SugarThick™ Hydration and Viscosity Development in Cleanser/Surfactant Systems

Troubleshooting SugarThick™ in cleanser/surfactant systems

For SugarThick™ (PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate), the symptom you described—flakes/granules remaining and viscosity not developing—most commonly means the material has not fully melted, wetted, dispersed, and deagglomerated before the batch is diluted/cool. This material should not be treated like an instant-hydrating gum. If visible particles remain, the thickener is still partly outside the surfactant micelle system, so gel/viscosity build will be unreliable.

1) Recommended pre-dispersion / hydration method

Use either of these lab methods:

Method A: Pre-melt separately

• Warm SugarThick™ separately to about 55–60°C until it becomes a fully liquid or uniform soft melt.
• Add the melt slowly into the warm, already-uniform surfactant phase with good circulation.
• Continue mixing until no flakes or soft granules are visible.

Method B: Warm pre-paste / concentrate

• Take a small portion of formula water or a diluted surfactant phase.
• Heat to about 55–60°C.
• Sprinkle/add SugarThick™ slowly while mixing until a smooth fluid paste/concentrate forms.
• Return this concentrate slowly to the main warm batch.

Avoid dumping dry flakes directly into a cold base or an already-thick surfactant concentrate, because the outside can wet/melt while the inside remains as grains.

2) Which phase to add it to

Add after the water phase and primary surfactants are already uniform, but before final cooling, salt/electrolyte adjustment, fragrance, color, heat-sensitive ingredients, and final pH adjustment.

3) Temperature / shear / order of addition

• The catalog handling window is around 50–60°C; practically, 55–60°C is a good trial range. Hold only until the flakes are fully melted and uniformly distributed; avoid unnecessary overheating.
• Use enough mixing to prevent dead zones and lumps during addition. After uniformity is reached, reduce to low-speed mixing to minimize foam and air entrapment.
• Do not judge final viscosity while hot. Cool to room temperature and allow the system to equilibrate before final viscosity reading.
• If salt/electrolyte is used, add it only after SugarThick™ is fully incorporated, and add stepwise. Too much electrolyte can reduce or collapse surfactant-system viscosity.

4) Does it need specific surfactants?

SugarThick™ is designed for surfactant-based cleanser systems and generally works best when the formula has enough surfactant active matter and a suitable micelle structure. However, final viscosity is formula-dependent. Low surfactant active matter, high electrolyte, high solvent/polyol/hydrotrope load, fragrance/oil/solubilizer load, extreme pH, or insufficient water can all weaken the thickening response.

Checks for your next trial

• Confirm use level: catalog range 0.1–5%, commonly 1–3% as a starting range.
• Test a small matrix: 1%, 2%, 3% SugarThick™, with/without stepwise salt adjustment if salt is part of the formula.
• Record final pH after cooling, total surfactant active matter, mixing time at 55–60°C, and whether visible particles remain.
• If grains persist, press them between glass slides: if they smear/melt, it is likely incomplete melting/distribution; if they remain hard, check material condition or contamination.

For browsing similar surfactant-thickening options, the relevant family is Cosmetics > Base / Emulsifier > Thickener / Gel-Maker > Surfactant thickening, but for this specific issue I would first optimize the SugarThick™ incorporation process before changing thickeners.