New data on the Amphisol K oil-in-water emulsifier

The company touts its Amphisol K brand emulsifier as the “gold standard in robust emulsification for cosmetic formulations.” ​

According to a company press release about the testing, the ingredient’s advantages include stability and texture. “Our recently published findings from new research provide evidence of AMPHISOL K’s unique mechanism for long term stability,” ​affirms Jochen Klock, head of global marketing sun care at DSM.

“These latest findings once again prove that AMPHISOL K is the emulsifier of choice,” ​he says in the press release, “giving formulators multiple possibilities to develop a new generation of highly sophisticated sunscreens and face care formulations whilst also taking account of sensorial needs.”​

Up close​

DSM Personal Care used a technique known as freeze-fracture Transmission Electron Microscopy to look carefully at how Amphisol K behaves in emulsifications.

Freeze-fracture Transmission Electron Microscopy is pretty much what it sounds like. A sample to be tested is frozen very fast and cracked, explains The University of Iowa Central Microscopy Research Facility website. Impressions of each surface are made with a platinum film, which then gets coated with carbon. It’s that replica of each surface that gets imaged in a transmission electron microscope.

With this technique, “DSM has for the first time visualized that AMPHISOL K uniquely forms the rarely seen micro-domains in emulsions, which are supposed to stabilize the so-called liquid crystalline vesicular structures,” ​notes the release.

And, the company holds this data out as good evidence that “the oil-in-water emulsifier AMPHISOL K is capable of delivering outstanding stability combined with ease of product development.”​

By number​

What the company tests also show, according to the release, is a relationship between low phosphate content in the product and alcohol and pigment compatibility. “Comparison of a number of market emulsifiers using the same technology showed AMPHISOL K to have a phosphate content that was anything from 3 to 84 times lower than the comparisons,” ​reports DSM Personal Care.

The testing also showed that with this emulsifier, ethanol concentrations between 0% and 15% can be stabilized. And, it’s more compatible with pigments, maintains a more constant viscosity, and exhibits less separation than similar ingredients, according to DSM.