Formulation Feedback and Recommendations

Thank you for sharing your formulation attempt and the issues you encountered. It sounds like you've created a cleansing product, and the problem with losing viscosity and developing lumps after a few days is likely due to instability in the mixture.

Based on the ingredients and their typical properties, here are a few potential reasons and recommendations:

• Solubilizer Amount: You are using 1% Flora Solve Clear to solubilize a total of 16% oils (15% Bergamot Essential Oil + 1% Fragrance). Flora Solve Clear typically requires a ratio of 2-5 parts solubilizer to 1 part oil to properly solubilize oils in water-based systems. Your current ratio (1:16) is too low. This means the oils are likely not fully solubilized and are separating from the water phase, leading to instability, reduced viscosity, and potentially contributing to the lumps.

  • Recommendation: Increase the amount of Flora Solve Clear significantly to adequately solubilize the oil phase. You may need a very high percentage, which could affect the overall feel and cost of the product. Alternatively, consider reducing the total oil content (Bergamot Essential Oil and Fragrance) in your formula to a level that can be effectively solubilized by a reasonable amount of Flora Solve Clear.

• Baby Foam (Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate): Baby Foam is a gentle anionic surfactant in powder form. Its description mentions that it can easily precipitate in liquid gel formulas. While Clear Clean is listed as a compatible thickener, the high concentration of Baby Foam (10%) in a liquid gel system, especially combined with the instability from uns solubilized oils, could cause it to settle or form lumps.

  • Recommendation: The product description for Baby Foam suggests adding 0.1% Disodium EDTA to help prevent it from hardening or settling. You could try adding this to your formula. Also, ensuring the oils are properly solubilized might help improve the overall stability and reduce the tendency for Baby Foam to precipitate.

• Clear Clean (Acrylates Crosspolymer) and pH: Clear Clean is an effective thickener for liquid soaps and shampoos, but it works best within a specific pH range of 4-6 (ideally pH 5.5). If the final pH of your formula is outside this range, the thickening effect may be reduced or unstable over time.

  • Recommendation: Check the pH of your final formula. If it's not within the 4-6 range, adjust it using an appropriate acidic or alkaline ingredient (like Citric Acid or Triethanolamine, depending on the current pH) to bring it into the optimal range for Clear Clean.

• Mixing Method: The order and method of mixing can also impact the final product's stability and texture, especially when using ingredients like Clear Clean and Flora Solve Clear. Ensure you are following the recommended mixing procedures for each ingredient.

  • Recommendation: Review the mixing instructions for Clear Clean (add to water, then detergent, adjust pH to 6.5-6.8, add other ingredients, then final pH adjustment to 4-6) and Flora Solve Clear (mix with oil first, then add to water phase). Avoid high-speed mixing which can damage the Clear Clean polymer.

In summary, the most probable causes are insufficient solubilization of the oils and potential precipitation of Baby Foam, possibly exacerbated by an incorrect pH for the thickener. Adjusting the solubilizer amount, checking and correcting the pH, and considering Disodium EDTA should help improve the stability and viscosity of your formulation.