Enhance Color Distribution and Flowability with Plasticizers

When the texture you are building relies on solid esters and waxes it is imperative to adjust for crystallization and viscosity. Controlling the formation of the wax matrix by utilizing plasticizers at the optimal moment in formulation allows you to tailor your end product’s texture, managing structure and stability, as the figure shows.

The percentage of liquid that a plasticizer replaces in the oil phase can be very low, making a significant difference with a very small change. Plasticizers function to reduce yield stress, resulting in improvements to users’ sensory experience. Lowering resistance and drag and increasing cushion and playtime make cosmetic formulations a pleasure to apply, from squeezables to sticks.

The positive sensory experience of even slip, when combined with smooth application of color, makes a cosmetic formulation irresistible. Pigments need to be well incorporated and held evenly in the wax matrix for colors to stay even and true in use. Color distribution becomes more uniform and stable throughout the product and at the product-skin interface when plasticizers are used in formulation due to the system’s microstructure homogeneity. The same plasticizer that imparts even dispersal of pigments also allows even spreading, creating the right conditions for thin, uniform color application.

Our example formulations offer an opportunity to see two plasticizers at work, with both creating smooth, flowing formulations that also bring that springtime pop of color. Customers are increasingly being made aware of the chemistry of the products they use, so formulating with non-phenol/non-phthalate plasticizers offers label appeal.