How to make a Face Wash Pt 1; Formulating for Beginners
- taralee
- Apr 7, 2022
- 9 min read
Updated: May 13, 2022
There are 3 main ingredients that are found in a face wash
cleansing surfactant
distilled water
preservative
The cleansing surfactant is what cleanses the skin the distilled water is used to dilute the surfactant so it can be safely used on the skin and the preservative is used to preserve the product to help keep it from growing mold and bacteria. Without these 3 ingredients you don't have a face wash.
Since the cleansing surfactant is essential what makes a face wash a face wash, that is the first thing we need to understand before actually formulating a face wash. If you aren't sure what a surfactant is go watch my video all about surfactants. There are a lot of different cleansing surfactants out there. So we can't talk about them all, but I can talk a bit about the ones that I have to help you get a better understanding of each of them.
AOS 40
INCI: Sodium C14-C16 Olefin Sulfonate
PH: 6
recommended usage rate: 20% - 60%
charge: Anionic
active surfactant matter: 39%
AOS 40 produces a great lather. It's awesome for body washes, bubble baths, shampoos. Anything that needs a good lather. It's also great for face washes for oily and acne prone skin since it does cleanse really well. I also like to use it in face washes for normal skin types as well or for anytime you are looking for a good cleanse.
what is active surfactant matter?
So you may be wondering, what is active surfactant matter? Active surfactant matter is the actual percentage of surfactant in a product. The surfactants we purchase from suppliers are actually diluted surfactants. The AOS 40 I purchased contains 39% AOS 40 and the rest is just water and a preservative. So if I were to add 20% AOS 40 into a face wash, it wouldn't actually contain 20% AOS 40, the percentage would be much less since the AOS 40 is diluted. I'll show you how to calculate the Active Surfactant Matter in your product. But first, we need to know how much active surfactant matter we need. Typically face washes have about 3% - 10% active surfactant matter.
If I used 20% AOS 40 in a formula and the AOS 40 has an active surfactant matter of 39% then we need to multiple the active surfactant matter by the percentage that's being added into the face wash. So since I am using 20% AOS 40 I need to turn that into a decimal by moving the decimal point up two spaces. So now we have .2
Multiple 39% (which is the active surfactant matter of the AOS 40 we purchase from our supplier) by .2 (which is the 20% of the AOS 40 we are adding into our face wash)
39 x .2 = 7.8
That means we have an active surfactant matter of 7.8% in this hypothetical face wash.
Lets say you want to add in 5% AOS 40. Move the decimal over two spaces. Now you have .05 and multiple that by 39.
39 x .05 = 1.95%
Lets say the surfactant you purchased from your supplier has an active surfactant matter of 20 then you would multiple by 20 instead.
20 x .05 = 1%
I hope that makes sense. I apologize if it was confusing.
DLS
INCI: Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate
PH: 6
recommended usage rate: 2% - 40%
charge: Anionic
active surfactant matter: 32%
I'm not the biggest fan of this surfactant. It has a really strong chemical smell to it. So I haven't used it to much, but it does produce really good lather and foam. Other than that, I don't much of an opinion on it.
Foaming Apple
INCI: Sodium Cocoyl Apple Amino Acids
PH: 6.5 - 7.5
recommended usage rate: 5% - 30%
charge: Anionic
active surfactant matter: 20% - 30%
Love this stuff. I think it's great for any skin type. It's a pretty mild and gentle surfactant so it's great for dry and sensitive skin.
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
INCI: cocamidopropyl betaine
PH: 4 - 6
recommended usage rate: 10% - 30%
charge: Amphoteric
active surfactant matter: 29% - 31%
Love this stuff. It produces great lather and foam. Makes a great co surfactant but also is great to use on its own. Highly recommend getting this stuff.
Plantapon LGC Sorb
INCI: Sodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate (and) Lauryl Glucoside
PH: 5.5 - 6.5
recommended usage rate: 5% - 50%
charge: Anionic
active surfactant matter: 28.5% - 34%
This is a gentle and mild surfactant & it's approved to be used in "natural" products.
