Colloids and Surfaces

A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects 152 (1999) 89–94

Rheological studies to objectify sensations occurring when

cosmetic emulsions are applied to the skin
R. Brummer *, S. Godersky
Beiersdorf AG, Unnastraße 48, 20245 Hamburg, Germany
Received 22 January 1998; accepted 7 July 1998

Abstract

When cosmetic emulsions are applied to the skin, different flow conditions arise because the film thickness of the
emulsion decreases as it is rubbed in. The sensations experienced during application — the so-called skin feeling —
therefore result in part from the flow properties of an emulsion subjected to varying conditions of stress. To take this
into account when investigating the skin feeling, a more discriminating approach is developed in this study than
simple correlation of the skin feeling with a stationary rheological parameter. In this study, the skin feeling is divided
into two parts, a primary and secondary skin feeling, which are each correlated with different rheological variables.
The primary skin feeling describes the sensations at the start of application, whereas the secondary skin feeling
describes the sensations at the end of application when the product has been almost completely rubbed into the skin.
The primary skin feeling correlates with the shear stress at the onset of flow t and the dynamic viscosity g . Ranges
F dyn
are defined for these variables Dt and Dg that encompass the values for products assessed as good in sensory
F dyn
panel tests. The secondary skin feeling correlates with the value of the stationary viscosity g for the rate of shear
prevailing at the end of application to the skin. Ranges of the stationary viscosity Dg are determined for this rate of
shear that will include all values corresponding to a good assessment of the secondary skin feeling. The application
shear rate for the creams studied is in the magnitude of ċ =500 s−1 and for the lotions ċ =5000 s−1.
Appl Appl.
Furthermore, the results of this study show that the shear stress at the onset of flow alone t is not an unambiguous
F
criterion for distinguishing between types of products, as has been described in the literature. In the lotions and
creams studied, the characteristic difference is the height of the maximum g of a dynamic viscosity curve. The
max
viscosity maximum for creams is in the order of magnitude of g =1000 Pa s and for lotions g =100 Pa s.
max max
Barry [1] correlated results of sensory testing of cosmetic products with the stationary viscosity for a defined rate
of shear. The results of this work show, however, that sensory testing does not correlate with the stationary viscosity
alone. To assess the primary skin feeling by means of rheological measurements, a dynamic viscosity curve is needed
that must be evaluated at the characteristic points.
The results of rheological measurements are correlated with those of field tests. For this we carefully considered the
most important criteria of sex, age and skin type, so that the results of the field tests are representative of human
skin. © 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Rheology; Cosmetic emulsions; Skin feeling

* Corresponding author. Tel: +49 40 49 09 3902; Fax: +49 40 49 09 6192.

E-mail address: brummer@hamburg.beiersdorf.com (R. Brummer)

