Surfactants and Interfacial Phenomena in Cosmetics and Detergency
By: P. Somasundaran and Lei Zhang, NSF Industrial Industry/University Center for Advanced Studies in Novel Surfactants; and Anjing Lou, Sun Chemicals Corp.
Posted: May 6, 2003, from the July 2001 issue of Cosmetics & Toiletries.
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Article Keywords:
- surfactants
- surface tension
- wetting
- solubilization
- emulsification
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Surfactants, one of the major ingredient of cosmetic products, are characterized by their tendency to concentrate at interfaces and to alter the free energy of the interfaces. Through interfacial processes such as wetting, emulsification, solubilization, dispersion and modification of interfacial viscosity and electrical charge, surfactants can mix various ingredients in cosmetics (oil phase, water phase, solids, pigments, dyes, perfumes, enzymes and other additives) into a stable and homogenous system.
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