Thickening Agents In

Cosmetics
By
Anay.Nilesh.Kacharia
Role
Of
Thickening
Agent
in
Cosmetic
 Principles involved in Thickening

• Stokes's law - is the basis of the falling-sphere

viscometer, in which the fluid is stationary in a vertical
glass tube. A sphere descends through the liquid. it
reaches terminal velocity, which can be measured by the
time it takes to pass two marks on the tube.

• Thixiotropy - It is a property of certain gels which tend

to flow on the account of stress applied on it.
Classification Of Thickening Agents

• Lipid Thickeners- (Beeswax, Cetyl alcohol,

Steryl alcohol )

• Naturally Derived thickeners- (Modified Cellulose,

Guar gum, Xanthan Gum, Gelatin )

•Synthetic Thickeners- (Carbomers, Polyethylene

Glycol)

• Ionic Thickeners- (Salt)

 Carbomer’s
• A family of Cross-Linked Acid Polymers

• They are essential ingredients in Cosmetics and

Pharmaceuticals
• They are Excellent Rheology Modifiers
 Carbopol Polymers
• They are High Mol.Wt Polyacrylic acids,
Cross-Linked with polyalkenylether

• They provide Thickening with a wide range of flow

properties
Thickening

Mechanism
 Hair Styling Gel
Formulation
Ingredient Weight % Function
Deionized Water 61.2 Diluent

PVP 2.5 Hair Settling Resin

Aminomethyl Propanol 0.30 Neutralizing Agent

CARBOPOL 0.5 Rheology Modifier

Wheat Protein 0.5 Conditioner

Methyl Paraben 0.5 Preservative

Ethanol 34.5 Solvent

 Hydroxy Ethyl Cellulose
• It is derived from cellulose

• It is a non-ionic water soluble Polymer

• It can –
1) Thicken
2) Bind
3) Emulsify
4) Form Films
5) Retains Water
Salient Features Of
H.E.C
• Provides a smooth and silky feel to product

• It has high ionic tolerance

• It gives an extremely high clarity in gels

• It offers good compatibility with surfactants

• Wide range of viscosities can be achived with

HEC
• A purified cellulose is treated with NaOH to form a
swollen alkali cellulose

• This swollen alkali cellulose is treated with

ethylene oxide to get a long chains of hydroxy ethyl
cellulose
Physical Properties
 Problems with HEC

• CLOUDINESS tends to appear in clear solution in

a short span of time

• It gives a sticky feeling on the hand over a period

of time.

• It consists of 5% of volitile matter which is not

accepted worldwide.
 Toothpaste Formulation
With HEC

Ingredienta % weight

Gelling agent (HEC) 1

Humectant(Glycerine) 10-30

Abrasive(CaCO3) 15-40

Sweetner(Saccharin) 0.1-0.2

Flavour 1-1.5

Surface active agent 1-2

Presevative ,colour & Water qs

References-
• Harrys cosmeticology

• Noveon website

• ISP Product handbook

• Lubrizol website
Thank you