Review and Mixing Procedure for Body Wash and Facial Foam Formulas

Hello,

Regarding your questions about the liquid soap/body wash and facial foam formulations:

For the Body Wash Formulation:

• Ingredients: This formula includes oil (Safflower Seed Oil 10% + Lemon Oil 1%, totaling 11%) and ClearClean™ 10%. ClearClean™ is used to help emulsify oil in surfactant systems and thickens well when the pH is adjusted to alkaline (around 8-9) with Triethanolamine. However, your formula uses Lactic Acid to adjust the pH to acidic (5.5-6.0), which contradicts how ClearClean™ works. ClearClean™ will not thicken effectively in acidic conditions.
• Beneficial Ingredients: This formula contains several beneficial ingredients in relatively high amounts, such as Glycerin 10%, Bisabolol 1%, and Pumpkin Renew 3%. As the Staff and jiralexk previously advised, adding beneficial ingredients to wash-off products often provides limited benefits because they are in contact with the skin for only a short time and are rinsed off. Using these ingredients in leave-on skincare products would yield better and more cost-effective results.
• Recommendations for the Body Wash Formula: If you aim to create an effective yet gentle body wash without incorporating high amounts of oil for skin conditioning (which is difficult to achieve in wash-off products), we recommend adjusting the formula as follows:
  • Reduce or remove the oil ingredients (Safflower Seed Oil, Lemon Oil). If you want the scent of Lemon Oil, you can add a small amount just for fragrance (e.g., 0.1-0.5%) and might need a solubilizer (like Polysorbate 20) instead of ClearClean™ if there's no oil to emulsify.
  • Reduce the amount of beneficial ingredients, or consider omitting them if the focus is on cleansing efficacy and mildness.
  • If there are no oils to emulsify, ClearClean™ is not necessary. You can use thickeners that work well in acidic conditions, such as Xanthan Gum or SugarThick™.
  • Adjust the pH with Lactic Acid to your desired range of 5.5-6.0.
• Mixing Procedure (for a revised formula with reduced oil and no ClearClean™):
  1. Prepare the purified water.
  2. Slowly sprinkle Xanthan Gum into the water little by little while stirring or using a high-speed mixer until the Xanthan Gum is fully dispersed and dissolved (a small amount of Glycerin can be used to disperse Xanthan Gum before adding to water).
  3. Add the surfactants (Lauryl Glucoside, Coco Wash™, BabyFoam™) to the water phase. Stir gently to combine, avoiding excessive foam.
  4. Add Glycerin and other desired beneficial ingredients (if any). Stir until well mixed.
  5. Add NaturePreserve™. Stir to combine.
  6. Adjust the pH with Lactic Acid gradually, measuring the pH until the desired value (5.5-6.0) is reached.
  7. Add Lemon Oil (if used for fragrance) solubilized in Polysorbate 20 (if necessary). Stir to combine.

For the Facial Foam Formulation:

• Ingredients: This formula uses relatively mild surfactants (Lauryl Glucoside, Coco Wash™, BabyFoam™), which are suitable for facial cleansing products. It includes Glycerin 10%, which helps increase moisture and reduce the feeling of dryness after washing. It uses Xanthan Gum as a thickener and adjusts the pH with Lactic Acid, which is appropriate for skin pH.
• Beneficial Ingredients: Similar to the body wash, adding beneficial ingredients (Bisabolol, Pumpkin Renew) to wash-off products may provide limited benefits. Lemon Oil 1% can be used for fragrance, but it does not have a whitening effect as commonly advertised.
• Recommendations for the Facial Foam Formula: Overall, this formula is suitable for making a facial foam in terms of surfactants and pH. You might consider reducing the amount of beneficial ingredients if you want to lower the cost, as the cleansing efficacy and mildness will remain the same.
• Mixing Procedure:
  1. Prepare the purified water.
  2. Slowly sprinkle Xanthan Gum into the water little by little while stirring or using a high-speed mixer until the Xanthan Gum is fully dispersed and dissolved (a small amount of Glycerin can be used to disperse Xanthan Gum before adding to water).
  3. Add the surfactants (Lauryl Glucoside, Coco Wash™, BabyFoam™) to the water phase. Stir gently to combine, avoiding excessive foam.
  4. Add Glycerin and other beneficial ingredients (Bisabolol, Pumpkin Renew). Stir until well mixed.
  5. Add NaturePreserve™. Stir to combine.
  6. Add Lemon Oil. Stir to combine.
  7. Adjust the pH with Lactic Acid gradually, measuring the pH until the desired value (around 5.5-6.0) is reached.

I hope this information is helpful. Please feel free to ask if you have any further questions.