Visualizing the Impact of Emulsifiers on

Emulsion Perception
Chris Dederen, Jennifer Donahue and Cornelis Verboom
Croda, Edison, NJ, USA

KEY WORDS: sensory, emulsifiers, mapping, mathematical model,

principal component analysis
ABSTRACT: This paper describes an approach to systematically
investigate the intrinsic effects of emulsifiers,
quantify them and translate them into consumer
preferences. These are processed mathematically and
displayed in a simplified, two-dimensional map to
assist formulation work.

hen formulating skin care

emulsions, ingredient suppliers
and formulators often focus on the
technical requirements for the shelf-life
stability of the end product. However,
consumers consider it a given that the
product will remain stable for months,
even under harsh conditions. The
sensory perception of the product and
belief that the product delivers on its
promise are far more important. Even
performance claims supported by
objective clinical evidence are strongly
influenced by the aesthetic properties of the product both on the shelf
and especially during use.1 Thus, the
tactile sensory properties of a cosmetic
product intended for application to the
skinthe largest and most sensitive
organare crucial to the products
commercial success.
It is not easy for formulators to get
a products aesthetics right. Usually the
relationship between sensory perception and formulation acceptance by
consumers is far from straightforward
and depends on many uncontrollable
parameters. Detailed and systematic
consumer research is necessary to

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understand the sensory preferences

of target market segments. Further,
in trying to express their preferences,
consumers often use unclear definitions
and product descriptors.

The perception of a
product and belief that it
delivers on a promise
is most important.
However, if the sample size is
large enough, one can group these
descriptors and look for a relationship
with the chemistry and physics of
the formulation. Many such attempts
have been made in the past 40 or more
years and can be found in literature,2
but there remains a need for a bridge
between qualitative consumer language
and clearly defined sensory attributes
based on the chemistry and physics of
a formulation. Understanding the quantitative or even qualitative impact of
ingredients is a complex task, especially
given the complexity of formulations

and enormous choice of ingredients.

Navigating regulatory and brandspecific restrictions, formulators tend
to choose emulsifiers conservatively
because they are viewed mainly as
technical ingredients to keep oils and
aqueous solutions together for a given
length of time. The amounts of other
ingredients, especially emollient oils,
are considered less risky to adjust in
a formula when fine-tuning it for skin
feel. Here, the authors describe an
approach to investigate the intrinsic
effects of emulsifiers and quantify them
before attempting to translate them into
regional consumer sensory preferences.

Data Collection
ASTM Standard 1490-03, a longestablished descriptive analysis
technique,3 was used to qualify and
quantify model and market formulations. This involved a trained panel
of 10 ( 2) individuals, who assessed
emulsions under strictly controlled,
standardized conditions. Numerical
scores on 30 sensory attributes, e.g.,
spreadability and gloss, were collected during all steps of the products
usefrom appearance in the package,
pick-up on the fingertips and rub-out,
to after-feel on the skin up to 20 min
after application. These attributes were
scored on a scale from 0100, each
with internal reference standards, such
as mineral oil or petrolatum, to reduce
panel variability. The sets of numbers
generated by this protocol represent the
sensory chromatograms of formulas but
these profiles use a technical language
that, while understood by trained

Reproduction in English or any other language of all or part

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formulators, does not express quality or preference judgment

in a language understood by consumers.
Data was collected in this manner for more than 10 years,
allowing the authors to make comparisons within a particular
set of samples or even between experiments conducted years
apart. This constancy of method, devoid of cultural preference or bias, also allows comparable data to be added at any
point later in time. A database on hundreds of emulsions was
accumulated, and the authors processed this large sample size
to identify patterns of emulsion characteristics or ingredientrelated sensory properties and translate them into consumer
language, as described next.

Mapping Sensory Space

As noted, 30 attributes were assessed for each formulation,
and each attribute could be considered one dimension of a

Figure 1. Loading plot of the sensory attribute data for

the approx. 300 samples tested; the PCA plot compares
and correlates quantified properties, in this case sensory
attributes, between many different samples

Figure 2. Score plot of tested simple and complex commercial

formulations; a score plot uses the same PCA-generated data
but now the individual emulsions that were taken into the PCA
calculation to generate the 2D map are put onto the 2D map.

sensory space in which the tested products could be placed.

