Clean Beauty Simple and Safe

Cosmetics & Toiletries - November December 2019 - Simple and Safe 1/9/20, 14:01
FORMULATING | C&T
Simple and Safe

Formulating ‘Clean Beauty’
Irwin Palefsky Cosmetech Laboratories Inc., Fair!eld, NJ USA
KEY POINTS
A clean beauty product seems imply its development with a heightened
sense of safety as well as unnecessary ingredients.
For the formulator, this article explores how to follow the clean beauty
profile with approaches to match various interpretations.
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profile with approaches to match various interpretations.
C
lean beauty is one of the latest trends companies are jumping on to
describe the products they offer. As there is generally no agreed upon
definition for "clean beauty," many organizations have taken to self-
definitions for this to suit their purposes. The general agreement, however, seems
to imply that a clean beauty product or product line has been developed with a
heightened sense of safety for consumers, and avoiding the use of some "bad
actor" materials as well as unnecessary ingredients. These parameters require the
formulations developed and ingredients utilized to be backed by supporting data
that shows they have passed the test for topical use.
As a formulator, when developing a formula to fit the clean beauty profile, the
approaches that seem to fit everyone’s needs include:
Using ingredients that have a history of safe use in topical personal care
formulations;
If using new ingredients, ensuring the supplier has done their homework to
determine the safety of the material;
Ingredient safety testing that coincides with the recommended use level, if
the supplier provides one. If not, the testing levels should serve as a guide
to formula use levels;
Avoiding the use of ingredients that consumers have been led to believe are
"bad actors" in personal care, i.e., phthalates, parabens, sulfates and
formaldehyde (I will not comment on whether these materials present any
safety hazard to a formulation);
Trying to minimize the number of ingredients in the formulation without

compromising on performance and esthetics. This becomes a challenge
when the project brief requests the addition of ingredients for marketing
benefits rather than their functional contribution to product performance,
esthetics or stability;
Ensuring the functional ingredients in the formulation are used at the levels
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Ensuring the functional ingredients in the formulation are used at the levels
shown to be effective; and
Trying to understand the biological activity of the materials used. For

example, understanding the modes of action ingredients use to achieve their
benefits—and how they may act in combination; i.e., whether they could
compete with one another and cause reduced efficacy. This will also enable
the use of fewer ingredients without compromising performance. The more
you know about the chemistry and biochemistry of the materials you are
using, the greater the chance of reducing the number of ingredients in a
formulation to achieve the same results.
Selecting the Emulsi!er

When formulating an emulsion system, one of the more daunting tasks is
identifying and selecting the emulsifier to be used. Besides functionality, there is
added pressure to move away from known traditional emulsifying systems since
consumers demand PEG-free and natural materials.
The emulsifier system forms the basic foundation and structure of an emulsion, so
if changes are made to what has previously been successful, the long-term, i.e.
if changes are made to what has previously been successful, the long-term, i.e.
two-year, shelf life of the new product system becomes uncertain. The use of
polyglyceryl esters, sucrose esters and glucoside materials as alternatives to PEG-
based materials has increased in popularity, and the knowledge base has grown
in how to formulate safe, stable and esthetically acceptable emulsions using these
materials. Many ingredient suppliers have come up with drop-in combinations to
achieve these characteristics; a sampling of some commercially available systems
are shown in Table 1.
Of course, before using these or any other emulsifying systems, it is important to

learn how and how not to use them, which usually is provided by the supplier. By
doing your homework, you will avoid the need to add other materials to
compensate for stability issues you may have otherwise encountered.
Emulsion systems are generally more stable with a combination of emulsifiers.

This approach strengthens the oil and water interface by orienting emulsifiers in
This approach strengthens the oil and water interface by orienting emulsifiers in
each of the phases. However, emulsion systems including four or five emulsifiers
is usually unnecessary and neither helps to achieve a stable emulsion, nor a
simplified clean beauty formula.
Unfortunately, even after doing all of your homework to select the right
emulsifying system, the proof will be evident in the making of the emulsion and
the results of the stability testing.
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Optimizing Thickening
One can write an entire article on optimizing the selection of a thickening system
alone. Suffice it to say it is highly recommended that the thickening system
should be a combination of thickeners that complement each other in the way
they work.
For example, using a synthetic polymer such as carbomer and natural polymer
such as xanthan gum, which have different thickening mechanisms, can enhance
the viscosity and stability of the formulation. Note, however, that while a
the viscosity and stability of the formulation. Note, however, that while a
combination of thickeners is advisable, the use of more than two thickeners can
frequently cause product and viscosity stability issues.
In surfactant systems, thickening may also be accomplished by the combination

