Whats the matter with "emulsifying wax"?

It makes me mad when I see skincare formulation students fall for fanciful and misleading ingredients' names and pay huge sums for the ingredient and the shipment just to become frustrated when they realize this is not the inredient they wanted and not the ingredient they wish to use in their formulations.

I've previously mentioned some of these fanciful names such as: rapeseed wax, hemp wax, olive wax which are indeed hydrogenated (hardened) plant oil or a blend of a more expensive plant oil and cheap hydrogenated vegetable oil.

An extremely misleading ingredient is caprylic/capric triglycerides which many retailers (and wholesales) sell under the false name of fractionated coconut oil or FCO. This ingredient (at least more than 95% of the ingredients on the market) has nothing to do with coconut oil. It is derived from palm-kernel oil and is processed several times to reach to this stage.

Other misleading examples are:

Aloe butter which is : cocos nucifera oil and aloe leaf extract

Almond butter which is:Prunus dulcis (Sweet Almond) oil (and) Hydrogenated vegetable oil(and) Tocopherol

Argan butter which is: Argania Spinosa Kernel oil (and) Hydrogenated vegetable oil (and)Tocopherol

Calendula butter which is:Olea europaea (olive) fruit oil (and) Calendula officinalis flower extract(and) Hydrogenated vegetable oil (and) Tocopherol

The list goes on with: avocado butter, carrot butter, chamomile butter, coffee butter, grean tea butter....

We alway recommend (repeatedly) to look for the FULL INCI name of the ingredient before purchasing it. If the supplier is not declaring the INCI name on the website and under product description, it should at least be revealed to you by demand and before you make your order.

One of the most confusing ingredients in hair and skin care is the "emulsifying wax" which is not even a single ingredient but a generic name for a broad variety of inredients.

"emulsifying wax" does not contain any wax at all (no idea about the origin of the name. Probably they called it so because it is sold like wax pellets. They didn't consult me for the nomenclature )

In its original (and historical) form emulsifying waxes were blends of a fatty alcohol (usually cetostearyl) and a surfactant (usually SLS or a PEG-derivative) to impart emulsifying properties.

These are some of the most widely used and best known (among formulators of the old school) emulsifying waxes. These are officially listed in the national formulary, British pharmacopoeia, US pharmacopoeis or European pharmacopoeia

There are ten otherr varieties of emulsifying waxes which are called according to the taste and desire of the supplier:

Coco palm emulsifying wax: Cetearyl Alcohol (and) Ceteareth-30

Hair conditioning emulsifying wax: Cetearyl alcohol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate

Emulsifying wax: Ceteareth-20

As you can see, all of the above emulsifying waxes (which are no waxes at all but are called so), contain either PEG-derivatives or SLS. Both of them fully inaccpeted in "natural" cosmetics.

The infuriating issue is, that most suppliers (retailers) either completely avoid mentioning the full composition and the INCI name on the website or hide it among fanciful description that it is impossible for DIY crafters and new students of the skin/hair care formulation to identify these ingredients as a No-Go in their formulations (if they are interested in natural products).

Let's look at some of these descriptions, just for the case of some amusement:

1- Emulsifying wax:

Fatty acid and ester isolation from plant fats (this sounds very "natural", doesn't it?)

Our emulsifying wax is sourced from naturally occuring fats and esters, blah blah

Our emulsifying wax conforms to the current USP/NF monograph, blah blah

There is still no clear and distinguishable INCI name and no link to any SDS or data sheet, follow me...

Just at the end of a very long description page:

It is a waxy solid prepared from cetostearyl alcohol containing a polyoxyethylene derivative of a fatty acid ester of sorbitain.

Voila, look at that. Finally, they have mentioned the polyoxyethylene derivative but hidden it so among phrases and blah blah that it is impossible for a dIY crafter or a new student of skincare formulation to identify this ingredient as an evil and No-Go in "natural" formulations.

2- Emulsifying wax

Botanical name: Cetylstearyl Alcohol, Polysorbate 60

Ridiculously, non of these names are botanical names. Botanical names are dedicated to plants and not to synthetic ingredients and certainly not to PEG-derivatives

3- Emulsifying wax (SLS free)

INCI: Cetyl-Stearyl Alcohol

This one is neither wax nor emulsifier. "natural" or conventional, you can not use it as an emulsifier at all. It is a blend of fatty alcohols

4- Emulsifying wax (SLS free)

INCI: Cetearyl Alcohol (and) Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate.

They claim this ingredient to be SLL free and it is true. They have replaced one evil (Sodium laury sulfate) with another one (Sodium cetearyl sulfate)

5- Emulsifying wax

Cetearyl alcohol, SLS

They sell this evil on a "natural wellbeing" site:

blah blah... This chemical is also considered non irritating even for people with sensitive skin.

SLS being non irritant? Even the most conventional formulators and followers of the old school admit that SLS is one of the biggest evils in hair and skin care.

Look at this one:

6- Emulsifying wax (vegetable based)

Cetearyl alcohol and polysorbate 60 and PEG-150 stearate and steareth-20

A PEG-cocktail sold as a vegetable based emulsifier from a company carrying "nature" in its name

7- Emulsifying wax

Potassium olivoyl hydrolyzed wheat protein, cetearyl alcohol, glyceryl oleate, glyceryl stearate, potassium hydroxide

This one seems to be one of the few ingredients to be suitable for application for "natural" formulations. However, it is a soap based emulsifier and could be quite soapy over skin

8- Emulsifying wax

Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate

This is the blend of a cationic surfactant and a fatty alcohol, rather suitable for hair conditioners but there are many retailers selling this ingredient as an O/W emulsifier.

9- Emulsifying wax

Glyceryl stearate SE

Glyceryl stearate SE, just like emulsifying wax is a generic name for a group of ingredients and you need exactly know which one you're purchasing if you want to create "natural" formulations.

Glyceryl stearate or GMS as it is often called is a fatty ester. It is no emulsifier on its own and becomes an emulsifier by adding some surfactants.

This is one of the eldest emulsifiers on the market and depending on the raw material and procedure, it is a green emulsifier as well.

1- Sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide (soap) it becomes self-emulsifying (hence the SE after the name)

2- Most often however, GMS is blended with polysorbate or ceteareth-20 (both are PEG-derivatives) and that makes it non-conform for "natural" formulations.

Bottom line:

"Emulsifying wax" does not refer to a single ingredient. This name is applied to several ingredients (some of them are not even emulsifiers).

If you intend to create "natural" formulations (or even if you don't care whether your formulation is "green", "organic" or "natural") it is important to know your ingredient before you purchase it. If the information provided by the supplier is insufficient or confusing ask for detailed and clear information. At least the full INCI name of the ingredient should be provided by the supplier. Avoid fanciful descriptions and names and focus on the facts.

BeHappy and have fun