Choosing the Right Emulsifier for Your Cosmetic Formulations

When creating creams and lotions, one of the most important steps is combining water and oil into a stable, smooth mixture. Since water and oil naturally repel each other, they can’t blend on their own. This is where emulsifiers come into play. Emulsifiers are key ingredients that help water and oil mix together and stay together, ensuring that your product remains homogeneous over time. Whether you’re formulating a light, hydrating lotion or a rich, nourishing night cream, choosing the right emulsifier is crucial to achieving the desired texture, feel, and stability of your product. In this blog, we’ll explore the role of emulsifiers in cosmetic formulations, the two primary types of emulsions (oil-in-water and water-in-oil), and how to choose the right emulsifier for your specific needs. Plus, we'll introduce you to a range of emulsifiers offered by MakingCosmetics to help you create the perfect formulations for your skincare line. We also like to reference our “White Paper” on our website, that will go more into detail regarding how emulsions form (Link). You will need to be logged in/have an account to access it.

What Are Emulsifiers and Why Are They Important?
Emulsifiers are ingredients that help mix two substances (water and oil) that would otherwise remain separate. In cosmetic formulations, emulsifiers are used to create smooth, stable emulsions in products like creams, lotions, and other skincare items. Without emulsifiers, your product would separate into oil and water phases, causing instability and an inconsistent texture.

There are two primary types of emulsions:

Oil-in-Water (O/W): In O/W emulsions, tiny oil droplets are dispersed in a continuous water phase. These emulsions are commonly used in moisturizing products like body lotions, day creams, and lightweight gels. They offer a light, non-greasy feel and are easily absorbed by the skin, making them ideal for daily hydration. HLB value ranges from 12-20.
Water-in-Oil (W/O): In W/O emulsions, water droplets are dispersed in a continuous oil phase. These emulsions are used in richer, more occlusive formulations like night creams or sun protection products. W/O emulsions provide a fatty, emollient feel and are perfect for creating products that lock moisture into the skin for longer-lasting hydration.

HLB Values
The usual method of choosing an emulsifier is known as the Hydrophilic-Lipophilic Balance (HLB) system which uses a scale of 0 to 20 based on their affinity for oil and water. Some emulsions, specially made with hydrocarbons and silicones require a more careful selection of emulsifiers and the HLB value of the emollients may come into play more. Silicones for example emulsify much better with silicone, PEG based emulsifiers. Please refer our white paper for more information.

Once the HLB values of the ingredients are determined, the emulsifiers can be selected to achieve the proper emulsification of the ingredients. Emulsifier blends for example, are a combination of different HLB value emulsifiers, to cover a broad range of ingredients to emulsify, lower HLB oils and higher HLB alcohols. All our emulsifiers are labeled with the correct HLB value, to determine if they are a water-in- oil (w/o) or oil-in-water (o/w) emulsifier.

Choosing the Right Emulsifier:
With over 50 emulsifiers available, choosing the right one for your cosmetic formulation can be daunting. Here’s a breakdown of the most popular emulsifiers and their ideal uses:

Oil-in-Water (O/W) Emulsifiers

O/W emulsifiers are ideal for creating lightweight, moisturizing products that provide hydration without leaving a greasy residue. They are commonly used in body lotions, day creams, and gels.

CreamMaker® CA-20: A versatile emulsifier that works well in O/W emulsions. It provides a smooth, creamy texture that leaves the skin feeling soft and moisturized. It’s perfect for formulations designed to hydrate and protect the skin. It has a light thickening effect. As the name suggests, this is a fluid emulsifier that works well in formulations requiring a lightweight feel. It provides good emulsion stability and is ideal for hydrating products such as body lotions or facial moisturizers. It has a minimal thickening effect.
CreamMaker® GLUCO: Derived from natural sources, this is a mild, non-ionic emulsifier that offers gentle hydration without being greasy. It’s perfect for creating skin-friendly O/W emulsions, including those for sensitive skin types. Has a light thickening effect.
CreamMaker® MIX: This all-natural oil-in-water emulsifier enables water and oil to mix effortlessly, creating a smooth, stable emulsion. Enhanced with sodium stearoyl lactylate lactylate, it provides an improved skin feel, making it ideal for hydrating lotions and creams that leave the skin feeling soft and refreshed. Has a medium thickening effect.
CreamMaker® BLEND: This oil-in-water emulsifier enables water and oil to mix easily, creating a stable emulsion. This combination of emulsifier has been around for a long time, the PEG-100 does provide good thickening and has been proven to be a reliable emulsifier for creating thick creams.
CreamMaker® CAT: This oil-in-water emulsifier enables water and oil to mix and is providing stable emulsions. This combination of emulsifier is mostly used in hair conditioners due to being a cationic emulsifier. Cationic means that these emulsifiers have a positive charge and creating a thin coating that helps to protect hair and making it more manageable. In skin care they also have a condition effect on the skin leaving it soft and hydrated.
CreamMaker® Green Coffee: A unique emulsifier that not only stabilizes emulsions but also provides antioxidant benefits from green coffee extract, making it a great addition to anti-aging and rejuvenating formulations.

