Volume XXIII - Nr.2 - December 2008
Foaming detergents
The composition of a detergent for personal washing agents body-care, shampooings, soapless soap or shower-bath is rather complex and requires special additives to improve the product from orthodermal viewpoint, even when starting molecule is particularly suitable, as in the case of Afron-22® (Vevy Codex 01.0468).
Afron-22 is a non-aggressive foam producing substance due to an original expedient in its components. It is not ethoxylated. It performs splendidly in high concentration preparations, such as foam-baths and shampooing-showers.
At its maximum concentration rate for normal use it can easily assimilate 2% of most perfumed compositions and 1% when in 50% concentration.
Adjustment of the pH value, though essential, is not sufficient to solve through neutrality the drawbacks. Detergent molecules usually all have strong inhibiting action on skin enzymes resulting in skin intolerance which is often improperly classified as “allergy caused by detergents”. The enzymatic dermotoxicity is a property shared by most detergents, irrespective of their formulation (whether anionic, cationic, amphoteric, ethoxylate or not), but this should not be confused with skin aggressiveness which is a much more direct and immediate symptom. Dermotoxicity, though in a more underhand way, is leading to the same result after protracted use of the detergent.
Suitable steps must be taken at the formulation stage to ensure an optimum batching of the active washing substance and the additives needed to correct the physico-chemical and biological properties of these washing agents. The correlation between detergency, foaming and irritation of the skin cells is one of the basic chapters of cosmetic. Substances called biochemical conditioners are a great help to formulate foam-producing detergents having suitable biological properties (such as for instance Carbossalina®, Vevy codex 18.1107).
Nidaba-318, Vevy codex 01.1216
If you are looking for the ideal surfactant for sensitive and damaged skin, Nidaba-318 may be the right choice.
Naturally-derived, it modifies the harshness of the common foaming agents and has a skin softening effect, while boosting the foam and enhancing the finished product viscosity.
Valid detergent compounds are obtained combining polysorbates (such as Ixol series) and laurylamidobetaine (such as LMB®, Vevy codex 01.0800)) and even with cationic substance (such as Laurene®, Vevy codex 11.0496). When appropriately used, the latter will partly neutralize the anionic charge which is typical for the Afron-22 molecule. Besides the well-known pearly effects Afron-22 also permits to obtain milky effects by adding Glycosterine®, Vevy codex 03.0515. Basic additives are monoamides (such as Nidaba-3®, Vevy codex 01.0176) and a special lecithinic-amide (Nidaba-318®, Vevy codex 01.1216) because of its foam stabilizing effect, viscosity control and particularly superfatting effect on the foam.
When using Afron-22, consideration must also be given to the addition of antidandruff and dermopurifyng agents (Undelene® Vevy codex 11.0180, Tricosolfan® Vevy codex 13.2083, tec.), emollient, softening and moisturizing additives (Dodecalene®, Vevy codex 03.0203), non cationic and antistatic agents (BTN, Vevy codex 18.0523.
Afron-22 and Isolene ®,(Vevy codex 02.0549) allow the preparation of foam-producing emulsions.