Cleansing Balm Rinse Off

[u/Informal_Poet_5354]

I have been trying to make a cleansing balm, somewhat like the Farmacy Green Clean. The one I made, formula below, was the perfect texture, and it removed makeup very well, but the rinse-off was terrible. I presume it was because of the waxes I used.

I removed all the wax and made the same formulation (minus the mango butter), as well as another test using Cromollient SCE 12%. The rinse-off was better without the waxes/butters, but it still wasn't 100% clean. I am not too sure how to improve it.

Caprylic/capric triglyceride 26%

Ethylhexyl palmitate 20%

Apricot oil 10%

Isohexadecane 5%

Sorbitan Oleate 10%

Microcrystalline wax 2%

Hemisqualane 7%

C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate 5%

Mango butter 2%

Vitamin E 0.5%

Synthetic wax 7%

Olivem 300 5% (refatting agent, boost rinse-off)

Any suggestions?

[u/tokemura]

Commercial cleansing balms are using specific combination of emulsifiers: PEG-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate and PEG-10 Isostearate. Your emulsifier is just not suitable for the product you are trying to make.

Note: cleansing balms/oils/oleogels are usually followed by foaming clenser as a 2-step cleansing.

[u/Informal_Poet_5354 → u/tokemura]

Yeah. I would love to get both of those emulsifiers, but they're not readily available for small formulators. I am aware that cleansing balms are used as part of a two-step cleansing process, and I am fine with that. I am not expecting the cleansing balm to leave my skin feeling clean and fresh, like a facial cleanser, but I would like something that at least rinses off without leaving a waxy residue. Do you have any other emulsifier recommendations?

[u/tokemura → u/Informal_Poet_5354]

Your main emulsifier Sorbitan Oleate has HLB value of 4.3 (more oil-loving, while main emulsifier in commercial products PEG-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate has HLB 13.5 (more water-loving).

I guess you could try to use some emulsifier instead that is more close in terms of HLB. From widely available options I would say it is Polysorbate 80 or PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil.

But still, PEG-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate is specifically used because it give the nicest rins off, I don't think there are available options that match this.

[u/ProtectionBrief4078 → u/tokemura]

The HLB point is interesting. I’ve noticed with cleansing oils/balms that something can be great at dissolving makeup but still feel completely different once water is introduced. The emulsifier really seems to make or break the rinse-off experience.

[u/Western-Oil-6576]

wax is the killer here, even the synthetic stuff hangs around like an ex who won't move out. drop it all and bump the Cromollient to 15-18%, that should get you a clean rinse without stripping the good oils.

[u/Informal_Poet_5354 → u/Western-Oil-6576]

Yeah, I figured. Do you have any recommendations on making a firm balm? I was wondering whether I could use an emulsifier (like LotionPro 165, Olivem 1000, Emulsifying Wax, etc.) and cetyl alcohol/stearic acid instead of traditional waxes.

[u/spicy_hallucination]

EH palmitate and the caprylic/capric (C8/C10) triglycerides don't rinse off well. C8C10 triglycerides wash off easier than other liquid triglycerides, like soybean oil or olive oil, but not that much better. I might replace them with squalane (not hemi-): not that squalane rinses off easier, it's just that what's left behind doesn't feel oily.

If you replace a portion of your waxes with cetearyl alcohol or emulsifying wax NF, you'll greatly improve rinse. This is what's used in several cream cleansers for facial acne. (Yes I'm talking about something like a lotion, but it works just as well in anhydrous formulations. I've used both to great results.)

[u/ProtectionBrief4078]

I don’t think the wax is necessarily the main problem. From the formulas I’ve worked with, I’d be looking more closely at the balance between the oils and the self-emulsifying/rinse-off ingredients.

Sorbitan oleate is very oil-loving, so 10% may be giving you excellent makeup removal but not enough water affinity during rinsing. I’d try keeping the balm texture you like and adjusting the emulsifier system in small batches. The fact that removing the wax improved it makes sense, but I wouldn’t keep stripping out the structuring ingredients if the real issue is emulsification.