Formulating foam: How formulation and packaging peak performance
Ella Ceraulo of Cornelius tests the CorFactant range and shares results to aid in the formulation of foam cleaning products
Foams are integral to cleaning and cosmetics, valued both for their tactile appeal and as a signal of product efficacy. At their heart are surfactants, schizophrenic molecules with opposing hydrophilic heads and hydrophobic tails. 1
These effectively lower surface tension, enabling the dispersion, emulsification and generation of bubbles. Surfactant choice not only affects foam richness and texture, but also process efficiency, user experience and irritation potential.
Innovations in foam packaging & delivery
Recent advances in packaging, such as foamer mesh packs and pressurepowered foam generation devices, have enabled richer and more stable foams at the point of use.
In these products, foam is produced when surfactant solutions are forced through fine mesh or gauze of 10-50 µ m, or aerated under controlled conditions, generating a dynamic structure of gas-filled bubbles surrounded by surfactantladen liquid films. The architecture
T = O
T = 2 min pH 3.5 pH 8.5 pH 3.5 pH 8.5
SLES 2EO
CAPB
scs
Sodium laureth sulfosuccinate
Lauryl glucoside
Lauramine oxide
Polyoxyalkylene glycol fatty alcohol ether
Figure 1 – Foamer pack results 30 SPECIALITY CHEMICALS MAGAZINE ESTABLISHED 1981