Emulsifiers are present in many products, from moisturizers to cleansers and even makeup. They help non-miscible or unlike ingredients, such as oil, water, and silicone, to stay together in a stable mixture. And when it comes to emulsifiers, it doesn't get any better than PROCOL P, one of the best products of PROTAMEEN.

Emulsifiers are the everyday business of skincare and hair care products. They are quite little miracle workers that make it possible for oil and water to coexist.

Emulsifiers, especially polysorbates in Procol P, are also great solubilizers with mild surfactant properties. Too confusing for you? Keep reading to find out everything there is to know about emulsifiers and then some.

What Are Emulsifiers?

Emulsifiers are agents that allow for two non-miscible ingredients to mix in a stable formulation. They are like liaisons between two unmixable liquids.   

Have you ever tried mixing water and oil? No matter how hard you shake or for how long, the initial droplets of oil will later coalesce, forming an even layer atop the water. 

The same applies when making your salad dressing with only balsamic vinegar and olive oil. It is not the case with mayonnaise made from scratch at home, though. 

Mayonnaise combines vinegar or lemon juice with oil using egg yolks as an emulsifier, or using the lecithin within the egg yolks would be more accurate. Add some whisking, and et voila.

Lecithin is a great emulsifier that keeps the above ingredients together, preventing their separation.

The same principle applies to skincare and cosmetic products. You combine several ingredients and use emulsifiers, much like lecithin, to create stable mixtures.

Common emulsifiers used in the cosmetic industry are Cetearyl Alcohol, Benzalkonium Chloride, Glyceryl Stearate and Stearic Acid.

How Do Emulsifiers Work? 

Emulsifiers are the agents behind liquid-liquid suspensions and have great synergy with emollients.

Indeed, these agents make it possible for tiny oil droplets to be suspended in water. These particles are so small that they won't settle out.

After all, emulsifiers are agents soluble in both water and oil. One end of their molecule is water-friendly (hydrophilic), and the other end gets along better with oils (lipophilic).

Since the oil-friendly tails surround the oil droplets, the water-friendly heads end up on the outside, forming a micelle (a spherical structure). 

Then, acting as a shield, the emulsifier gets in the middle preventing water molecules from directly rejecting or repelling the oil molecules. 

Hence, emulsifiers form a bridge between oil and water. They allow an even distribution of molecules without shaking the product constantly to mix the two phases.

Also, they make it easy for dirt and oil on the skin surface to be engulfed in tiny micelles when you use micellar water as the first cleansing step of your skincare routine, for example. 

What Is the Difference Between Emulsifiers, Surfactants and Solubilizers?

Emulsifiers and solubilizers are both surfactants that disperse oil in water. Even though they are used in oil in water (O/W) or water in oil (W/O) formulations, there are key differences you must understand.

Surfactants are generally linked to bubbles and foaming preparations like detergents, but there is more to that story. 

These molecules reduce the surface tension in water or the tremendous cohesive forces between the water molecules.

Hence, surfactants "soften" the interface between liquids. This property comes in handy for solubilizers and most emulsifiers.

Now, the difference between a solubilizer and an emulsion is very subtle. Both work using the same principle but are quite different if you ask a chemist. Indeed, it is not the same trying to make oil soluble in water as having a proper mix of oil and water.

Solubilizers are more water-friendly (water-soluble) and are generally used to mix a small quantity of oil (less than 2%) to water formulations with the full intention of obtaining a clear product. These are oil-in-water formulations.

On the other hand, emulsions usually contain more oil-to-water ratio, such as creams and lotions that end up being white formulations.

What Are Polysorbates?

Most emulsifiers are "surface active agents" and can also be great solubilizers- the perfect trifecta. A great example of this is polysorbates.

Polysorbates are molecules formed after sorbitan (a dehydrated form of sorbitol) is ethoxylated. In the case of Polysorbate 60, sorbitan reacts with 60 units of ethylene oxide, hence the name. 

Next, the final reaction is combining the resulting molecule with fatty acids. 

Thanks to their dual nature (hydrophilic and lipophilic profile), polysorbates are great additions to skincare and cosmetic products. They help oil-based ingredients and water to stay together without too much effort.

Use Procol P, the Best Emulsifier Mixture on the Market

Procol P is an excellent emulsifier, surfactant, and solubilizer. Its INCI name (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients) is Polysorbate 60, PEG-150 Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, and Steareth-20.

We already explained Polysorbate 60 and its many benefits. On the other hand, PEG-150 is a polyethylene glycol diester of Stearic Acid that acts as an effective emulsifier. 

Cetearyl Alcohol and Steareth-20 are fatty alcohol and derivative, respectively, with emollient, thickening and excellent emulsifying properties.

So, in case there is any doubt, Procol P is not any emulsifier; it is a combination of multiple emulsifiers and surfactants that take stability in formulas to the next level. This is just as good as it can get when it comes to emulsifiers.

So, with Procol P in the mix, you definitely can say goodbye to "shake before use" oil-in-water products.

Using Procol P in cleansers, shampoos, conditioners, and body washes can help suspend not only oil but dirt and impurities on the skin, speeding the wash away process. 

Also, by adding Procol P, you can enhance the texture and consistency of formulations, increasing spreadability, topical skincare delivery, and effectiveness of creams and lotions. 

The Polysorbate 60, included in Procol P, has important "wetting" properties, making liquids spread easily onto the skin surface.

Furthermore, being a great mixture of solubilizers, Procol P is excellent at dispersing and dissolving essential oils and fragrances in water, a feature most valued in the skincare industry, like bath oils.

Is Procol P Safe For Use? 

Thankfully, yes. Polysorbate 60, Procol P's main ingredient, is considered safe to use in skincare and cosmetics products, according to the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel. The final product is harmless to the concentration used in formulations after a strict purification process and testing for contaminants.

The Takeaway

Emulsifiers are ever present in our lives, including our skincare shelves. They stabilize water-oil mixtures from creams, lotions, sunscreens and makeup products. So, in the hunt for the best of the best, always choose Procol P. With this product, you don't get one or two emulsifiers; you get four in a nutshell!