Collection: Emulsifiers

Making a cosmetics product? There’s a good chance that your ingredient list contains emulsifiers! 

The main role of these key ingredients comes in the form of binding. Most of the time, they’re used to help blend together things that wouldn't normally mix, like oil and water - both of which are essential for creating cosmetics products like lotions and creams. 

In addition to the above, emulsifiers are active contributors to texture, and product performance - meaning they can be used to craft everything from lightweight serums to creamy moisturisers. 

Before selecting your final emulsifier - be sure you’re making the right choice for your desired end result. Each brings different benefits to the table!

There’s a near endless range of cosmetic emulsifiers out there, meaning there’s an equally long list of sources - some of which are natural (e.g. plants and minerals). For instance, lecithin and cellulose are direct natural emulsifiers. 

With this being said, many recipes require emulsifiers with very specific qualities only found in synthetic resources, or when natural ones are processed in some way. These options tend to be more stable and consistent in their performance than their 100% natural counterparts, making them a popular choice for makers.

To put it simply, there’s no one best cosmetic emulsifier out there - however, there’s likely one for your chosen recipe.

From all-natural to synthetic and everything in between, each emulsifier the making world has at hand brings different properties to the table - making them best suited for varying uses. 

For example, BTMS 50 is often a safe bet for hair products as it helps moisturise, hydrate, and soften hair. It’s loved worldwide for its conditioning, detangling and anti-frizzing properties - and is a common choice for conditioners! With this being said, for bath bomb makers, polysorbate 80 is a better emulsifying choice as it prevents the occurrence of an ‘oil layer’ on top of water, and enables colour to better disperse.

If sorting by chemical properties, on the whole, anionic emulsifiers are great for products with high water content, non-ionic emulsifiers work well in products with the opposite, cationic emulsifiers are ideal for conditioning and detangling, while amphoteric emulsifiers can stabilise emulsions over a wide pH range.

Cosmetic emulsifiers are specialised ingredients seen across skincare and makeup products. They work to combine or ‘emulsify’ mixtures that would otherwise remain separate in formulas, for example, water and oil. They play a vital role in the consistency, texture, and longevity, helping ensure final products have a uniform appearance and feel. 

A necessary addition to many products including creams, lotions, and serums, emulsifiers are available in both natural and synthetic forms. Popular choices include BTMS 25 and 50, and polysorbate 80.

Like most cosmetic ingredients, emulsifiers can expire. The exact shelf life of your product will depend on the type you’ve chosen (chemical composition plays an important role in longevity), storage conditions, and its exposure to air and other contaminants. Expired emulsifiers may lack efficacy, resulting in underperforming products. 

Your cosmetic emulsifier should be supplied with a recommended shelf life or expiration date on its packaging. In order to ensure it lives up to this guideline, it’s important to follow manufacturer guidelines on storage and usage.

BTMS, which stands for Behentrimonium Methosulfate, is a conditioning emulsifier commonly used in the cosmetic industry. It's derived from fatty alcohol (commonly sourced from plant oils including rapeseed, sunflower, and coconut) which undergoes chemical modifications to create the emulsifying properties that BTMS is known for. Specifically, the fatty acids from these oils are reacted with trimethylamine – meaning that although this emulsifier starts life naturally, it doesn’t receive our all-natural label. 

 BTMS helps blend water and oil components in products while providing excellent conditioning properties. This makes it a popular choice for haircare products like conditioners and detanglers.

In short, cosmetic emulsifiers work by coating the ingredients they’re mixing, and forming a barrier that keeps them stable. Whilst this helps hugely in terms of binding things like water and oil together in creations like creams and lotions, stability is also a huge factor in product longevity - keeping things feeling and looking fresh. 

With this said, it's important to note that emulsifiers don’t inherently possess preservative properties. As a result, if you’re creating cosmetics containing water or otherwise prone to microbial growth, it's essential to include appropriate preservatives.

BTMS, a common emulsifier in cosmetic formulations, comes in two primary variants: BTMS 50 and BTMS 25. Whilst every variant of this ingredient acts as an emulsifying agent, their numbers, 50 and 25, hint at the concentration of the core compound, Behentrimonium Methosulfate. Though both originate from plant sources like rapeseed or coconut oil, their chemical modifications render them semi-synthetic.

Specifically, BTMS 50 boasts roughly 50% Behentrimonium Methosulfate. On the other hand, BTMS 25 contains about 25%.

Choosing between them often boils down to the way you’d like your final product to look and perform. 

When it comes to ingredients for cosmetics and soap making, correct storage can be key to longevity! This, of course, applies to emulsifiers. Our experts recommend taking the following steps before or after use:

• Store your emulsifiers in cool, dry, and dark places. Sunlight and heat exposure can cause premature rancidity and breakdown.
• Keep your emulsifiers in their original airtight packaging where possible. If you need to transfer them to a different container, make sure it’s airtight and labelled clearly.
• Seal any containers, bottles, and bags tightly in order to prevent exposure to moisture and contaminants. 

Remember to follow the expiration date on the package. If your emulsifier has passed its expiration date, it may not work as effectively!