Cosmetic Chemistry: Making Cold Process Emulsion with Novemer EC-2

 

Traditional cosmetic emulsifiers (a.k.a. hot process emulsifiers) are quite tricky to use for amateur cosmetic formulators like me. I can’t count the number of times that I wasted my raw materials because my lotion has separated after a few days. So when I finally got my hand on Novemer EC-2, making lotions and creams become easy peasy! It is a cold process emulsifier so basically you don’t need to heat your water and oil phases at same temperature and wait for the emulsion to cool down before adding heat-sensitive ingredients. Since it is a liquid emulsifier, there is no need to melt it unlike solid emulsifiers. You can actually make a basic lotion with Novemer EC-2 in just 5 minutes with just manual hand stirring.

What is Novemer EC-2?

INCI: Sodium Acrylates/ Beheneth-25 Methacrylate Crosspolymer (and) Hydrogenated Polydecene (and) Lauryl Glucoside

Manufacturer: Lubrizol

Description: It's a multi-functional, synthetic (pre-neutralized) liquid polymer that can be used to make oil-in-water emulsions.

Functions

• It can be used as emulsifier or co-emulsifier in either hot or cold process emulsion.
• It helps thicken and improve the texture of the emulsion.
• It helps stabilize emulsion.

Features

• Can tolerate electrolytes (e.g. aloe vera)
• Can tolerate high pH (pH range 5.5 – 11). The ideal pH for more stable emulsion is 6.5
• Can suspend inorganic pigments (e.g. iron oxide, titanium dioxide)
• Can emulsify broad range of oils
• Can make emulsion with excellent skin sensory properties
• Has low potential to cause skin irritation or sensitization

Where to Use Novemer EC-2?

• Facial lotion
• Facial cream
• Body lotion
• Body cream
• Sun care lotion and cream
• Gel lotion / Gel cream / Hydrogel

Formulation Guidelines

• Usage rate is 0.5 - 5%
• Can either be added to water phase or oil phase
• Can be added post-emulsion to adjust the viscosity of the final product
• Can be combined with Carbopol polymers to form more stable emulsion that is highly electrolyte resistant

Experiment Details

For my formulation experiment, I decided to create two batches of 10g emulsion using 1% and 5% Novemer EC-2, respectively. Basically, the formula will only contain 3 ingredients: water, oil and Novemer EC-2. I used sunflower oil at fixed amount of 5% for both sample batches. I also used cold process method in making the emulsion.

	BATCH 1	BATCH 2
NOVEMER EC-2	1%	5%
WATER	94%	90%
SUNFLOWER OIL	5%	5%

The formulation process is as follows:

1. In a glass beaker, add Novemer EC-2 to water and mix until homogeneous.
2. Add the oil into the Novemer EC-2 + water mixture and mix until homogeneous.

Experiment Results

Novemer EC-2 @ 1%

Novemer EC-2 @ 5%

	NOVEMER EC-2 @ 1%	NOVEMER EC-2 @ 5%
APPEARANCE	More translucent (like a hydrogel/gel lotion)	More opaque
SKIN FEEL	Light, non-sticky and absorbs quickly	Light, non-sticky and absorbs quickly
VISCOSITY	Thin consistency	Thick consistency

Here is the video of the Novemer EC-2 presentation and actual experiment I made.

If you’re interested to know more about cosmetic formulation, please subscribe to my YouTube channel – Cosmetic Formulation Diary.

Have you tried Novemer EC-2 in your cosmetic formulations? Share your experience on the comment section below J

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