Formulation Advice for Cleansing Product

You've provided a list of ingredients for a cleansing product formulation. Based on the presence of Myristic Acid, Lauric Acid, Palmitic Acid, and Potassium Hydroxide, this appears to be a lye soap formulation. As the staff reply indicated, lye soaps can be drying to the skin and are generally not recommended for gentle skin cleansing.

Unfortunately, without the specific formulation percentages, it is not possible to determine the exact ratios of your original ingredient list.

The staff has recommended an alternative approach using a gentle, sulfate-free base. This is a good way to create a milder cleansing product. Here is a breakdown based on the staff's suggestion and how some of your original ingredients or similar alternatives can be incorporated:

Recommended Gentle Cleansing Base Formula

A recommended starting point for a gentle liquid cleanser is:

• Sulfate Free Shampoo Base: 25-35%
• Water: Remaining percentage
• Phenoxyethanol: 1% (as a preservative)

This base provides a gentle cleansing action and can be customized.

Incorporating Other Ingredients

Some ingredients from your original list, or similar types, can be added to this sulfate-free base to enhance its properties:

• Glycerin: This is a humectant that helps attract and retain moisture. It can be added to the base formula, typically at 1-10%, to help prevent the skin from feeling dry after cleansing.
• Cocamidopropyl Betaine and Lauryl Glucoside: These are mild surfactants that can be added to boost foam or modify the feel of the cleanser. Cocamidopropyl Betaine is an amphoteric surfactant, and Lauryl Glucoside is a non-ionic surfactant. They can be used as co-surfactants in varying percentages depending on the desired foam and mildness.
• Laureth-7 Citrate: This is another gentle cleanser that can be used in conjunction with other surfactants to reduce irritation and help maintain skin moisture. It can be added to the base formula.
• Tetrasodium EDTA: This acts as a chelating agent, helping to stabilize the formula by binding to metal ions in water. It can be added at a low percentage (typically 0.1-0.2%).

Ingredients Not Recommended for This Base

Ingredients like Myristic Acid, Lauric Acid, Palmitic Acid, and Potassium Hydroxide are used together to create soap through a saponification reaction. Since the recommended approach uses a pre-made surfactant base, these ingredients are not needed and should not be added to the Sulfate Free Shampoo Base.

Steareth-11 (and related Steareth ingredients like Steareth-2, Steareth-10, Steareth-21) are typically used as emulsifiers in cream or lotion formulations, not usually in liquid cleansing bases.

Methylisothiazolinone is a preservative, but Phenoxyethanol was recommended by the staff as a suitable alternative preservative.

Acrylates Copolymer and Styrene / Acrylates Copolymer (related ingredients like Ammonium Acrylates Copolymer or Styrene/Acrylates Opacifier were found) are often used as thickeners, film formers, or opacifiers. They are not essential for cleansing and would be optional additions depending on the desired texture or appearance of the final product.

In summary, focusing on the Sulfate Free Shampoo Base provides a gentle and effective starting point for your liquid cleanser, to which you can add humectants and additional mild surfactants as needed.