My emulsified sugar scrub has oil on top

[Ely]

Hello everyone,
I made two batches of emulsified sugar scrub several days ago and here is the first formula

Beeswax 4.6%
Oil (combination of coconut, cocoa butter, palm, ostrich) 74%
Stearic acid 7%
Fragrance oil 2%
Emulsifying wax 10%
Color 1.4%
Preservative 1%
I used purple mica (first file)

But after Two days I noticed a thin layer of oil on top but it wasn’t too much, and I didn’t like the waxy feeling of bees wax.

So I made the second batch with candelilla wax instead of bees wax 2%
Oils 70%
Emulsifying wax 12%
Cetyl 5%
Stearic acid 7%
Used orange mica (second file I have attached)

At first the emulsified sugar scrub was fine and I thought with using more emulsifying wax and cetyl and lowering usage rate of oil I will have a harder sugar scrub but today I found a big layer of oil on top of the second batch. We have a hot summer here, but I am not sure it is due to hot whether or something is wrong with my recipes.

Would anyone help me and tell me where I went wrong and how to fix it.
Also I would like to know more about the consistency of emulsified sugar scrubs. How hard or thick should it be?

I really appreciate your help.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Anstarx]

I don't make sugar scrubs but my guess is that maybe your e-wax is not enough.
I'm not sure what kind of e-wax you used but usually emulsifying wax are used at 20-25% of the oil phase. If you have 70% oil phase, you will need at least 14% e-wax minimum to emulsify all the oil. Some kind of e-wax may need more than that.

 

[shunt2011]

I make emulsified sugars scrubs. However, I don't use Cetyl in mine. I use Stearic, Beeswax and Emulsifying Wax. My guess is you don't have enough emulsifying wax for your oils. Candelila I find is harder than beeswax and didn't like it at all.

 

[DeeAnna]

I agree with the others -- use more emulsifier and less thickener.

 

[Ely]

Thank you for your response,
I used silky emulsified wax from naturegarden.

The thing is for first batch I used less Ewax and there is tiny layer of oil but my second batch I used more Ewax and there is more liquid oil left compare to the first one and I have no explanation for that.

Susan (swiftcraftymonkey.blog) in her ebook used just 10 % emulsifying wax and 10% stearic and cetyl for 76% oil.

I used more wax and I have got this result.
For my next batch I am gonna use more Ewax (thanks a lot for helping me).
I know candelilla is harder than bees wax but I don’t like the waxy feeling from bees wax. I heared cetyl gives hardness and creamy feeling, that’s why I used it.

Could anyone recommend any substitution for that so it provides a bit of hardness and less waxy feeling.

I want my emulsified sugar scrub to be something not too runny, a little bit thick and creamy lotion-y when rinsing with water also conditioning.

Thank you so much

 

[DeeAnna]

A sub for beeswax? Don't use wax at all. I don't. I don't use cetyl alcohol either. Just fats and e-wax. But that's my preference -- I realize many recipes use more ingredients -- emulsifier, wax, and thickener -- and that's okay too. Just wanting you to realize there's no one way to solve this problem.

You have to tweak the percentage of emulsifier to get the right amount of rinse-off with the specific water temperature you use for rinsing. That is the way to get the skin feel you prefer.

 

[atiz]

I don't use beeswax either, and not sure I would like the waxy feeling in a sugar scrub.
I do use a thickener (cetearyl alcohol); use about 10% ewax with 18% oil and 11% cet. alcohol. (My percentages will only add up with the 50% sugar -- so if you don't count the sugar in, you should just double all these.)
So I agree -- try a bit more ewax, and see if that solves the problem. I have found ewaxes somewhat tricky; even the kind of oils you use can affect how much ewax you need.

 

[pjknight]

here is my recipie.2 oz. Melt & pour,1 ounce hemp oil, 1 ounce almond oil, 6 oz sugar and 9 ml of emulsifying wax. After reading all the replys I realize I am not using enough Emulsifying wax. Can somone tell me how much to use or a percentage I need to use. I take it the percentage would be for the total amount of oil, base, and sugar used? BTY I am making sugar cube scrubs, if that makes a difference. thanks you all the help!

 

[pjknight]

A sub for beeswax? Don't use wax at all. I don't. I don't use cetyl alcohol either. Just fats and e-wax. But that's my preference -- I realize many recipes use more ingredients -- emulsifier, wax, and thickener -- and that's okay too. Just wanting you to realize there's no one way to solve this problem.

You have to tweak the percentage of emulsifier to get the right amount of rinse-off with the specific water temperature you use for rinsing. That is the way to get the skin feel you prefer.

Do you use 10 % ewax which includes your sugar? Or 10% ewax for just the oils? Thanks!

 

[DeeAnna]

@pjknight -- I'm not sure what recipe of mine you're looking at. I re-read this thread. The only 10% e-wax is in the OP's first post. Are you confusing me with the OP?

In any case, OP's recipes add up close to 100% without any sugar being included, so I think it's safe to assume those percentages do not include the weight of sugar. That's how I've done recipes like this.

"...I realize I am not using enough Emulsifying wax..."

You're making an entirely different type of base by using the melt and pour soap. Re-read the OP's two recipes -- they don't contain actual soap and yours do. You're comparing apples and oranges here -- what works for a recipe that does not contain any soap won't necessarily work for one that does. Soap is an emulsifier in its own right. Soap may not be quite as effective as e-wax, but it does emulsify.

"...9 ml of emulsifying wax..."

Best to not measure ingredients by volume. E-wax I use comes in small chunks, and measuring particulate ingredients by volume is really inaccurate. If you want decent results, you need to also measure the e-wax by weight.