Water-in-Oil (W/O) Emulsifiers
W/O emulsifiers are ideal for richer formulations, providing a more emollient feel. These are perfect for creating products designed to deeply nourish and hydrate, such as lotions for the very dry skin, night creams or sunscreens.

CreamMaker® Glyceryl Oleate: Nonionic co-surfactant for various skin and hair care products. HLB value 3-5 but can also be used as a co-emulsifier and thickener for o/w emulsions. Refatting agent in surfactant systems. Provides a light thickening effect.
Sorbitan Stearate: Emulsifying agent derived from sorbitol and stearic acid. Mild all-purpose w/o emulsifier that has been around for a long time. HLB value 4.7. Works well with polysorbate 60 as co-emulsifier. Provides a light thickening effect.
CreamMaker® Glyceryl Stearate SE: A self-emulsifying emulsifier, as it contains a small amount 1-3% of sodium stearate, is the monoester of glycerin and stearic acid. Works well as a co-emulsifier also and has thickening properties. Provides a medium thickening effect.
Lecithin Powder or Liquid: Lecithin is a well-known emulsifier and co-emulsifier, it provides creams with a rich texture, and is used in traditional cold creams, made with oils, lecithin and beeswax. Provides light thickening effect.
CreamMaker® BEHENYL: A high-performance emulsifier, it works well in creating W/O emulsions but also O/W (HLB 8-10) that provide a rich, buttery texture. It’s ideal for products that require an occlusive barrier, such as night creams or intensive moisturizers. Provides a light thickening effect. Liquid Emulsifiers These types of emulsifiers can consist of a blend as well and are suitable for formulations that do not require heating, or at least not above 40-50C. Cold-process formulations have gathered more interest by saving on energy, equipment and cut manufacturing times. Ideal for thinner lotions and sprayable emulsions.
CreamMaker® ANIO: This is an anionic O/W emulsifier used as a liquid oil-in-water emulsifier for cold, hot/cold, and hot emulsification. This emulsifier creates smooth and stable emulsions, making it a great choice for rich, conditioning skin feel formulations without relying on PEG-based ingredients. Anionic emulsifiers have in general greater emulsification properties, therefore amounts can be reduced when compared to non-ionic emulsifiers. Provides a light thickening effect.
CreamMaker® FLUID: This is a nonionic O/W emulsifier used as a liquid oil-in-water emulsifier for cold, hot/cold, and hot emulsification. This emulsifier creates smooth and stable emulsions, making it a great choice for rich, nourishing formulations without relying on PEG-based ingredients. Provides a light thickening effect.
Polysorbate 80: This is a nonionic O/W emulsifier used as a liquid oil-in-water emulsifier for cold, hot/cold, and hot emulsification. This emulsifier is often used in preparations for making bath oils or shower oils soluble. Provides a low thickening effect.
Silicone Emulsifiers: Typical Silicone emulsifiers for w/o or o/w emulsions have a few advantages over Organic emulsifiers. They can stabilize the internal phase (water) very well, and have therefore a better overall emulsion stability, especially in temperature extremes. They provide a non-tacky skin feel, are very effective at low concentrations and can create a very nice texture on the skin and hair, particularly in shampoos, where silicone emulsions give hair a silky softness.
Co-Emulsifiers Many emulsifiers are considered co-emulsifiers as well, as they help stabilize an emulsion by offering a greater HLB range to emulsify various ingredients from oils, alcohols and fatty acids. Often a w/o emulsifier is paired with an o/w emulsifier at a much lower percentage.

Formulating with MakingCosmetics Emulsifiers

While we only mentioned a few of our emulsifiers in this post, we have over 50 emulsifiers to choose from, MakingCosmetics offers a wide range of options to suit every need, whether you’re creating lightweight moisturizers, rich night creams, or luxurious sunscreens. The HLB value is listed on each ingredient, so you’ll know if they are suited for o/w or w/o emulsions. The description also states if they are suitable as co-emulsifier to further adjust the HLB value and help in stabilizing a formulation. Please find an emulsifier comparison video on our website, we picked a few emulsifiers that give quite different results regarding feel and thickness (Video ).

Conclusion

Choosing the right emulsifier for your cosmetic formulation is essential for achieving the desired texture, stability, and performance. Whether you’re creating a lightweight, hydrating moisturizer or a rich, nourishing night cream, the right emulsifier can make all the difference. MakingCosmetics offers a wide variety of emulsifiers, ensuring that you have a wide range of options to choose from based on your specific formulation needs!

Explore our collection of emulsifiers today and discover the perfect ingredients to elevate your cosmetic formulations to the next level.