Everything you wanted to know about natural emulsifiers

Update: 26.03.24

Natural emulsifiers are some of the most difficult ingredients to work with when making clean, green and organic skin or hair care formulations. We know, because we’ve been doing it for years! We’ve also been writing about natural emulsifiers for years, so this article summarizes (and will continue to summarize) everything you ever wanted to know about organic and natural emulsifiers.

What is an emulsifier?

An emulsion is a mixture of water and oil, which is brought together using an emulsifier to create a homogeneous mixture. There are many emulsifiers on the market that can be used by organic skin and hair care formulators. They can be oil-in-water (O/W) or water-in-oil (W/O) emulsifiers, or they can be hot or cold processed.

How to choose the best organic & natural emulsifiers

An oil-in-water (O/W) emulsifier disperses fine droplets of oil through an aqueous base. These O/W emulsions tend to be more runny, like milk or a skin cleansing lotion. A water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion disperses ultra-fine water droplets throughout the base’s oily components. These emulsions tend to be quite thick and greasy. We often see many of our students at Formula Botanica prefer O/W emulsions, probably because they are similar to conventional lotions and creams.

Choosing your natural emulsifier is a matter of personal preference, but there are many other factors to consider, including those we cover in these guides:

Learn how to choose the best emulsifier for your organic cosmetic formulation – the 17 key points to consider before choosing an emulsifier. This is a must read before choosing an emulsifier and resource to return.

The difference between cold process, hot process and hot-cold process emulsions – the fundamental differences that determine how to choose the best natural emulsifier for the job.

Which organic and natural emulsifiers should you use?

We’ve taken some of the hard work out of you and tested a number of natural emulsifiers for you. As we test more natural emulsifiers, we will add them to this list.

Learn how to make emulsions with these emulsifiers (click links for demo formulations):

• Olivem 1000 (Cetearyl Olivate (and) Olivate Sorbitan) – this is best for anyone starting out. Olivem 1000 is extremely easy to use when making oil-in-water emulsions. It is non-ionic and forms liquid crystal structures that help improve skin health by mimicking the skin’s natural lipid organization.

• Vegetal / Montanov 68 (Cetearyl Alcohol and Cetearyl Glucoside) – this is another favorite for its ability to create smooth, non-soapy oil-in-water emulsions. Like Olivem 1000, this non-ionic emulsifier forms liquid crystal structures that mimic the natural arrangement of lipids in the outer layer of the skin, improving the skin barrier.

• Xyliance (Cetearyl Wheat Straw Glycosides and Cetearyl Alcohol)

• Olivem 900 (Sorbitan olive)

Other emulsifiers we like to work with include:

Ritamulse SCG / ECOMulse – Ritamulse SCG, also known as ECOMulse, stands out as an anionic oil-in-water emulsifier. It is renowned for its ease of use and ability to create rich, thick emulsions. It has high electrolyte tolerance and a unique powder feel on the skin, making it a favorite for many brewers.

Polyaquol 2W – this is a non-ionic, oil-in-water, versatile emulsifier that is easy to use. It has a wide range of formulation compatibility, while providing a unique skin feel to emulsions. It can be used to create low viscosity emulsions or rich creams.

Montanov 202 – this is our pick for a palm-free emulsifier. It is a non-ionic emulsifier that creates oil-in-water emulsions and forms liquid crystal structures similar to stratum corneum lipids, helping to strengthen the skin barrier.

Many online blogs and DIY books will tell you that you can use beeswax as an emulsifier. We test their case to show once and for all that beeswax cannot be used as a standalone emulsifier.

Find out why beeswax is not an emulsifier.

Lotions and creams with natural emulsifiers

Try making these emulsion formulations to test the emulsifiers above, as well as others:

Collaboration with organic and natural emulsifiers

Myth of heat and detention – if you follow online blogs or courses taught by online DIY professionals, then you may have learned how to use the heat and hold method. This method is a myth and we recommend that you ignore everything you read about it.

Find out why you should ditch the ‘Heat and Hold’ myth.

HLB or the hydrophilic-lipophilic balance – the HLB of a surfactant expresses the balance between the hydrophilic (hydrophilic) and lipophilic (oleophilic) parts of an amphiphilic molecule (a molecule that has both lipophilic and hydrophilic parts).

Anyone encouraging you to calculate the HLB of your emulsifiers will mostly be used to working with synthetic emulsifiers and will not necessarily understand the nuances of organic cosmetic formulation.

Learn why you should ignore the HLB method for natural and organic emulsions.

Oil in water or water in oil?

In theory, knowing the hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) of your chosen emulsifier will help you determine whether you have prepared a water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion or an oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion. We’re here to tell you that unfortunately science isn’t always that simple. Depending on the emulsifier you choose, you may end up with unexpected results and your cosmetic emulsion may not be what you think.

Learn how to test your emulsion to find out if it’s W/O or O/W.

Cosmetic stability and natural emulsifiers

One of the biggest challenges faced by formulators producing emulsions is ensuring that these emulsions remain stable.

If your emulsion is not stable, then over time you may start to see the water and oil separate again. This process is called ‘phase separation’ and it means that your beautiful lotion now looks completely messy. Read about stability issue and how to avoid them in our post:

Learn the 4 signs of product instability.

Bonus Download: Emulsifiers – What to ask your suppliers

To help you choose the right emulsifiers for your projects, we’ve put together this handy FAQ sheet with a list of questions to ask yourself and your supplier about emulsifiers. Once you’re done, you’ll not only have narrowed down your selection, but you’ll also have a great resource to look back on. Don’t forget to also read our guide on the 17 points to consider before choosing an emulsifier. Download the Formula Botanica Emulsifier newsletter to get your emulsifier journey off to a good start:

Emulsifier Fact Sheet – What to ask your suppliers for

Want to learn how to make stable and safe organic and natural emulsions? Sign up for Formula Botanica’s Diploma in Organic Skincare Formulation.

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Lorraine Dallmeier is a biologist, certified environmentalist, and CEO of Formula Botanica, the award-winning online organic cosmetics school. Read more about Lorraine and the Formula Botanica team.