How to make an emulsion with Vegetal

Have you ever wanted to  know how to use an emulsifier called Vegetal or Montanov 68 in your cosmetic formulations? In this blog series we will introduce you to various emulsifiers so you can start or continue experimenting to create the perfect emulsion.

Emulsions are very popular in conventional and natural skincare not only because of their skin feel but also because they allow both water and oil-soluble ingredients to be included in them.

What is an emulsion?

An emulsion is a blend of water and oil, which are brought together by the use of an emulsifier – creating a homogenous blend. There are many emulsifiers on the market that may be used by natural skincare formulators. They can be oil-in-water or water-in-oil emulsifiers, or they can be hot processed or cold processed (want to learn more about the science of emulsification? Check out our Advanced Diploma in Organic Cosmetic Science)

An oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion is where fine droplets of oil are dispersed through an aqueous base. These O/W emulsions tend to be more liquid, such as milk or a skin cleansing lotion. A water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion is where ultra-fine droplets of water are dispersed throughout the fatty base ingredients. These emulsions tend to be quite thick and greasy.

We often see that many of our students prefer oil-in-water emulsions possibly because they are quite similar to conventional lotions and creams.

Your choice of emulsifier is a personal preference but you need to consider many other factors. Please read one of our previous blogs to help you make a decision on which emulsifier is suitable for you and your product needs.

Introducing Vegetal

In this blog we will introduce you to an easy-to-use and widely available oil-in-water emulsifier called Vegetal. Its other trade names include:

SugarMulse / Glucomulse / Montanov68

Its INCI name is:

Cetearyl Alcohol and Cetearyl Glucoside

Vegetal is a PEG-free, non-ionic emulsifier with plant origin. It may be palm, coconut or corn derived, but can also come from other plants. You should check this with your supplier to ensure it works with your ethos. Vegetal creates lamellar structured emulsions with lovely skin feel and excellent stability. The lamellar structure is worth noting as it is said that it may help deliver active ingredients into the skin layers. It is extremely easy to use and it doesn’t have that strong soaping effect.

How to use Vegetal in your emulsions

• Solubility: in oil – add to to oil phase
• Process: hot process (70 degrees Celsius)
• Usage: 3-8%

Depending on the oil-to-water ratio and the ingredients you use, you can create wonderful skincare products ranging from thick creams to thinner lotions. We recommend to start experimenting with a 25% oil phase and 6% vegetal and adjust your formula as you go along.

You may add xanthan gum to stabilize the water-phase and you can also add stearic acid, butters or waxes to thicken the emulsion.

You need to heat this emulsifier in the oil-phase to 70-75C. You can easily make emulsions using a mini whisk so there is no need for expensive equipment. If you have Kai Blendia (the hand-held homogeniser we recommend to our students) or a larger lab homogenizer, then you should use those when creating the emulsion. Later on in the cool-down phase you can swap to a mini whisk, so that you won’t destroy the structure of the emulsion.

Our example emulsions with Vegetal

To show you the versatility of this emulsifier, we have created 3 different samples. We used sunflower oil and distilled water in each of them as we wanted to concentrate on the viscosity of the emulsion.

Sample 1: 30% oil and 8% Vegetal

We used 30% oil together with 8% Vegetal to create a thick and creamy emulsion, with great stability. The higher percentage of oil in the blend is going to mean that the cream feels thicker on the skin and doesn’t behave like a thin lotion. We can easily imagine this cream as a facial night product or even as a hand cream. It leaves the skin very soft and not greasy at all, not something you’d expect from a rich cream.

Sample 2: 10% oil and 5% Vegetal

We then trialled 10% oil together with 5% Vegetal to create a thinner cream. The final product has a thinner consistency and would work well in an airless packaging. It became a very smooth and shiny cream that can be used for both facial and body skincare. You can imagine using this emulsion for day products, or for younger skin at night.

Sample 3: 10% oil and 3% Vegetal + 0.2 Xanthan gum

Finally, we blended together 10% oil with 3% Vegetal. However, we also added 0.2% Xanthan gum to this blend to stabilise it. This cream is the thinnest version of the three samples we made; it could make a lovely day moisturizer or even a nice facial wash with some surfactant added to it. As it is not oily, you can come up with something amazing for oily skin.

As always, before you prepare any new formulations, you should consider what product you want to create, how this emulsifier fits in your brand ethos and experiment, experiment, experiment.

Bonus Sample Formulation with Vegetal

Calendula and Q10 night cream

Calendula is a wonderful skin soothing herb which also provides a beautiful orange colour to the finished product. We’ve paired the macerated calendula oil (learn how to make macerated oils here) with Coenzyme Q10 and two beautiful CO2 extracts to make it a luxurious night cream. You will see that we’ve also added shea butter to give the cream additional thickness.

Method of Manufacture

• Heat Phase A and Phase B in separate glass beakers in a water bath till they reach 75 degrees Celsius. Do not heat and hold your ingredients (not sure why? read this article).
• Pour Phase B into A while using a homogenizer (such as the Kai Blendia) or a whisk. The emulsion will form quickly.
• Remove the blend from the water bath and continue stirring (now use a mini whisk). You can place the beaker in ice water to speed up the cooling process.
• When the temperature of the blend has dipped to below 35 degrees Celsius, you can add Phase C ingredients, blending well after each addition. Check the pH to ensure it is suitable for your preservative. In my example I had to raise the pH a bit.

Now it’s your turn! Purchase a sample of Vegetal and show us the emulsions you made by hashtagging it with #FormulaBotanica on Instagram. If you are new to formulating and want to learn how to emulsify, then enrol today for our Diploma in Organic Skincare Formulation.

Have you ever used Vegetal? What are your formulating experiences? Share with us in the comments below.

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