Polymeric oil thickeners are useful oil soluble materials that have numerous potential personal care applications. The technologies available are very diverse and include polyesters, hydrophobically modified acrylates / cellulosics, polyolefin, and polyamides (EU: polyesters | acrylates | cellulosics | polyamides).
Typical uses include:
- Increase lipid deposition from shampoos and body washes.
- Make stable anhydrous sticks and gels.
- Improve gloss and shine in lipsticks
- Stabilize water in oil emulsions.
- Improve wear of colored cosmetics.
- Water proof formulations.
- Boost SPF
Recommended materials:
- Asensa CL 300 (Ethylene/VA Copolymer-MW 2500) and SC 401(Ethylene/Acrylic Acid Copolymer) by Honeywell.
(EU: Asensa CL 300 | SC 401) - Performalene 400 (Polyethylene-MW 400) and Performa V 103 (Synthetic Wax-MW 2900) by New Phase Technologies.
(EU: Performalene 400 | Performa V 103) - Syncrowax ORM (Sorbitol/Sebacic Acid Copolymer Behenate) from Croda is a polyester based wax that that is a anhydrous gellant and also has SPF enhancing benefits.
- Hostacerin DP (Dextrin Palmitate) from Clariant is a polymeric oil thickener which can gel oils and form clear hard sticks. Good thickening efficiency is seen with mineral oil, Squalane, Polyisobutene, and esters.
(EU: Clariant) - Rheopearl ISK2/ISL2 (Stearoyl Inulin) from Chiba Flour Milling Ltd can produce hard gels with non-polar materials like dimethicone, cyclomethicone, and hydrocarbon based esters.
- Ethyl cellulose from Dow Chemical and Ashland can be used to effectively gel polar oils such as fragrances.
(EU: Ashland) - Versagels from Calumet Penreco are a series of oil gels thickened using Kraton Polymers (Styrene/Propylene/Ethylene Copolymers) from Kraton Inc.
- Intellimer IPA 13-6 Polymer (Poly C10-30 alkyl acrylate) from Air Products and Chemicals has a non-tacky, non-greasy skin feel, has an MP of 65C, can thicken water in oil emulsions and can form anhydrous sticks at 10%.
(EU: Air Products and Chemicals) - ST-200 (long chain alkyl polyacrylate) from Nippon Shokubai is a polymeric wax with an MP of 46C that has excellent solubility in a wide range of polarity oils.
- Arizona Chemical (Croda) sells several polyamides for gelling nonpolar oils. These include OleoCraft LP-20, MP-30, HP-31, and MP-32. These are all amide terminated polyamides. Uniclear 100VG and C75V are ester terminated polyamides.
- Landec (marketed by Air Products) has developed a series of oil soluble polymers with fatty side chains (Intelimers) that exhibit a sharp change in crystalline properties with temperatures ranging from 0-100C. This change can be used to control adhesion, permeation, and viscosity. Commercialized products for personal care use include IPA 13-6 (poly C10-30 alkyl acrylate-MP 65C) and IPA 13-1 (poly C10-30 alkyl acrylate-MP 48C). Both materials are associative thickeners and will gel oil phases. IPA 13-1 will form excellent sticks at 10% using polar oils having a solubility parameter of around 8-12. These gels also have excellent skin feel and application properties.
(EU: Intelimers | IPA 13-6 | IPA 13-1)
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pls George,
which of the oil soluble polymers that can thicken with increase in temperature and loss thickeness when temp. decreases?