Problems Making Vitamin C Serum in Silicone/Oil Base: Clumping and Phase Separation
Question
I tried to make a serum using Vitamin C powder in a silicone/oil base and encountered two main problems:
- The Vitamin C powder dissolves very slowly and forms clumps.
- The oil phase separates from the silicone phase.
Could you please explain why these issues occurred and whether the mixing order could resolve them? Is an emulsifier necessary for this type of formulation?
Answer
Hello! I understand the problems you encountered after trying to make a serum. Based on the ingredients you mentioned and the issues you faced, here are the explanations:
Problem 1: Vitamin C powder dissolves slowly and forms clumps.
- Reason: Standard powdered Vitamin C (like Ascorbic Acid) is water-soluble but dissolves poorly or not at all in non-polar bases like silicones (Dimethicone, Cyclomethicone) and oils, which you used as the main ingredients in your formulation.
- Adding Vitamin C powder directly into a silicone/oil base without a suitable solvent for Vitamin C prevents the powder from dispersing and dissolving properly, leading to clumping and slow or no dissolution.
- Mixing Order: In this case, the mixing order cannot fix the fundamental issue of Vitamin C's solubility in an incompatible base.
Problem 2: Oil separation occurred.
- Reason: Silicones and oils are immiscible (they don't mix well), similar to oil and water. When mixed together, without a suitable agent to help them combine (like an Emulsifier) or a Stabilizer/Thickener appropriate for a silicone/oil system, the two phases will separate over time, especially when stored in a cool place, which can affect the stability of the formulation.
- Need for Emulsifier: Yes, if you want the silicone and oil phases to form a uniform mixture and not separate, you need to use an agent that helps them combine. This could be certain types of emulsifiers designed for water-free systems or viscosity/stabilizing agents that can help suspend one phase within the other.
Conclusion:
Both problems you encountered are expected outcomes from the ingredients and formulation approach you used. Most Vitamin C powders do not dissolve in silicones/oils, and silicones and oils will separate on their own without a combining or stabilizing agent.
The advice from cosmeceutical7 is correct. Understanding the properties of ingredients and choosing appropriate solvents or combining agents suitable for each ingredient and the desired type of formulation is crucial in cosmetic formulation.
If you want to make a serum with Vitamin C in a silicone/oil base, you might need to consider using a different form of Vitamin C that is oil-soluble (Oil-soluble Vitamin C derivative) or use a different formulation technique.