Glyceryl Stearate and PEG 100 Stearate (Use as Lotion Pro 165)
| What is it? |
Glyceryl Stearate (and) PEG-100 Stearate is a very versatile non-ionic oil-in-water emulsifier that creates silky smooth, ultra-light emulsions. Self-emulsifying, and thickening blend of emulsifiers including glyceryl monostearate (48-52%) & PEG-100 stearate 48-52%). |
| INCI | Glyceryl Stearate (and) PEG-100 Stearate |
| Appearance | It as brittle white flakes |
| Uses |
Warm to melt before use, dispersible in oil or water, use 1-25% in formulations. For external use only. 5% for a fluid lotion, 10% for lotion, 15% for a thick lotion, 20% for a fluid cream, and 25% for a thick cream. |
| Applications | All kinds of cosmetics requiring emulsification as lotions, creams, gels. |
| Texture | Brittle, hard; weightless in emulsions. |
| Scent | Nothing noticeable |
| Absorbency Speed | Very light |
| Approximate Melting Point | 50°C - 60°C (122°F -140°F) |
| pH | 5.5–7 (3 % solution); tolerates a final pH range of approximately 4–9. |
| Charge | Non-ionic |
| Solubility | Water-insoluble, dispersible in water & oil |
| Why do we use it in formulations? |
Glyceryl Stearate (and) PEG-100 Stearate is a very effective and crazy versatile emulsifier. It can be used to create everything from sprayable milks to ultra-thick emulsified body butters, and everything in between! Unlike emulsifying waxes like Emulsifying Wax NF, Olivem 1000, and Glyceryl Stearate (and) PEG-100 Stearate does not substantially thicken emulsions, even in emulsions with very large oil phases. It is also substantially more stable in very thin emulsions. Glyceryl Stearate (and) PEG-100 Stearate does not thicken emulsions, it gives us the ability to control the viscosity and oil phase size independently. For instance, you can create an emulsion with a 50% oil phase and decide if you want it to be a thinner, pumpable lotion or a thick, solid cream. You can also choose what you want to thicken it with, allowing you significantly more control over the skin feel of the finished product. Additionally, because Glyceryl Stearate (and) PEG-100 Stearate doesn’t add viscosity to our emulsions, it has the ability to create far lighter feeling emulsions—in that way, it’s almost ‘invisible’ in your formulations. If you want to add the fluffy creaminess and weight of cetearyl alcohol, you’ll have to add it yourself—if you used Emulsifying Wax NF instead, that already contains 65–80% cetearyl alcohol, so you can’t avoid it. Glyceryl Stearate (and) PEG-100 Stearate also works at lower rates than more common emulsifying waxes. |
| Do you need it? | It gives you far more control over your emulsions than emulsifying waxes |
| Refined or unrefined? | Glyceryl Stearate (and) PEG-100 Stearate only exists as a refined product. |
| Strengths | It’s extremely versatile, allowing you to independently adjust the viscosity and oil phase size of your formulations. It easily creates stable emulsions at low usage rates and works brilliantly over a wide variety of oil phase sizes. It’s lightweight, inexpensive, and very effective. |
| Benefits |
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