How to Use Carbomer
In summer, we will summarize the contents related to aloe gel, which is used a lot.
Experts are already familiar with this, but I have recently summarized it for beginners in using carbomer. I hope you will use it a lot in making aloe gel this summer. Most of the aloe gel-related products on the market are carbomer-based formulations.
Carbomer [940/980] About Carbomer.
It is a thickener with an excellent thickening effect even at a small concentration. As the most commonly used cosmetic thickener, it has a thickening effect in a wide pH range and is very transparent, so it is useful when making transparent gel cosmetics. It has an excellent thickening effect at high viscosity and can be used in both water and solvent systems. It is a white, water-soluble powder used as a thickening and mixing agent.
Difference between Carbomer 940 and 980
Carbomer 940 uses benzene as a solvent in the manufacturing process. Benzene is a substance regulated as a first-class carcinogen, and it is said that there is no fear of remaining because it is completely filtered out during the production process. I also use 980 in my cosmetic product lineup, and I am also using 940, which I had already purchased, as a shampoo thickening aid. It seems that those who choose this part will have to judge. The difference between 980 and 940 is that there is a slight difference in the elasticity of the gel when the gel is made with the same concentration. When the two products are made with the same carbomer concentration of 1%, 980 has a softer and smoother texture, while 940 has a pudding-like texture. It feels a bit more sticky. (This is a personal feeling)
Although it is a synthesized raw material, it is a safe raw material with little skin trouble, improving the feeling of use of cosmetics and helping to stabilize it. It is a highly acidic ingredient and does not thicken when the acidity is low. If you add an alkaline substance to neutralize the pH of a weak acid, it will increase gradually. Aloe Moist (Aloe gel) is a raw material that is widely used in soothing gels and moisturizing creams because of its excellent skin hydration and soothing effect in summer. You can make a basic aloe gel and apply it as it is, or you can use this gel to make various types of cosmetics.
Neutralizing agent for Carbomer
As a representative neutralizing agent for Carbomer, it is an alkaline raw material, and L-arginine is a representative cosmetic additive and neutralizing agent. It is one of the 20 amino acids that make up protein and has a strong base. In cosmetics, it is used as a natural acidity regulator, and it is an indispensable ingredient when making aloe moist with carbomer. In addition, when applied to cosmetics, it helps to supply moisture and make the skin smooth. It is a substance necessary for various metabolisms necessary for living organisms to live. Recently, many products, including edible arginine, are on the market. In addition, there are products such as caustic soda, caustic potassium, and triethanolamine as raw materials used as neutralizers. These raw materials also have strong alkaline properties and act as neutralizing agents. For reference, triethanolamine is a harmful ingredient that is regulated as a carcinogen.
Recently, triethanolamine is used a lot in the production of gel-type hand sanitizer due to the craze for hand sanitizer due to corona, but triethanolamine is a raw material that can cause cancer if it enters the body. Hand sanitizer gel with high alcohol content has the disadvantage of not forming a gel because it is incompatible with arginine. You can see that most of the hand sanitizer gels on the market use amine-based neutralizing agents. In particular, triethanolamine should be avoided as it forms nitrosamine, a carcinogen when it comes into contact with formaldehyde. Even in actual animal experiments, you can confirm the research results that it causes cancer and is a toxic substance to the immune system.
In this data summary, the test data is focused on Carbomer 980. There is a subtle difference from the 940, but it is a level that does not touch the skin.
Easy way to use Carbomer
Carbomer is quite difficult to use and takes time, so make a 1-2% solution Carbomer gel in advance and use it.
Ingredients for making 2% Carbomer Gel
Purified water 96g
1-1.5 g preservative
Carbomer 2g
L-Arginine*
Making 2% Carbomer Gel
1. Measure purified water in a beaker and heat it to 50-55 degrees. (Do not exceed 59 degrees. Heating helps to dissolve carbomer easily, but if it exceeds 59 degrees, it destroys the components of carbomer.)
2. Put the beaker down on the hot plate and measure the carbomer and preservative.
3. Stir well with a spatula for 10 to 20 minutes to melt all the carbomer and make it without lumps. (At this time, there is a slightly thick feeling, but the viscosity is not high. And due to the nature of the carbomer, it runs strong acid, so be careful)
4. Now, add arginine as a neutralizer to neutralize it and increase the viscosity. Carbomer is said to have the most ideal pH between 6 and 7.5 and has good viscosity. Usually, it is said that arginine is about twice as much as carbomer, but in my case, I measure arginine twice and do not add it all, but add it little by little while checking the pH. When the pH reaches 6, arginine is not added.
5. Put the carbomer gel made in this way into a container and store it, and if necessary, take it out and use it right away.
Tips
After making 2% carbomer gel, you may be concerned because the viscosity is higher than expected, but you do not need to worry. The reason is that it is not used as it is, but when it is diluted with a material, the viscosity is lowered and it can be used at the same viscosity as the commercial product.
For example, in the case of aloe vera gel sold on the market, it is said that carbomer is about 0.5%. In this case, if you add 4 times purified water to 2% carbomer gel, it becomes 0.5%, and if you make 1% carbomer gel, if you add 2 times purified water, it will be 0.5%! Also, look at the viscosity and if you want to make it more elastic, add a bit of carbomer gel. If you’re going to lower the viscosity, add a little more purified water and adjust it to the desired viscosity.
Some Recipe that uses this Ingredient
Other Ingredients Information
Ingredients Info
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