Hence, each test sample could be placed in a 30-dimensional (30D) map based on its individual panelist ratings
of sensory attribute data, which relate to its ingredients and
their concentration. However, to recognize patterns in these
30 dimensions, this space must be simplified to a more userfriendly, two- (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) map, which
requires a mathematical technique to manipulate the data.
Here, the authors use an approach referred to as Principal
Component Analysis (PCA) to reduce the 30D sensory space
to a 2D model a . This mathematical technique seeks correlations between attribute values.4
For example, in an extreme case where all 30 sensory attributes are perfectly correlated to one another, the 30D space
could be reduced to one dimension because each attribute
would be represented by the same data point. This would
result in one so-called principal component (PC) that explains
100% of the data. The reality, of course, is not so simple. While
the PCA model can identify correlations between attributes
such as integrity of shape and firmness, it does not give any
information about why they are correlated. In the current set
of data, PCA analysis was used to help identify what sensory
attributes are affected by a given emulsifier selection and to
what degree. Ultimately, the goal was to achieve a 2D representation of the simple emulsion systems tested. Interestingly,
more than 60% of the data explanation was found within
just the first two PCs. It is important for this percentage of
explanation to be high, ideally over 66%, otherwise significant
amounts of modeling information could be missed and flaw
the 2D representation of the 30D sensory reality. In another
sensory analysis, for example, a 4D representation was
required to produce a satisfactory level of data explanation.5
This percentage can also be improved by comparing
emulsions of the same type, such as simple o/w emulsions
consisting of one emollient and one emulsifier at one concentration. In doing so, more than 80% of the data explanation
can be obtained from PC1 and PC2. The decryption of information contained in a PC can be visually represented in a PCA
loading plot (see Figure 1), in which the sensory attributes
are positioned with PC1 and PC2 functioning as the x and y
axes, respectively, creating a 2D projection of each attribute
vector in 30D space. Figure 1 shows the loading plot for all
30 attributes in the 2D sensory space of all simple one-oil,
one-emulsifier formulas.
Attributes that have a connection with formulation
rheologyi.e., spreadability, cohesion, firmness, peaking
and shapeare observed roughly along the PC1 axis. Along
the PC2 axis, lubrication and friction attributes, such as oily,
greasy or waxy effects, can be seen. The clutter around the
origin can mean two things: either the spread on the data is
too big and the attribute cannot be sufficiently determined

Suppliers/Products Referenced
a The Sensification model is a registered trademark of Croda,
www.crodausa.com.

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accurately, or the attributes sit in another dimension of

sensory space. It turns out to be a bit of both. Each point is a
specific formulation with a specific ingredient composition.
The surprise is that the samples are not randomly dispersed
over the sensory map but clustered. This clustering is especially driven by the emulsifier used, and less so by the chosen
emollient. This finding stresses how, in order to create a
significantly different texture, changing the emulsifier has a
greater impact than changing the emollients.

PCA Loading Plot

After the PC1 and PC2 are calculated, they are set as the
x and y axes on a graph and the remaining attributes are
plotted based on their variation from these axes. As a result,
those attributes that strongly correlate with PC1 and/or PC2
lie closer to them, and those that show an inverse correlation
are on the diametrically opposite sides. Also, those having
a strong impact on the test emulsions position in this redefined 2D space will lie close to, or on, the PC axis. Further,
although attributes may lie close to the origin, they are still
not explained by PC1 or PC2, and attributes that lie close to
the PC1 axis do not correlate at all with attributes located
close to PC2.

The emulsifier dominates sensory

properties and is independent of the
emollient choice.
Using the same PC1 and PC2 axis, interesting observations
can also be made by plotting several individual emulsions
(see Figure 2). The position of the points provides condensed
sensory information on the emulsions relative to each other,
the consequences of which are fundamental. First, it allows
for the quantitative classification of emulsions based on their
sensory (dis)similarities. It also assists formulators in investigating the contribution of chassis ingredients to the overall
sensory profile of the emulsion. For example, if an ingredients
effects are sufficiently independent, they could serve as a basis
to create specific ingredient-controlled sensory signatures.
The clustering of simple emulsions all made with different
emollients but the same emulsifier implies that the emulsifier
selection is the dominant variable, and the sensory properties
are independent from the emollient choice. This approach,
along with the described data analysis model, could also be
used to match or reverse-engineer sensory profiles.
Limitations: It is important to recognize that this approach
takes a complex 30D concept and simplifies it to a tangible
2D representation, thus it has some limitations. For instance,
the approach looks for linear correlations between attribute
values and assumes that measurement errors are normally
distributed. To reduce the impact of these assumptions in
building a meaningful model, similar formulation types
should be compared and tested by an identical protocol; e.g.,
only leave-on skin care emulsion formulations.