Coco Glucoside
INCI: Coco Glucoside
PH: 11.5 - 12.5
recommended usage rate: 2% - 30%
charge: nonionic
active surfactant matter: 20% - 40%
It's a gentle and mild surfactant. Since it is nonionic it can help solubilize a little bit of oil. about 1% - 2% maybe 3%, but that could be pushing it. Make sure you are lowering the ph when using this surfactant since it has a really high ph.
Which surfactant to choose?
I recommend buying a couple different surfactants to try out and make some samples of them. This way you can get a good idea of how they feel on your skin, how well they lather, foam, cleanse, their color and their viscosity. I made samples by using this formula here;
Watch my video to see the samples I made
20% surfactant
.5% liquid germall plus
79.5% distilled water
Thickeners
Thickeners are really important when it comes to making a face washes. Mostly all face washes include a thickener in order to make the face wash easier to apply. Without the thickener it's just as thin as water and is hard to manage. Technically a face wash is still a face wash even if it isn't thickened though. Thickening it just makes for a much more pleasant face wash. With that said, foaming face washes don't actually get thickened. Foaming face washes have to be put into special foaming pump bottles though. So if you don't want to worry about thickening your face wash then you can use a foaming pump, but thickeners can add a nice sensory feel to your cleansers and can even hydrate and condition your skin. Lets take a look at a few thickeners.
Xanthan Gum Soft
INCI: xanthan gum
recommended usage rate: .1% - 2%
This creates much nicer solutions than any other xanthan gum. I hear a lot of people complain about not liking how their face washes feel when they use xanthan gum. It's probably because you are using the wrong xanthan gum. You need a good high quality xanthan gum like xanthan gum soft. It doesn't create a gummy, stringy, gunky consistency like other xanthan gums may do. Xanthan gum soft also feel much nicer on the skin. It's far less tacky feeling.
Xanthan Gum Clear
INCI: xanthan gum
recommended usage rate: .1% - 2%
This creates clear solutions. It creates a viscosity similar to xanthan gum soft, but doesn't feel as pleasant of the skin, but feel better than a cheap xanthan gum. The solution also doesn't come out as smooth as xanthan gum soft, but it's still much better than a cheap xanthan gum. So xanthan gum clear is better than a cheap xanthan gum you'd buy on Amazon, but isn't as good as xanthan gum soft. This is just my opinion, of course.
Cheap Xanthan Gum
INCI: xanthan gum
recommended usage rate: .1% - 2%
This creates much thicker solutions than the other 2 xanthan gums. The solutions are also much darker and not clear at all. The solutions feel gummier, tackier, and not very nice on the skin. I believe this is the xanthan gum people are using when they complain about xanthan gum. You got to give xanthan gum soft a try.
Siligel
INCI: xanthan gum (and) Lecithin (and) Sclerotium Gum (and) Pullulan
recommended usage rate: .3% - 2%
Creates thinner solutions than all 3 of the xanthan gums. Does have a bit of an amber tint to it, but still much clearer than the cheap xanthan gum. Siligel does have this silicone like feel to it. So it feels really nice on the skin. It also acts as a co emulsifier, so it can help stabilize emulsions.
Cationic Guar Gum / Guarcat
INCI: Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
recommended usage rate: .2% - 2%
charge: cationic
PH: >9
Gels in ph levels 7 and below. So after you add it into your water solution you need to lower the ph to get the solution to thicken. This stuff helps condition the skin, has a really soft sensory feel and over all just feels great on the skin. Definitely recommend trying this stuff.
Sepimax Zen
INCI: Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
recommended usage rate: .5% - 5%
stable in ph levels: 2 - 8
emulsifies up to 25% oils - will emulsify better when paired with a polymer like xanthan gum or guar gum
Sepimax zen can increase foam density while thickening anionic and nonionic surfactants. When used at 2%, it can produce soft and creamy foam and lather. Sprinkle the sepimax zen on top of your water phase and don't mix. Let it sit on top of the water for about 8 hours then mix. I love this stuff! Is great for creating serums to. Has a lovely sensory feel and creates crystal clear solutions.
Crothix
INCI: PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate (and) PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides (and) Water
recommended usage rate: .5% - 5%
works best in PH levels: 5 and up
Creates clear solutions. You will have best results if you heat up the crothix a bit before adding it into your room temperature surfactants. Some people have good results just adding into the final product at the end and mixing, but I prefer heating it a bit then adding it into the surfactants before adding it into the water.
