Sticky Gel Formulation with Pro Polymer
Question
I made a gel formulation using the following ingredients and amounts. The final product turned out very sticky. Could you please advise on the possible cause and how to adjust the formula to reduce the stickiness?
My formulation:
- Water: 40.75g
- Aloe Vera Extract: 0.5g
- B3: 2g
- B5: 1.5g
- Glucosamine: 2g
- Licorice Extract: 0.5g
- Green Tea Extract: 1.5g
- Allantoin: 0.2g
- Pro Polymer: 1g
Total: 50.45g
Answer
Based on the formulation you provided:
- Water: 40.75g
- Aloe Vera Extract: 0.5g
- B3: 2g
- B5: 1.5g
- Glucosamine: 2g
- Licorice Extract: 0.5g
- Green Tea Extract: 1.5g
- Allantoin: 0.2g
- Pro Polymer: 1g
The total weight is 50.45g. Your Pro Polymer concentration is (1g / 50.45g) * 100% ≈ 1.98%.
As previously advised, the stickiness is likely due to the Pro Polymer concentration. The recommendation was to start with 0.5% or 1% and gradually increase until the desired viscosity is reached, staying below 5%. Your current formulation is using almost 2%, which is higher than the suggested starting point.
For the current batch, it's difficult to significantly change the texture by adding more ingredients without diluting the active ingredients or potentially destabilizing the gel.
For your next batch, I recommend reducing the Pro Polymer concentration. Start with 0.5% or 1% of the total formula weight and mix thoroughly. If it's not thick enough, you can add a little more Pro Polymer at a time (e.g., 0.1g increments for a 50g batch) and mix until you achieve the desired gel consistency, making sure not to exceed 5% of the total formula weight.