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Figure 3. Biopolymer stabilized emulsions on the sensory

PCA map

a)

b)

Map as a matching tool: To interpret the meaning of the

proximity between points on a sensory map, one must know
the statistical quality and sensitivity of the data provided by
human sensory analysis. A meta-analysis of the raw data,
i.e., the individual panelist scores on each attribute for the
complete database, shows that with a fairly homogeneous
set of emulsions, the attributes tested in the beginning of the
protocol are more statistically significant than the attributes
tested after 20 min. Specifically, the initial pick-up and rub-out
attribute values were fairly reliable within 10 scale points, but
the 20-min after feel attributes were less reliable. The typical error
estimate for each attribute was therefore incorporated into the
model a to determine how significantly two sample points on
the PCA map differ. By doing this, it was established that points
closely situated to one another on the PCA sensory map often
show a close resemblance in the descriptive analysis results.

Emulsifier Case Studies

Utilizing this approach, three stabilization mechanisms
were examined by testing simple formulations made with the
recommended use level of emulsifier and 10% of very different
emollients. PCA sensory maps of these simple emulsions were
generated, revealing clusters of formulas.
Biopolymer stabilized emulsions: In the first example,
biopolymer stabilized emulsions made with 1% emulsion
stabilizer b and 10% emollient were mapped and appeared
in a cluster (see Figure 3). This polymeric emulsion stabilizer
functions by a suspension mechanism that is theoretically
HLB- and therefore oil-independent. The emollients used
varied from very light to very heavy. Despite the fact that
emulsions were quick-breaking, the clustering of the dots
representing the emulsions on the 2D map seems to indicate
the choice of emollient plays less of a sensory role than the
choice of emulsifier; had the emollients played a larger role
in defining sensory properties, one would expect to see more
scattering of those dots on the map.
This impression is reinforced when the total profile PCA
sensory space is split into separate PCA plots for initial feel and
after feel (see Figure 4). The clustering remains in the initial
phase, but the points spread out in the after feel PCA plot. This
can be explained as follows. The initial phase sensory properties are dominated by the characteristic rheology induced
by the emulsion stabilizing system. Since this is constant for
a given emulsifier, the sample points cluster. The after feel
sensory properties are defined by the friction properties of
residual film residues of oils, polymers and waxes on skin
moisturized to different degrees, depending on the chosen
ingredients. It is therefore not surprising that the after feel
sensory attribute values are subject to a much wider spread. In
this case of quick-breaking emulsions with very low emulsifier
content, the after feel will be oil-dominated.

Suppliers/Products Referenced
Figure 4. PCA analysis of the emulsions in Figure 3 split by the
attributes: a) initial appearance, pick-up and rub-out; and b)
after feel, immediate and 20-min

b Versaflex V-150 (INCI: Steareth-2 (and) Steareth-100 (and)

Xanthan Gum (and) Mannan Gum) is a product of Croda Inc.,
www.crodausa.com.

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Hydrosome-forming emulsifiers: Hydrosome-forming

emulsifiers are self-emulsifying, waxy materials usually added
to the external water phase of a formula to form an aqueous
lyotropic liquid crystal phase. These are capable of suspending
and emulsifying oil droplets, which prevents the emulsion
oil droplets from coalescing. Also, this emulsion stabilizing
concept is essentially independent of the required HLB of
the oil phase. Subsequently, emulsions incorporating 10%
emollient and 2% of a sorbitol-based hydrosome former c
were mapped (see Figure 5).
A similar clustering to the polymer in example one is
seen here for the initial application phase; however, because
the liquid crystalline phase slows the evaporation of water
from the emulsion, and because it is a wax that is present at
a higher concentration, one would expect the after feel to be
determined by a complex oil-wax interaction. It turns out that
the waxy nature of this emulsifier reduces the differentiation
between emollients.
Polymeric w/o emulsifier: In a third, w/o example, the
emollient oil was the external phase. Hence the nature of the
oil was expected to play a much bigger role with less of an
impact from the emulsifier on the sensory properties. This is
more difficult to test since few w/o emulsifiers can work with
a broad variety of oils, and at a low use concentration.
Figure 6 shows the results of a polymeric w/o emulsifier d
used at 2% with 20% emollient. Here, the map is spread out
across the PCA plot. Increasing oil viscosity moves the sample
data points from the left to the right in the diagram, confirming that the impact of emollient choice is more important in
w/o systems than in o/w systems.

a)

b)

Suppliers/Products Referenced
c Aracel LC (INCI: Sorbitan Stearate (and) Sorbityl Laurate), and
d Cithrol DPHS (INCI: PEG-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate) are
products of Croda Inc., www.crodausa.com.