of salts, i.e., sodium chloride, and amides such as cocamide MEA.
Emollient Choice
There is an abundance—some may say over-abundance—of choices when it
comes to selecting emollient materials for clean beauty formulas. Those available
will not only depend on the esthetic attributes, i.e., application properties and
after-feel desired in a formulation, but also the marketing claims; e.g., oil-free, all
natural, etc. Further, the choices made should consider the compatibility and
miscibility of the emollient materials with one other. The more compatible the
ingredients in an emollient system, the more cohesive the oil phase of an
emulsion, and the better the chance there will not be stability issues.
Here, too, understanding the chemistry of the materials of interest will allow you
to achieve the desired attributes without overwhelming the formulations with
unnecessary emollient materials. Developing a clean beauty formula does not
preclude the use of an emollient system that has a safe history of use in topical
formulations, or that has an acceptable dossier showing its suitability and safety
for topical use. Silicones, oils, butters, hydrocarbons, esters, alcohols and waxes
are all acceptable so long as the selection process is optimized to use as few
ingredients as possible to achieve the desired esthetics. The tendency in this
area, i.e., for sensory effects, has typically been to "throw in one more material"
to modify the feel of a formulation, rather than look at rebalancing the existing
ingredients.
Clean Beauty Ingredients

Cosmetics formulators are operating in a challenging environment today. The
government has not stepped in to define "clean" or "natural" in beauty and
personal care, and various retailers, brands and NGOs have released their
own lists of acceptable ingredients. Beauty brands that manufacture products
destined for international markets are left with the challenge of finding
ingredients that are compliant with multiple lists. BASF was the first
ingredient supplier to support formulators with the online Ingredient Insider
Tool, which allows formulators to check boxes for the relevant industry lists to
find which BASF clean ingredients are compliant.
Choosing Emollients
Formulators are finding that naturally derived volatile emollients help them to
meet the "clean beauty" requirements of a variety of lists, particularly when
looking for a cyclopentasilxane (D5) replacement. BASF Care Creations offers
several clean emollients, and here are two popular options:
Cetiol® Ultimate INCI: Undecane (and) Tridecane)—a fast

spreading/absorbing, volatile emollient derived from natural origin that
delivers a "fresh" initial feel and a light, powdery after-feel. It is beneficial for
skin care and color cosmetic applications, as well as for improving combing
properties on damaged hair.
Cetiol® C5 C (INCI: Coco-Caprylate)—a 100% natural from renewable

feedstocks, readily biodegradable and easy to emulsify. It offers good skin
compatibility and improves shine and combing properties on damaged hair.
Learn more at personalcare.basf.com.
Surfactant Considerations
When developing a cleanser formulation, whether it’s a shampoo, body wash,
facial cleanser or liquid soap, it is again typically advisable to use a combination
of surfactants to achieve the desired cleansing/foaming properties and mildness.
The nature of the formulation being developed also will determine the surfactants
used.
A good place to start is with a suitable anionic surfactant such as sodium C14-16
alpha olefin sulfonate, sodium cocoyl isethionate, sodium methyl cocoyl taurate
or, if acceptable, sodium laureth sulfate; or sometimes, a nonionic glucoside
surfactant, i.e., lauryl glucoside, combined with a suitable amphoteric surfactant—
cocoamidopropyl betaine, cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine or sodium
lauroamphoacetate. This will usually create a high-quality formula with good
performance that is safe and effective and can be used for most cleansing
product forms. Cost, performance, formulation attributes and the marketing
position of the products will have a major impact on the surfactant system
selection but for clean beauty purposes, the key is to avoid overloading the
formulation with more surfactants than are necessary.
Preserving the Formula

In many ways, preservation poses one of the greatest formulation challenges as it
is crucial to ensure a safe, effective clean beauty formulation. Here, many
opinions have been expressed as to what is an acceptable, safe and effective
clean beauty preservative, and what is not. Keeping my opinions to myself, it is
worth noting that many effective preservatives have fallen out of favor with
consumers based on misinformation and junk science. Many have a history of safe
and effective use within the recommended limits and have yielded wellpreserved
formulations.
Misperceptions aside, the first rule that must be accepted is every formulation
containing water should be preserved and protected from microbial
contamination during consumer use using an antimicrobial system. The only
exception is when the formulation has low water activity, i.e., aw < 0.70, which is
said to be "self-preserved."1
When selecting a preservative, one must consider a system that will effectively kill
both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, mold and yeast. Rarely can this
be accomplished with just one preservative material—i.e., ethanol at > 20%.
The efficacy of a preservative system can be affected by the following:
pH of the formulation. The efficacy of many preservatives are affected by

pH.
Use of a chelating agent, i.e., EDTA, which can boost the efficacy of a
preservative and potentially minimize the amount of preservative necessary;
Order of addition to a formula. The temperature at which a preservative is

added to a formulation and the phase in which it is added will affect the
efficacy; and
Compatibility of the preservative, chemically, with the components of the