0927-7757/99/$ – see front matter © 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
PII: S0 9 2 7- 7 7 57 ( 9 8 ) 0 06 2 6 -8
90 R. Brummer, S. Godersky / Colloids Surfaces A: Physicochem. Eng. Aspects 152 (1999) 89–94
1. Introduction
Manufacturers of cosmetic emulsions set high
standards for product development and pro-
duction in order to meet customers expectations
of the quality of their products. The prerequisite
for good customer acceptance is products of con-
sistently high quality. One criteria for assessing
quality is stability during transport. To guarantee
quality is not impaired during transport, methods
of evaluation are needed that detect changes, for
example, due to mechanical stress and temperature
fluctuations. Consumers judge the quality of pro-
ducts in part according to sensory criteria, the
so-called ‘‘cosmetic elegance’’. To determine cos-
metic elegance a series of tests is conducted with
test persons who assess the product according to
defined criteria such as color, odor, appearance,
absorption capacity and general skin feeling when
applying it to the skin. Unfortunately these tests
are costly, time-consuming and by nature
subjective.
One of the aims of research on cosmetic elegance
is to objectify assessment by finding and being
able to measure physical parameters that determine
the skin feeling of cosmetic products. It is suspected
that the rheological properties of the products
have a strong influence, since flow properties deter-
mine consistency and spreadability. Therefore the
purpose of this study is to demonstrate whether
there is any correlation between the skin feeling
and rheological properties of cosmetic products.
2. General experimental conditions
In rheological studies, the deformation and flow
of substances are determined as a function of
applied loads. Either the rate of shear is measured
for a given stress or the shear stress is measured
for a given rate of shear. The results are indepen-
dent of the substance, temperature, pressure, meas-
uring time or previous loads. These influences must
be determined or excluded in preliminary
experiments.
For instance the influence of the time of meas-
urement on test results can be observed for thixo-
tropic fluids and may be found for other fluids.
Every measuring system needs a certain time (rest
time) to attain a stationary state, and stationary
measurements are impossible unless the rest time
is known [2,3]. When interpreting the results of
dynamic measurements, the time scales of the
experiment must be taken into account.
Also affecting the reproducibility of the results
is the pretreatment of the sample, that is, the
mechanical stress placed on the sample when it is
removed from the storage container or filled into
the measuring instrument. Differences arising from
pretreatment can be minimized by uniform hand-
ling of the sample and maintaining a recovery time
prior to the measurement. The recovery time of a
sample is determined in a creep test. All measure-
ments are performed at room temperature of
25±0.5°C. The viscosity of non-Newtonian fluids
depends on the rate of shear [4]. Measurement at
a single rate of shear is, therefore, inadequate to
characterize these fluids and they must be mea-
sured over a range of shear rates.
3. Measurement methods for the study of the
primary skin feeling
To correlate the primary skin feeling with rheo-
logical material constants, sensory assessments are
compared with the onset of flow and maximum
viscosity measured for the products. The onset of
flow of a sample is determined by means of a shear
stress ramp test. In this test the torque is increased
from zero to a pre-defined end value and the shear
stress determined at which the sample begins to
flow. Stationary flow curves are unsuitable for
accurate determination of the onset of flow, since
the product will start to flow with even the slightest
rate of shear [5,6 ]. If a shear stress ramp is used,
the onset of flow t can be determined from the
F
maximum of the viscosity curve g (Fig. 1).
max
The shear stress is increased logarithmically with
time in order to expand the region of flow onset
while still being able to utilize and plot the entire
measuring range of the instrument. In these tests
the change of the shear stress and shear rate in
the sample is unknown. Tests to determine the
flow onset and maximum viscosity are performed
with the shear stress-controlled dynamic stress
 R. Brummer, S. Godersky / Colloids Surfaces A: Physicochem. Eng. Aspects 152 (1999) 89–94
Fig. 1. Viscosity curves of O/W lotions assessed as good (C and D) and not good (A and G).
rheometer (DSR) from Rheometric Scientific.
Since this dynamic test procedure depends on how
quickly the shear stress is increased, the optimal
rate of increase permitting easy recognition of the
flow onset must first be determined. Furthermore,
the creep recovery of the samples used must be
investigated to determine the time needed by the
sample to recover from the stress of filling into the
measuring instrument.
Correlation of the assessments by sensory testing
panels with the values measured for flow onset
and maximum viscosity gave the initial ‘‘window
of measured values’’ recognizable as a square in
Fig. 1. The boundaries of the window are deter-
mined by the results for the two lotions receiving
a poor sensory assessment that have values above
and below those for the lotions C and D receiving
the best assessment ( Table 1).
The values measured with this method for the
shear stress and viscosity at flow onset provide the
upper and lower limits for the respective measured
variable. This is depicted graphically as a window.
The limits are values that include the values
measured for the lotions assessed as good. Lotions
C and D, which received the best evaluation, have
91
measured values that are all within these limits.
Lotion E conforms to the limits for flow onset and
maximum viscosity but not for minimum viscosity.
Lotions A, B, F and G do not conform to at least
one of the limits. A lotion that is supposed to have
an optimal skin feeling assessment must, like
Lotions C and D, conform to all limits.
The limits for the W/O/W creams were deter-
mined according to the same method as for the
lotions. The assessment of the W/O/W creams
were obtained from a market research test, in
which both the creams D and F received a score
of 2 for the primary and secondary skin feeling.
The shear stress values at yield stress determined
from the viscosity curves (>8.5t<15 Pa) do not
differ significantly from those of the lotions
(>6.5t<13 Pa). However, the viscosity values g
at yield stress are higher by a factor of 10. This
can be attributed to the thicker consistency of a
cream compared with a lotion and explains why
the type of product determines the skin feeling
to be expected when applying an emulsion.
Consequently, a viscosity and shear stress range
can be determined for the flow limits for different
product classes (e.g. milk, lotion, cream, gel ) and
92 R. Brummer, S. Godersky / Colloids Surfaces A: Physicochem. Eng. Aspects 152 (1999) 89–94

Table 1
Comparison of flow onset with the sensory assessment for O/W lotions A to G

Product Shear stress (flow onset) t (Pa) Dyn. maximum viscosity g (Pa s) Sensory assessmenta
F max
Lotion A 13 500 4
Lotion B 12 510 3
Lotion C 12 460 2
Lotion D 9.5 250 2
Lotion E 10 300 3
Lotion F 12 570 3
Lotion G 6,5 120 4

a 1, Very good…5, unsatisfactory.

emulsion types ( W/O, O/W, W/O/W ) that can be
correlated with the assessment of primary skin
feeling in sensory panel tests.
4. Investigation of the secondary skin feeling
For the correlation of the secondary skin feeling
with the rheological variables, the sensory assess-
ment of the products is compared with their sta-
tionary viscosity curves for shear rates up to
105 s−1. This maximum rate of shear is estimated
assuming that the spreading rate is v=1 m s−1 and
the film thickness of the cream x=0.01 mm:
dv Dv 1 m s−1
ċ¬ # = =105 s−1
dx Dx 10−5 m
Stern [7] cites shear rate estimates of different
authors in the range 104≤ċ≤105 s−1. Shear rates
of up to 2500 s−1 can be achieved with the DSR
and RDA rotary rheometers from Rheometric
Scientific (One Possuntown Road, Piscataway,
NJ 08854/Göttfert GmbH, Siemensstrasse 2, 74711
Buchen/Odw.). To obtain higher shear rates of
104≤ċ≤105 s−1 the high-pressure capillary vis-
cometer (HKV ) Rheomat 2000 from Göttfert
must be used.
The study on the correlation of the secondary
skin feeling with the viscosity curve was performed
with the same products as those used for the study
on primary skin feeling [8]. To determine experi-
mental values for the shear rate occurring on
application of a cosmetic emulsion to the skin, the