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Figure 5. PCA analysis on hydrosome-stabilized emulsions split

over the attributes: a) the initial appearance, pick-up and
rub-out; and b) after feel, immediate and 20-min

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Figure 6. Simple w/o emulsions based on 2% waxy polymeric

emulsifier and 20% oil

Emollient impact: The secondary impact of emollients on

the skin feel of o/w emulsions is shown in Figure 7, which
reveals the ratings of test samples incorporating a frequently
used ester e . In contrast to clustering of data points for emulsions with the same emulsifier, data points for emulsions
containing the same emollient are not clustered. If the emollient had a dominant effect on sensory properties, one would
expect it to shift emulsions into an emollient-specific cluster.
However, this is not apparent in Figure 7. This confirms an
earlier study of a smaller set of simple o/w emulsions showing that the emulsifier is responsible for roughly 80% of the
emulsions sensory signature.3
Of course, the emollient does have a sensory effect, but it
is not the primary factor in the sensory properties of an o/w
emulsion in the early phases of product application.
The emollient influence on sensory properties would be
expected to increase with the sensitivity of the emulsifier to

Suppliers/Products Referenced
e Crodamol STS (INCI: PPG-3 Benzyl Ether Myristate) is a
product of Croda Inc., www.crodausa.com.

a)

Figure 7. Sensory map of emulsions containing PPG-3 benzyl

ether myristate as an emollient; note that this emollient was
chosen in part due to its silicone-like sensory claim

b)

Figure 8. Patterns in the PCA sensory map: a) connect sample

positions to qualitative descriptions, and b) are divided into
market language quadrants.

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the nature of the oil phase; i.e., when matching the required
HLB of the oil phase becomes necessary, and oil and emulsifier
are no longer independent variables in the model.
Nevertheless, from the examples given, it is clear that a
change of emulsifier can modify the sensory properties much
more effectively.

Translating to Consumer Language

Careful examination of the complete set of emulsion
samples in the database and their position in the PCA sensory
space reveals a pattern that can be captured qualitatively by
the universally recognizable consumer-language descriptors
of light/heavy and fluid/viscous. The fairly abstract PC
sensory map can therefore be transposed into an easy-tounderstand, four-quadrant grid with matching consumer
language descriptors of the x and y axes (see Figure 8).
Provided with simple emulsion samples where only the
emulsifier varies, formulators can use this approach to choose
the desired sensory properties of an emulsion at the beginning
of the formulating process. Descriptors can be plotted on a
selector grid f that can be modified to help focus on the key
sensory descriptors for a specified project brief. This method
also allows for variations in consumer descriptors, which will
vary by region and language. Understanding that the emulsifier system is the dominant variable in a products sensory
attributes allows for a more direct approach to engineering
formulations.

Conclusion
Here, the authors present a methodology to construct simplified 2D sensory maps from complex sensory data. The PCA
mapping technique can be used to match sensory properties
of emulsions and ingredients to sensory benchmarks. Systems
with oil in the external phase, such as w/o emulsions, were
notably less defined and require further study. Regardless,
while the obtained PCA data representation is abstract, as
shown here, it can be converted into a practical tool for o/w
emulsion formulation.
References
Send e-mail to chris.dederen@croda.com.
1. L Rigano, Sensory in cosmetics, Cosm & Toil 127(9) 628634 (2012)
2. BW Barry and AJ Grace, Sensory testing of spreadability: Investigations of
rheological conditions operative during application of topical preparations,
J Pharm Sci 61, 335 (1972)
3. G Civille, The Spectrum Descriptive Analysis Method, ASTM International
(May 1992)
4. Principal component analysis mathematics function explanation, available at http://cosmic.mse.iastate.edu/library/pdf/pcainterpretation.pdf
(Accessed May 6, 2013)
5. ME Parente, A Gmbaro and G Solana, Study of sensory properties of
emollients used in cosmetics and their correlation with physicochemical
properties, J Cosmet Sci 56(3)175 (2005)

Suppliers/Products Referenced
f The Sensory Selector Grid is part of the Sensification kit
provided by Croda Inc., www.crodausa.com.

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