{"id":3779,"date":"2016-02-05T08:00:45","date_gmt":"2016-02-05T13:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ulprospector.com\/knowledge\/?p=3779"},"modified":"2018-07-24T14:36:38","modified_gmt":"2018-07-24T20:36:38","slug":"pcc-natural-based-emollients","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/3779\/pcc-natural-based-emollients\/","title":{"rendered":"Natural Based Emollients"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Shea butter is a commonly used plant-derived emollient.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The natural emollient market is hot and expected to grow at around 10% per year through 2019 due to the growing consumer awareness of synthetic chemicals and the desire to use natural ingredients and products.<\/p>\n

Natural based emollients<\/a> are important ingredients used in personal care formulations to impart a smooth, soft, moisturized feel to skin and hair. The emollients I will discuss are those materials that have not been chemically modified in any way. All natural based emollients are either animal or vegetable derived and can be classified as oils or butters depending on their consistency.<\/p>\n

Unrefined materials are normally complex mixtures of hydrocarbons, triglycerides<\/a>, esters<\/a>, and alcohols<\/a> depending on the type of processing used. Plant-based emollients are normally extracted using cold-pressing of the ground fruit, leaves, seed, or nut paste with or without the use of solvents. Pressure is then used to extract the oil. Cold pressing is preferred to warm since it helps prevent oxidation of heat sensitive polyunsaturated components.<\/p>\n

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Looking for natural-based emollients for your personal care formulations?<\/h3>\n

UL Prospector has hundreds of search results for natural based emollients from global suppliers. Get technical data and order samples now.<\/p>\n


\nSearch Ingredients
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Important ingredients found in most vegetable based oils include the unsaponifiables, which include tocopherols<\/a>, sterols<\/a>, carotenoids, hydrocarbons, alcohols, and triterpenoids. Highly refined oils typically have <1% unsaponifiables, making unrefined materials often a better choice in formulations. Animal-derived emollients are normally extracted from either animal hair or fat and are less frequently used.<\/p>\n

A word of caution: Highly unsaturated oils containing linoleic<\/a> and linolenic<\/a> (omega 3 and 6) fatty acids are highly prone to oxidation and extremely difficult to stabilize. The peroxides formed can also be very reactive with other formulation ingredients and irritating.<\/p>\n

Commonly used plant-derived emollients:<\/h3>\n