This article introduces a perfect shower gel formula for the detergent manufacturers’ daily practice.
Introduction
Bathing products are primarily used to cleanse the skin, but they also have moisturizing, skin care, and skin disease treatment effects. The most commonly used bathing products are shower gels, bath salts, bath oils, and soaps.
1.Shower Gel
Shower gel can produce rich foam and has a pleasant fragrance. It is the product with the largest sales volume in the domestic and foreign bathing product market. Shower gel is a liquid skin care product made by compounding various surfactants as the main ingredients. Shower gel has many similarities with shampoo. The appearance is a viscous liquid. However, in addition to emphasizing the cleaning function, shampoo also emphasizes the care of hair. Therefore, the formula contains a large amount of oil and cationic polymers; while shower gel mainly emphasizes the cleaning function of the skin. Although it has skin care effects, it is not very emphasized. Therefore, shower gel often adds ingredients that have moisturizing, moisturizing, and cooling and itching effects on the skin, but the oil content is not as high as the oil content of shampoo. An ideal shower gel should have the following characteristics:
1. Easy to rub, with rich foam and appropriate cleaning power;
2. Mild performance, with little irritation to the skin;
3. Good fluidity, with suitable viscosity for convenient use;
4. Strong and refreshing fragrance;
5. Easy to clean and no residue on the skin;
6. The skin feels smooth and not greasy when used;
7. No discomfort after bathing;
8. Stable quality and bright color.
(1) Classification of Shower Gel
According to the different types of main surfactants, shower gels can be divided into soap-based, semi-soap-based, and non-soap-based shower gels. Soap-based shower gels feel refreshing after washing, which is the same as the feeling after washing with soap. However, the pH value of this type of product is high, the irritation is large, and it is not resistant to hard water. For people with dry skin, it may cause itching. Non-soap-based shower gels contain more AES, and there is no refreshing feeling like soap-based shower gels during rinsing. After washing, the skin feels greasy and not refreshing enough. However, the pH value is generally weakly acidic, the irritation is small, and the semi-soap-based shower gel is between the two, combining the advantages of both, with rich foam, refreshing rinsing, and relatively small irritation. The skin feels good after drying.
(2) Composition of Shower Gel
The main components of shower gel include surfactants, moisturizers, conditioners, and nutrient additives; auxiliary ingredients often include pearlescent agents, preservatives, fragrances, and pigments.
1. Surfactants
The main surfactants are anionic surfactants, which have foaming and cleaning effects, such as AES, AESA, K12, K12A, AOS, and soap. If it is a soap-based shower gel, soap is used as the main surfactant; if it is a semi-soap-based shower gel, soap and AES are compounded as the main surfactant; if it is a non-soap-based shower gel, AES and AOS are used as the main surfactant. In addition to the main surfactants, amphoteric surfactants (such as CAB), MAPK, and alkanolamides (such as CMEA, 6501) can also be added as auxiliary surfactants. Alkanolamides have the effect of increasing foam, stabilizing foam, and thickening. MAPK can reduce the greasiness and irritation of surfactants such as AES. CAB and other amphoteric surfactants can reduce the irritation of anionic surfactants.
2. pH value adjuster
The pH range of surfactant-type shower gel is 5, which is consistent with the pH value of human skin. At this pH value, betaine and preservatives can exert their best effects. The pH value can be adjusted with pH value adjusters (such as citric acid). However, the pH value of soap-based shower gel is high, and the pH value must be above 8.5 to make the soap-based shower gel stable.
3. Viscosity adjuster
There are two types of viscosity adjusters.
(1) Water-soluble polymers such as diglycol stearate (6000), carbopol, and cellulose.
(2) Organic thickeners such as alkanolamides, betaine-type amphoteric surfactants, and amine oxides.
(3) Inorganic salts such as sodium chloride, ammonium chloride, and sodium sulfate have a good thickening effect on systems containing AES salts.
4. Other
In order to avoid excessive degreasing of the skin by surfactants and causing dry skin, in addition to adding mild surfactants, a certain amount of oil or wax should also be added as a moisturizer. Some shower gels also add natural extracts (such as aloe vera extract, silk protein extract).
5. Show gel formula examples
(1)Non-Soap Based Shower Gel Formula
| Ingredients | Percentage / % | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| AES (70%) | 15 | High cleaning efficiency, mild |
| K12A | 5 | High cleaning efficiency, mild |
| CAB-35 | 5 | Enhances foaming, mild |
| CMEA | 2 | Enhances foaming, mild, moisturizing |
| MAPK | 6 | Enhances cleaning efficiency, mild |
| Preservative | 1.5 | Preservative |
| Thickener | 0.5 | Thickening |
| pH Adjuster | 0.05 | pH adjustment |
| Antioxidant | 0.5 | Antioxidant |
| Perfume | 0.1 | Fragrance |
| EDTA-2Na | 0.05 | Chelating agent |
| Colorant | Trace | Coloring |
| Water | Balance | Base |
(2)Soap Based Shower Gel Formula
| Ingredients | Percentage / % | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES) | 9 | Enhanced by KOH, mild |
| Sodium laureth sulfate (SLS) | 6 | Enhanced by KOH, mild |
| KOH | 4.0 | Enhances solubility, mild |
| CAB-35 | 12 | Enhances foam, mild |
| Preservative | 1 | Preservative |
| Thickener | 1 | Thickening |
| Perfume | 3 | Fragrance |
| Antioxidant | 0.5 | Antioxidant |
| N-Methyl pyrrolidone | 0.1 | Stabilizer |
| BHT | 0.05 | Antioxidant |
| EDTA-2Na | 0.05 | Chelating agent |
| Colorant | Trace | Coloring |
| Water | Balance | Base |
(3)Semi-Soap Based Shower Gel Formula
| Ingredients | Percentage / % | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| AES (70%) | 10 | High cleaning efficiency, mild |
| Sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES) | 6 | Enhanced by KOH, mild |
| Sodium laureth sulfate (SLS) | 4 | Enhanced by KOH, mild |
| Sodium coco sulfate (SCS) | 1 | Enhanced by KOH, mild |
| KOH | 2.8 | Enhances solubility, mild |
| CAB-35 | 8 | Enhances foam, mild |
| Preservative | 1.5 | Preservative |
| Thickener | 0.5 | Thickening |
| pH Adjuster | 0.05 | pH adjustment |
| Antioxidant | 0.5 | Antioxidant |
| Perfume | 0.1 | Fragrance |
| EDTA-2Na | 0.05 | Chelating agent |
| Colorant | Trace | Coloring |
| Water | Balance | Base |