Answer to Questions about Formulation

Flora Solve

Flora Solve Clear is a fragrance solubilizer that helps oil-based fragrances disperse well in water or gel bases, resulting in a clear, stable formula. However, Flora Solve Clear does not help fragrance last longer. The change in fragrance scent might be due to other factors, such as the quality of the fragrance itself or interactions with other ingredients in the formula.

Flora Solve Clear has a mild odor of its own, which can affect the original fragrance scent if used in excessive amounts (e.g., more than 2-3 times the fragrance amount). It is recommended to test at the lowest ratio that effectively solubilizes the fragrance.

Regarding the effect on product viscosity (thinning or thickening) in products like shower gel or lotion, Flora Solve Clear generally does not significantly thin or thicken the texture when used at appropriate concentrations (2-5 parts per 1 part fragrance).

Disodium EDTA, TEA, Citric Acid

These three ingredients can affect product texture, especially in formulas using certain types of gel-forming agents like Pro Polymer.

• Disodium EDTA and TEA (Triethanolamine) are electrolytes, which can disrupt the structure of some gel-forming polymers (such as Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer like Pro Polymer), causing the gel to thin or become less viscous.
• Citric Acid is an acid used to adjust the pH of a formula. Changes in pH can also affect the viscosity of gel-forming agents, depending on the specific polymer type.

In the case of your shower gel formula, the thinning observed after adding Disodium EDTA is because Disodium EDTA, being an electrolyte, interferes with the gelling action of Pro Polymer (an Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer).

Dissolving vs Emulsifying Water and Oil

"Dissolving" means two substances mix completely into a single, uniform phase at a molecular level, with no separation or cloudiness (e.g., sugar dissolving in water).

"Emulsifying/Solubilizing Water and Oil" means using a third substance (an emulsifier or solubilizer) to help water and oil, which normally do not mix, combine or disperse stably within each other. This can result in a clear mixture (solubilizing) or a cloudy/milky/creamy mixture (emulsifying).

Flora Solve Clear acts as a solubilizer for fragrance (which is an oil) in water. It works by creating a microemulsion, resulting in a clear texture. Solubilizing is a specific type of emulsification.

Using Other Emulsifiers or Pro Polymer to Dissolve Fragrance

It is possible to use other water-oil emulsifiers or Pro Polymer to dissolve 1% fragrance in water, but the results will differ.

• Pro Polymer can help disperse fragrance in water, but it will make the formula cloudy, not clear like using Flora Solve Clear.
• General Emulsifiers (like Polysorbate 20) can also be used to solubilize fragrance, but the effectiveness and clarity of the formula may vary depending on the specific emulsifier and fragrance used.

If your formula already contains an emulsifier or cream maker, you can add the fragrance along with the oil phase without needing a separate solubilizer like Flora Solve Clear.

Issue with Shower Gel Thinning After Adding Disodium EDTA

As explained above, the thinning of the gel made with Pro Polymer upon adding Disodium EDTA is because Disodium EDTA is an electrolyte that reduces the viscosity of Pro Polymer.

The recommended solution is to increase the amount of Pro Polymer in the formula to compensate for the viscosity loss caused by the electrolyte.

Furthermore, according to the staff's advice, in a shower gel formula containing surfactants like AminoWash, which will make the formula cloudy anyway, using Pro Polymer might be difficult and cause excessive foaming.

The staff recommends considering thickeners/gelling agents specifically designed for surfactant formulas, such as ClearClean or SugarThick, instead of Pro Polymer for this formula.

• If you aim for a clear formula (without AminoWash) and use Flora Solve Clear for fragrance, adjust viscosity with SugarThick.
• If the formula contains AminoWash and will be cloudy anyway, you can use ClearClean for both solubilizing fragrance and adjusting viscosity.

Adding 3% Oil and Using Polysorbate 20 in the Shower Gel Formula

You can add about 3% oil to the shower gel formula and use an emulsifier to help the oil combine with the surfactant base.

For surfactant formulas containing oil, the staff recommends using ClearClean as the emulsifier, as it is easy to use and most suitable for this type of formula.

If you choose to use Polysorbate 20 to emulsify 3% oil in this formula, you would need to use enough Polysorbate 20 to fully emulsify the oil. A starting ratio of Polysorbate 20 to oil might be 1:1 or 2:1, adjusting until the mixture is stable and uniform. However, ClearClean is the recommended option for this type of formula.

When adding oil and an emulsifier, you must reduce the percentage of water in the formula accordingly to maintain a total of 100%.