I made sample solutions of all of these thickeners (except crothix) so you can see how each of these compare to one another. This is the formula I used to create my sample; You can see the samples over on my video
1% thickener
5% glycerin
.5% liquid germall plus
93.5% distilled water
Creating samples will help you get a better understanding of how each thickener compares to one another. That way you can decide which one is best for your formula. You can also see how each of them feel on the skin.
Other ingredients to use in face washes
hydrosols / essence waters - these offer a great way to add a natural scent to your cleansers without using fragrance oil or essential oils. Some have benefits for the skin. For example, cucumber hydrosol helps soothe the skin. They also help tell a story for your product and are a great way to market your products.
humectants - I personally think these are a MUST HAVE for all face washes. They help hydrate the skin. Examples of humectants; glycerin, propandial, propylene glycol, sodium PCA, and sodium lactate
aloe vera - there are lots of ways to incorporate aloe. my favorite way is by using aloe vera powder 200x. Just dissolve .05% aloe vera powder into your distilled water and now you have aloe vera liquid. People complain that aloe vera powder is to expensive, but you only need .05% of it for your formula, so a little bit will last a long time. Aloe vera powder is how they make aloe vera liquid. You can buy aloe vera liquid, but you will save money by purchasing aloe vera powder. You could also use an aloe vera extract to incorporate aloe. Don't use fresh aloe from your plant. This is unsanitary, can mess up the color and viscosity of your formula and isn't consistent.
vitamins & actives - things like dl panthenol, niacinamide and allantoin. If you want to save money I recommend using actives and vitamins in your leave on products rather than your wash off products. You can definitely use vitamins and actives in face washes, but they will be more beneficial for your skin in a leave on product.
extracts - great way to tell a story with your product and great for marketing. Each extract can offer a different benefit. For example: green tea extract is high in antioxidants, henna extract can balance oil production, cucumber extract is soothing, banana extract is high in vitamin A and potassium, etc.
hydrolyzed proteins - help condition the skin. different proteins have different benefits. For example; baobab protein is good for mature skin, wheat protein is an anti-irritant, etc.
cationic ingredients that are compatible with anionic ingredient - for example; honeyquat and Poly Suga®Quat L-1010P. These both help soften and condition the skin. They are commonly used in conditioners, but can also be used in face washes since they are compatible with anionic ingredients.
emollients - example; plant oils and emollient ester. These will help moisturize the skin and can also help with telling a story with your product. If you want to incorporate a high amount of oil. I recommend using sepimax zen as your thickener. You could also use equal parts oil and polysorbate 80. You could even use emulsifying wax NF or another waxy emulsifier as an emulsifier, but the formula might be a bit trickier for a beginner.
preservatives - you have to have a preservative since there is water in the product. I have a video all about preservative you can watch if you need to know more.
fragrance oils / essential oils - make sure you are using the correct percentages when adding these in. You shouldn't need anymore than 1% essential oil or fragrance oil in a face wash. Also do your research on essential oils. Some essential oils are photo toxic so keep this in mind. If you don't want to use essential oils or fragrance oils, but want to add a scent to your face wash then use a hydrosol or essence water.
coloring - you can use mica powders, lakes, and dyes. Mica powder and some lakes & dyes are only oil soluble. So you need to make sure you have an emulsifier or solubilizer or suspending agent in your product. Xanthan gum, cationic gum, sepimax zen, and siligel all work fine as a suspending agents for mica powders, but you won't have good results if you use crothix as your thickener. I don't have much experience using lakes & dyes in aqueous formulas (other than the water soluble ones) but I'm sure the oil soluble ones will disperse in your solution if you use a solubilizer. Some dyes are water soluble. You can find a list of some here make sure you read the description of each color before buying to see if it is water or oil soluble.
There are lots of other ingredients that can be used in face washes, but this is for beginners so I am trying to keep it basic. I will have a part 2 coming out soon. In part 2 I will be formulating a few different face washes using all these thickeners that way you can see how to incorporate all of them.
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