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Compatibility of the preservative, chemically, with the components of the

formulation or with the intended use of a formulation, i.e., wipes.
One must also be aware of the various global restrictions on the allowable use
levels of some preservatives.
When using preservation systems, in most cases, more is not better. As such, it
may require evaluating more than one option during the formulation process to
determine the most effective and efficient system. The tests most commonly used
to assess preservative efficacy in topical products are the USP<51>2 and the
PCPC’s preservative challenge3 or efficacy tests.
The USP<51> challenge test is used to assess the preservative efficacy of an OTC
drug, i.e., a sunscreen, acne treatment products, anti-dandruff products, etc. The
PCPC challenge test is used to determine the preservative efficacy on all other
topical personal care and cosmetic products.
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Choosing the correct preservative system and optimizing its concentration will
minimize any chance of your preservative system contributing to potential
safety/allergy issues resulting from the use of your formulation. When preserving
a clean beauty product, it is crucial to optimize both the preservative and the
formula to ensure maximum performance and safety.
Botanicals and Bioactives

As stated previously, when formulating with a bioactive or botanical system to
deliver desired skin care benefits, it is strongly recommended that formulators
consider the biochemistry of the materials being utilized. In vitro test data on the
materials can provide some insight, as well as researching the bioactivities of
materials. Sometimes a biochemist can assist, as many formulating chemists do
not have this level of biological expertise.
By researching the biochemistry as a part of the product development process,

formulators will find their resulting formulas can be optimized with fewer
ingredients that are designed, due to their bioactivity, to work together to deliver
the desired benefits desired, rather than compete with one other.
As an aside, since most of these ingredients are offered in a solvent, i.e.,

propanediol, butylene glycol, glycerin, etc., it is recommended to formulate using
the same solvent across all botanicals and bioactives so as to minimize the
number of different materials present in a formulation.
Final Comments
As a recap, formulating clean beauty products puts the following responsibilities
on the formulator.
Optimizing the choice of ingredients to deliver the desired benefits and

esthetics as efficiently as possible. This includes emollients, emulsifiers and
thickeners as well as "actives."
Selecting ingredients that have a comprehensive safety dossier and, if

possible, a history of safe use in the type of topical formulation for which you
intend to use them.
Using a safe effective preservative system that is compatible with your

formulation and following supplier recommendations for how to use them.
When adding a performance bioactive and/or botanical system to a

formulation, ensuring the combination selected is designed with
components that complement one other, rather than compete with one
another.
Avoiding the use of unnecessary or redundant ingredients.
And conducting thorough safety and preservative testing on the finished

formulation.
References
1. Steinberg, D.C. (2013, Dec 9). Water Activity. Available at:
https://www.cosmeticsandtoiletries.com/research/methodsprocesses/premiumWater-Activity.html
2. Pharmacopeia online (Accessed 2019, Sep 20). <51>Antimicrobial Eﬀectiveness Testing. Available at:
http://www.uspbpep.com/usp29/v29240/usp29nf24s0_c51.html
3. Personal Care Products Councile website (Accessed 2019, Sep 20). Determination of Preservation
Eﬃcacy in Water-miscible Personal Care Products. Available at:
https://eservices.personalcarecouncil.org/bbk/WATER_MISCIBLE_PET_final.pdf

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Cosmetics & Toiletries - November December 2019 - Simple and Safe 1/9/20, 14:01

Simple and Safe

profile with approaches to match various interpretations.

Trying to minimize the number of ingredients in the formulation without

Trying to understand the biological activity of the materials used. For

Selecting the Emulsi!er

Of course, before using these or any other emulsifying systems, it is important to

Emulsion systems are generally more stable with a combination of emulsifiers.

In surfactant systems, thickening may also be accomplished by the combination

Clean Beauty Ingredients

Cetiol® Ultimate INCI: Undecane (and) Tridecane)—a fast

Cetiol® C5 C (INCI: Coco-Caprylate)—a 100% natural from renewable

Learn more at personalcare.basf.com.

Preserving the Formula

The efficacy of a preservative system can be affected by the following:

pH of the formulation. The efficacy of many preservatives are affected by

Order of addition to a formula. The temperature at which a preservative is

Compatibility of the preservative, chemically, with the components of the

Compatibility of the preservative, chemically, with the components of the

Botanicals and Bioactives

By researching the biochemistry as a part of the product development process,

As an aside, since most of these ingredients are offered in a solvent, i.e.,

Optimizing the choice of ingredients to deliver the desired benefits and

Selecting ingredients that have a comprehensive safety dossier and, if

Using a safe effective preservative system that is compatible with your

When adding a performance bioactive and/or botanical system to a

Avoiding the use of unnecessary or redundant ingredients.

And conducting thorough safety and preservative testing on the finished

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