Fig. 2. Viscosity curves for the oils A–G (mean values and confidence intervals) measured with different instruments.
 R. Brummer, S. Godersky / Colloids Surfaces A: Physicochem. Eng. Aspects 152 (1999) 89–94 93

Table 2
Different oils and combinations of oils

Components and composition in parts by volume Viscosity g (Pa s) Verbal sensory assessments of skin feeling

Oil A Oil 1=100% 0.674 No assessment

Oil B Oil 1/oil 2=50%/50% 0.0878 ‘‘Oily, greasy, neutral skin feeling’’
Oil C Oil 1/oil 3=50%/50% 0.0357 ‘‘Spreads well, somewhat oily and dull’’
Oil D Oil 1/oil 2/oil 3=33%/33%/33% 0.0242 ‘‘Somewhat oily, disappears slowly,
very good skin feeling’’
Oil E Oil 2=100% 0.0161 No assessment
Oil F Oil 2/oil 3=50%/50% 0.00643 ‘‘Watery, dry skin feeling’’
Oil G Oil 3=100% 0.00298 No assessment

viscosity of a series of Newtonian oils was mea-
sured and the corresponding skin feeling deter-
mined by a test panel. The aim is to determine the
viscosity of the oil considered to have the optimal
skin feeling.
Since the optimal viscosity is determined using
Newtonian oils, the absolute value does not change
over the whole range of shear rates studied. After
the viscosity curves of the products are measured,
the rate of shear is determined at the point where
the viscosity attains the value of the optimal viscos-
ity. The shear rate determined by this method is
then correlated with the results of the sensory
panel test.
In Fig. 2, the results measured with the different
instruments are shown with the confidence
intervals (95%). Oils C to G could not be measured
with the HKV because of the low viscosity. On
the one hand the accuracy of the available pressure
transducer was insufficient for the pressure differ-
ences to be measured Dp<0.5 and on the other
the oils flowed through the capillary under the
force of their own weight alone. Moreover, it can
be seen that the reproducibility of the values
measured with the DRS is better than that with
the other instruments. For this reason, only the
viscosity values measured with the DRS are com-
piled in Table 2.
The oil D, which had a viscosity of g=
0.024 Pa s, received the best assessment and the
oils C (g=0.036 Pa s) and F (g=0.0064 Pa s) a
poorer assessment. It is evident that the absorption

Fig. 3. Boundaries for the onset of flow and maximum viscosity in the region of primary skin feeling for the creams and lotions studies.
94 R. Brummer, S. Godersky / Colloids Surfaces A: Physicochem. Eng. Aspects 152 (1999) 89–94
capacity perceptible on the skin increases with
decreasing viscosity. The oils can be clearly distin-
guished in the sensory test. Since most cosmetic
emulsions show non-Newtonian flow behavior, it
is possible to find a rate of shear at which the
viscosity is g=0.028±0.005 Pa . This shear rate is
ca c=5000 s−1 for the O/W lotions and ca
c=500 s−1 for the W/O/W creams. The shear rates
measured by this method are clearly lower than
the estimated value of 105 s−1. This is due to the
dependence of the rate of shear of product applica-
tion on the type of product as well as to the fact
that the sensory skin feeling is product-specific.
This is understandable if one considers how each
type of product is used. A lotion is applied to
large areas of the skin like the arms, legs and
trunk. A cream is usually applied to a smaller
area, for example on the face, and rubbed in with
a lower shear rate than a lotion.
5. Results
Comparison of the flow onset values measured
for both product types shows that the onset of
flow is not a distinguishing criterion for the type
and consistency of a product. The shear stress at
the onset of flow t varies more among different
F
products of the same type than between two
different types of product. The perceptible consis-
tency of a product is determined by the maximum
viscosity of the product. This can be explained by
the fact the when cosmetic products are applied to
the skin, the product starts to flow quickly, making
it impossible to detect the onset of flow in sen-
sory tests.
By measuring dynamic viscosity curves for each
product it is possible to obtain the corresponding
windows for the primary and secondary skin feel-
ing ( Fig. 3). Knowledge of both windows during
product development will make it possible to opti-
mize new products, reduce development times and
submit only selected products to extensive field
tests.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank their colleagues at Beiersdorf
AG for supporting this work, especially Mr
Nielsen, who helped in product selection, Ms
Cailloux and all those participating in the sensory
panel tests. Special appreciation is expressed to the
rheology team for their help in the measurements
and interpretation of the results. We also thank
Professor Dr Schlüter of the Technical College of
Hamburg for stimulating discussions.
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