This is mainly because of the high costs of certification, which in the end affect what the consumer is going to pay. Not all “natural” emulsifiers are going to be certified. Your supplier should be able to inform you whether your emulsifier is organically certified (and how it is certified) or not. Certified or not certified, that is the question This includes the whole polysorbate and Tween range and other emulsifiers such as dilaureth-7 citrate. The most prominent synthetic emulsifiers are derivatives of PEG (Polyethylene Glycol) or PPG (Polypropylene Glycol). However, there are some emulsifiers that are, even to my chemist’s taste, synthetic and have no place in a natural & organic formulation. It is very unrealistic to believe that an olive oil based natural emulsifier such as “cetearyl olivate” comes directly from the olive fruit or olive oil without being processed or having undergone some chemical reactions. Keep in mind that even lecithin which is probably one of the most “natural” emulsifiers, needs to be extracted, separated, processed out of plant oils and fats until it becomes the lecithin that you know. “Natural” has 50 shades and since there is no unique and universally accepted definition for “natural” in cosmetics, this question will always cause us a headache and sometimes even emotional (and not rational) discussions and debates. So here are my 17 points you need to consider before choosing an emulsifier: In some cases you may even need to find the answer by “trial & horror” with experiments before you make up your mind to choose a certain emulsifier in a certain system. I’m going to recommend some essential questions which you can ask your supplier, or you can try to find the answers in a data sheet. Since I’m going to review a few emulsifiers for you during the upcoming weeks and months, I decided to write this post as an introduction.

There might be a “favourite or best emulsifier” for a certain purpose but it doesn’t mean you can cover all your requirements with a single emulsifier. The response mainly depends on your system, your concept, other ingredients in the product and so many other factors. There is no one single emulsifier that will be suitable for every situation. It is exactly the same as choosing your favourite “preservative” in the case of a cosmetic formulation. I should confess that I have no response to it. One question I’m often asked as a cosmetic formulator and as a tutor is: “ What is your favourite emulsifier?”.

Oil in water emulsion skin care