INSIDE VIEW - A SHAMPOO FORMULA

 

         In talking about the importance of pet shampoo companies disclosing product ingredients, we often make the point that an ingredient list is not a recipe. Let’s take a look at a list of ingredients and compare to an actual shampoo formulation. 

The formulation I have chosen is typical in format to what many chemical suppliers offer.  Especially when a new ingredient is introduced, the chemical supplier wants to share how it might be used.  The format is similar: The type of product is named.  In this case, we have an “Organic Shampoo.”  You can be sure that caught my eye!  The very basic information is the names of the ingredients, trade names, and either percentages and/or weights in grams. Trade names of ingredients not provided by the individual supplier are optional. Some suppliers list them, this one does not.

 There are almost always at least two groups or “phases” of ingredients.  Sometimes there is a water phase and an oil phase, or there may be a cold phase and a heated phase.  In this case, there are four phases.  Some instructions are included. 

Some suppliers will include the proper INCI ingredient list.  This offering did not include that, so I made it up.  I am reasonably sure it is how the actual list would appear.  There are always some options in creating a list, especially with ingredients that are less than 1% in a formula. 

Product features or marketing suggestions are often provided along with a suggested formulation. This gives the manufacturer’s marketing department some ideas, and helps to sell the supplier’s ingredients.

The manufacturer also comes up with the product name.  This could be called “Organic Rose and Bamboo Shampoo” or “Bamboo Rose Strengthening and Hydrating Shampoo”.  Here are the ingredients that would show up on the label. Since this is a human shampoo, the ingredients would be listed by their correct INCI names.

Ingredients: Water, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Sodium Lauroyl Oat Amino Acids, Coco Glucoside, Sodium Laureth Sulfate,  Rosa Centifolia Flower Distillate, Trehalose, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, glycerin, Bambusa vulgaris (Bamboo) extract,  Lavendula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium dehydroacetate, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA.

And here is the actual formulation:          

CHEMICAL SUPPLIER NAME

Formulation Name: ORGANIC SHAMPOO

Reference Number: XX

Contact Name: XXXXXXX

Phase	Ingredient	Trade Name	%	Supplier
A	Sodium Lauroyl Oat Amino Acids	Lauroat	5.00	XXXXX
	Lavender Essential Oil		.30
	Rose Essential Oil		.40
	Coco Glucoside		5.00
	Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate		10.00
	Sodium Laureth Sulfate		5.00
B	Sodium Benzoate		.30
	Potassium Sorbate		.20
	Rose Distilled water		5.00
	Disodium EDTA		.10
	Citric Acid 30% sol		.30
	Sodium dehydroacetate		.20
	Water		Qs to 100
C	Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein	Trealix	1.00	XXXXX
D	Extracts (Vegetables/Fruits)* *Bamboo Extract		Qs *1.00

*We chose to use Bamboo extract, because it has a very appealing narrative. (See below).

 

Method:

Mix Phase A

Mix and Dissolve Phase B

Add Phase B into Phase A under gentle mixing

Add Phase A+B into Phase C with gentle mixing

Add Phase D

Product Features: (Talking Points)

• Made from natural and sustainable Eco-friendly.
• Vegetable based cleansing formula. (oat)
• Silica-rich Bamboo helps improve moisture and natural sheen of the hair while increasing strength and elasticity.
• Natural Rose Water helps to clarify and restore hair and scalp.
• Vegetable protein provides conditioning with deep hydration and hair protection.
• Natural preservatives.
• Fragranced with natural essential oils. No synthetic fragrance. animal products.

Discussion:  In addition to the vast difference between the list of ingredients by volume and the recipe, there are several things we might notice about the formulation:

Ingredients in real cosmetic formulas are expressed in percentages or weights, not in volume amounts as in food recipes.  This allows the manufacturer to easily adapt the formula to various sized batches. 

You might notice that there are two ingredients in the list that are not in the formula.  What’s up with that?  Trehalose is part of the supplier’s hydrolyzed vegetable protein ingredient called “Trealix”.  The actual contents of the bamboo extract are “water, glycerin and  bambusa vulgaris.  There is a significant enough amount of glycerin that it needs to be identified. The description of the bamboo extract is “20% extract dissolved in water and glycerin.”  Interestingly, the bamboo extract is preserved with phenoxyethanol.  However, it does not need to be listed because it is considered “incidental”, according to the supplier.

Water is not given as a certain percentage, but as “qs’ to 100%. “Qs” means “quantity as needed" Although water is the base, it is not always the first ingredient into the pot.  In this recipe, the water is added in the second phase.  The “qs to 100” allows the manufacturer the liberty of adding more extracts. 

The essential oils make up less than 1% of the formula.  Rarely do essential oils add up to more than 1-2% of any formula.  Above that, they tend to cause thinning and ingredient separation, among other problems.

Bamboo extract accounts for much of the narrative about this shampoo, but comprises only 1% of the formula.

The other outstanding feature is the the oat-based cleanser, which would also likely comprise much of the marketing and conversation.  The ingredient (Sodium Lauroyl Oat Amino Acids) is but one of four cleansing agents, including 5% SLES, which would probably not be mentioned in the marketing. The consumer would be left to discover this by reading the ingredient list.  A clever cosmetic chemist might recognize that the real cleansing “engine” of this formula is the Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate plus Sodium Laureth Sulfate.  The others are onboard primarily for the conversation. 

What seems to be missing in this formula is thickeners.  I would expect to see at least some Sodium Chloride and perhaps a cellulose derivative thickener or some Xanthan Gum.  My prediction would be that this would be a very thin product. 

I would also predict that the cost of Rose essential oil would be cost prohibitive for a viable product.  True rose oil is one of the most expensive essential oils; it can cost as much as $4000.00 per pound.  Lesser priced rose oil is usually diluted or adulterated.  If I were to make this shampoo, I would substitute Rosemary oil and Rosemary hydrosol. Rosemary is more widely recognized for hair care and costs more like $75 per pound. 

For this exercise, I also created the talking points. It is based on what the suppliers of the ingredients say about their products.  It is not unusual for these narratives about ingredients to be stretched or puffed up.  Cosmetic puffery often starts with the supplier.  The suppliers are marketing ingredients just as manufacturers are marketing the finished products.  Success depends on persuasion.  The more technically advanced, chemically complex ingredients are often marketed by suppliers with in-house studies and proof of efficacy (effectiveness).  Botanicals are most often marketed through their narratives – the story of their historical uses.

 The fact that the chemical supplier would call this “organic” shampoo and would suggest the use of rose oil, demonstrates ignorance on the part of the supplier.  While this product could be rightly called “natural”, as nearly all the ingredients are clearly “naturally derived”, the designation of “organic” depends upon ingredients being certified as such.  The careless use of the term organic is pervasive in the cosmetics industry.  But that’s a topic for another blog.  For now, I hope you have enjoyed this glimpse into shampoo manufacturing.