An essential physicochemical process in many cosmetic products is the incorporation of perfume oils, essential oils or other lipophilic substances into the water phase of a formulation. These oils either act as fragrances, emollients or as lipophilic actives with cosmetic properties.
Oil meets water
The ingredient needed to overcome the natural incompatibility between oil and water is a high-performing solubiliser. Solubilisers belong to a group of surface-active chemicals, able to bind lipophilic substances in water-soluble micelle structures. These micelle structures should be so small that they do not scatter light and the resulting solubilisates appear transparent. This distinguishes solubilisers from o/w emulsifiers, a group of less water-soluble surfactants of which the resulting emulsions appear white, due to the larger size of dispersed oil drops.
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