Feedback on Sulfate-Free Moisturizing Liquid Soap Formula for Dry Skin

Subject: Feedback on Liquid Soap/Shower Cream Formula

Thank you for consulting us regarding your liquid soap/shower cream formula. Your goals of creating a sulfate-free product for very dry skin that is easy to mix are well-addressed by the ingredients you've selected.

Here's a review of your proposed formula:

• Sulfate Free Shampoo Base (pH 7, Clear, Foaming) 30%: This serves as the primary cleansing agent and meets your sulfate-free requirement.
• Condi-B5™ (Panthenyl Hydroxypropyl Steardimonium Chloride) 2%: A conditioning agent that can help improve the feel of the skin after washing. It is a cationic ingredient.
• WaterLock™ (Polyquaternium-51) 2%: A highly effective moisturizer that helps retain skin hydration. It is also a cationic ingredient.
• shea butter water (Water Soluble Shea Butter) 5%: Provides moisturizing benefits from shea butter in a water-soluble form, easy to incorporate.
• Starch Care™ (Maltooligosyl Glucoside) 5%: A humectant and skin conditioning agent that helps with hydration and reduces irritation.
• Methyl Gluceth-20 2%: A mild humectant that adds moisture and a smooth feel.
• Mild Preserved Eco™ (Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol) 1%: A broad-spectrum preservative blend to protect the product from microbial growth.
• Distilled Water 53%: The main solvent.

The selection of water-soluble or liquid ingredients is excellent for ease of hand mixing. The combination of WaterLock™, shea butter water, Starch Care™, and Methyl Gluceth-20 should provide good moisturizing benefits for dry skin.

Points to Consider and Recommendations:

1. Compatibility of Cationic and Anionic Ingredients: Your formula includes cationic ingredients (Condi-B5™, WaterLock™) and the Sulfate Free Shampoo Base likely contains anionic surfactants (like Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate mentioned in the product description). Mixing cationic polymers with anionic surfactants can sometimes lead to incompatibility issues such as:
   • Reduced clarity (cloudiness)
   • Precipitation or separation
   • Changes in viscosity
   • Reduced foaming
     
     We strongly recommend making a small test batch first to observe if any of these issues occur.
2. pH Level: The Sulfate Free Shampoo Base has a pH of 7. While some sulfate-free systems work well at neutral pH, the natural pH of skin is slightly acidic (around 5.5). You may want to check the final pH of your mixture and consider adjusting it down slightly (e.g., to 5.5-6.0) using a suitable acid like Citric Acid solution. This can be more skin-friendly.
3. Viscosity: As most ingredients are liquids or water-soluble, the final product might have a relatively low viscosity (be quite thin). If you prefer a thicker shower gel, you might need to add a compatible thickener. However, if ease of mixing is the priority and the viscosity is acceptable to you, no change is needed.

In summary, your formula is well-designed to meet your requirements for a sulfate-free, moisturizing, and easy-to-mix product. The main point to watch out for is the compatibility between the cationic conditioning agents and the surfactant base.

Please test a small batch first. If you encounter compatibility issues, you might need to adjust the concentrations or consider alternative ingredients.

We hope this feedback is helpful!