Monday, November 11, 2013

Thickening Liquid Soap - HEC vs. HPMC

I normally thicken my liquid soaps with HEC (Hydroxyethel Cellulose) at a rate of 1% - 1.5%.  HEC can be easy to use and leaves your soap crystal clear (assuming your formulation produces a clear soap).   I have recently been introduced to HPMC (Hydroxypropyl Methycellulose) as a thickening agent as it is supposed to be easier to use than HEC. There are a few differences in how you use each one.

HEC (can be added before or after dilution)
  - Mix with your solvent at room temperature with a whisk
  - Add mixture to your liquid soap at room temperature
or
  - Mix with solvent at room temperature with a whisk
  - Add mixture to room temperature dilution water and whisk for 5 - 20 minutes to thoroughly disperse
  - Add dilution water/HEC mixture to room temperature soap paste

  - Use a whisk to blend in HEC mixture.  Heat up soap.  If mixture is added after dilution - stick blend when hot to fully distribute to avoid fish eyes, otherwise, allow soap paste to dilute as normal.
  - Thickening is achieved as HEC solution is exposed to a higher Ph (as typical in liquid soap) and heat