Creagel® EZ
Creagel® EZ products are auto-emulsifiers, which can be used as primary emulsifiers or as co-emulsifiers to adjust the viscosity of emulsions. Creagel® EZs can be used as viscosity regulators even days after the emulsion has been manufactured. This is why they can be referred to as "first-aid-kit" for production.
Technical information
Creagel® EZs are based on polymers, which can be thickened in a broad range of temperatures and pH values. They form O/W type gel emulsions with high water content. Some of the Creagel EZ products form gel emulsions just by adding water while mixing vigorously. They have a specific structure, which consists of a reverse micellar solution, which can be changed with the use of temperature or energy, if water is present.
Creagel® EZs meet the highest safety requirements. They are based on Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, which has monomer content below 2 ppm. The second generation of Creagel EZ products (EZ IH, IN and VS) are ethoxylate free and hence suitable even for products formulated for sensitive skin types.
Properties and application areas
Formulating with Creagel® EZ products is extremely easy. The easiest are Creagel® EZ IN, IH and VS, which can be used to create emulsions by just adding water and mixing until the viscosity has built up. Other Creagel® EZ products need to be added in the lipid phase and mixed in before the aqueous phase can be introduced. No heating or high shear mixing is required, but these procedures do not affect the Creagel® EZs’ function.
Creagel® EZs perform at pH range 4-9, and Creagel® EZ IN can be used even at pH range varying from 4-12. Creagel® EZs resist electrolytes up to 1,5%. In most cases, solvents are incompatible with gellifiers, but Creagel® EZs can support ethanol up to 15%.
Creagel® EZs are compatible with most cosmetic raw materials. In contrary to many gellifiers such as Carbopols, Creagel® EZs are compatible with physical UV-filters offering a nice base for sun care products, which are rich in water and have a fresh feel.