Sulfosuccinate is a mild surfactant with little irritation and can produce rich foam. When shared with other surfactants, it can also reduce the irritation of other surfactants. Therefore, it is widely used in cleansing products and shared with other surfactants.

Naming rules and judgment methods

The sulfosuccinate salts’ naming rules and judging method are “XX sulfosuccinate YY”. Look for the 6 characters “sulfosuccinate” in the middle, such as lauryl polyether sulfosuccinate acid disodium ester.

Characteristics of Zwitterionic Surfactants

They are hydrophilic groups with positive and negative charges, commonly used amphoteric imidazoline and betaine. These two ingredients have weak cleaning power and low irritation and can be used alone in sensitive skin or infant products. They can also be combined with other surfactants to help clean and generate foam to reduce irritation.

The naming rules and judgment method of betaine are the three words “betaine” at the end of the name, such as coco betaine.

Take a cleansing gel as an example. Its ingredients are as follows:

Water, Coco Betaine, Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate, Glycerin, Acrylates Copolymer, Sodium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxide, Tetrasodium EDTA, Catmint Oil, Citron Peel Oil, White Flower Chamomile flower oil, etc.

Coco-based betaine combined with sodium cocoyl glycinate cleansing is enough for normal and dry skin without year-round makeup.

Amphoteric imidazolines’ naming rules and judgment method are “XX amphoteric base YY.” That is, there are three characters, “amphoteric base,” in the middle of the name.

Such as sodium lauroamphoacetate.

Take a facial cleanser as an example. Its ingredients are as follows:

Water, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Stearic Acid, Glycol Stearate, Lauramidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Quaternium-18, Hectorite, Sucrose Stearate Ester, maltooligosaccharide glucoside, hydrogenated starch hydrolyzate, potassium chloride, acrylic acid (ester) copolymer, acrylic acid (ester) / steareth-20 methacrylate copolymer, potassium hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, methylisothiazolinone, methylparaben, etc.

In the ingredient list, potassium cocoyl glycinate is combined with sodium lauroamphoacetate and lauryl aminopropyl hydroxysultaine. The three surfactants are used synergy for strong cleaning power, even for oily skin without makeup.

The hydrophilic groups of nonionic surfactants are uncharged, and the most typical one is alkyl glucoside, also known as alkyl glucoside, and the English abbreviation is APG.

Practical Application

Alkyl glycosides have weak cleaning power but are extremely mild and have very low irritation to skin and eyes, making them especially suitable as formulation ingredients for low-irritation cleansing and care products.

• It is rarely used alone in cleansing products and is often shared with other surfactants.

1. Take a cleansing gel as an example. Its ingredients are as follows:

Water, Decyl Glucoside, Glycerin, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Lauryl Glucoside, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Coco Glucoside, Glyceryl Oleate, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Laurel Sodium Glucose Carboxylate, Citric Acid, Glucose, Potassium Sorbate, Ethylhexylglycerin, etc.

The ingredient list has 3 glucosides, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, and a small amount of Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate for gentle cleansing. This is a surfactant for amino acid systems. Phenoxyethanol and potassium sorbate are preservatives, and citric acid is used to adjust the pH value. The antiseptic principle of this formula is similar to that of certain fairy water. It is generally acidic, and you must try it on sensitive skin to know whether it can be used.

• If glucoside is used alone, the cleaning power of such products is relatively weak.

2. Taking a facial cleanser as an example, its ingredients are as follows:

Water, Coco Glucoside, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Xanthan Gum, Wild Soybean Oil, Sunflower Seed Oil, Borage Seed Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Turkic Rose Flower Water, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Cornflower Flower Extract, Soybean Sterols, Turkic Rosa Flower Oil, Ginseng Root Extract, Mallow Extract, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Ascorbyl Palmitate, Tocopheryl Acetate, PEG -120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Caprylyl Glycol, Polysorbate-20, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Polymethylmethacrylate, Benzoic Acid, Disodium EDTA , citric acid, behenyl alcohol, glyceryl stearate, 1,2-pentanediol, caramel color, potassium sorbate, etc.

The ingredient list features coco-glucoside as the core ingredient, with levels of glycerin, butylene glycol, PEG-7 glyceryl cocoate, and xanthan gum decreasing from approximately 5% to 2%. The texture is watery, and the makeup removal power is very weak.

Wild soybean oil is ranked seventh on the ingredient list, which is relatively low in content. Because oil is easily dispersed in water to form an emulsion, and the product name is called condensation, it can be seen that it is not an emulsion, so the oil content will not be too high. A whole bunch of botanical ingredients after it can be ignored.

Shortcoming

Betaine, alkyl glycosides, and sodium laureth sulfate surfactants have a “false slippery” phenomenon. They feel slippery after use, as if they have not been washed, and it isn’t easy to rinse them off completely with water. It is not as refreshing as the soap base. This fake slippery skin feels sometimes affects our preference and choice of products.

In addition, there is a special kind of cationic surfactant. Its hydrophilic group is positively charged and has a relatively weak cleaning ability. Still, its antibacterial property is relatively outstanding. It is mainly used in shampoo and is rare in cleansing products, such as quaternary ammonium Salt.

Summary

Sulfosuccinates are used as foaming agents, and betaines and alkyl glycosides are used in very low-irritant cleansers.