adjusts the pH.

The staff analysis correctly noted that Cocamide DEA and Ammonium Laureth Sulfate are potentially irritating and their use is discouraged. For a gentler formula, you may consider replacing these with milder surfactants such as AminoWash™ (Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate) or increasing the concentration of Sodium Cocoyl Sarcosinate.