I’ve used Sucragel CF in the past to make a thick oily gel. It creates the perfect makeup remover. I know sucragel CF can be use in so many ways, such as a cold process emulsifier. So I wanted to conduct a few experiments using sucragel CF.
There are so many different types of Sucragels. You can see a list of them here. Today I am only talking about Sucragel CF and Sucragel AOF.
Difference between Sucragel CF & Sucragel AOF;
Sucragel CF works with “Silicones, sun filters, butters, waxes, esters, synthetic oils” - info from FSS.com
Sucragel AOF works with “vegetable oils and vegetable based butters and waxes” - info from FSS.com
So what I am doing here with Sucragel CF can also be done with Sucragel AOF, but replace the caprylic capric triglyceride with a natural oil like almond oil or olive oil. (A light oil would be best)
I purchased my sucragel from FSS.com and they call theirs Supergel CF and Supergel AOF.
Sucragel CF INCI; Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglycerides, Aqua, Sucrose Laurate
Sucragel AOF INCI; Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Glycerin, Aqua, Sucrose Laurate
by looking at their INCI you can tell which one is compatible with natural oils and which one uses emollient esters. AOF has almond oil in the INCI while CF has Caprylic/Capric Triglycerides.
Sucragel can be a bit difficult to work with because it has to be used in such a high amount. When used to make an oil gel in needs to be used at a 1:4 ratio. Meaning you need 25% sucragel and 75% oils. So conducting experiments is expensive using this stuff because it’s an expensive ingredient. Watch my video here to see how to make an oily gel using it.
How to use Sucragel CF or AOF to make an oily gel.
You have to have 25% sucragel in a beaker and use an overhead stirrer to mix the sucragel until it turns white. (My video about an overhead stirrer) Then slowly add in the oil little by little. Add a small splash then let it mix for 30 seconds to a minute, then add a little more and keep repeating this until all the oil is incorporated. Make sure you raise your overhead stirrer as you add more in so you can mix through out the whole thing. The gel should be a clear thick gel in the end. If not, then you probably added the oil too fast.
Lumorol k 5229 & Sucragel Experiment
So I wanted to try using that same exact method above, but add in some Lumorol k 5229 with the oil to hopefully make a thickened gelled foaming body oil gel. If you haven’t watched my video on Lumorol k 5229, then you should! This is an extremely simple ingredient you can use to make an oil foam. You literally just mix it with oil. That’s it, and now your oil will lather. So I figured it would be fun to make that a thick gel. So that is what I tried to do.
Formula for Lumorol K 5229 & Sucragel Experiment;
Phase A
25% Sucragel CF
Phase B
35% Lumorol k 5229
0.5% vitamin E
39.5% Caprylic/Capric Triglycerides
Directions;
I used the same method I used for creating an oil gel.
I added the sucragel CF into a beaker and used an overhead stirrer to mix the sucragel until it turned white. Then slowly I add in the phase B, little by little. Add a small splash of phase B, then let it mix for 30 seconds to a minute, then add a little more and keep repeating this until all of the phase B is incorporated. Make sure you raise your overhead stirrer as you add more in so you can mix through out the whole thing.
Results:
This did not turn out how I expected. It was a very thin watery viscosity and it looked like there were oil droplets in it separating. Since Sucragel CF only works with “Silicones, sun filters, butters, waxes, esters, synthetic oils” I don’t think this will end up working out. Basically I think this was an experiment I didn’t end up thinking all the way through, but that’s fine. That is what science is all about. We try things and sometimes it doesn’t work out and that is fine. Now we know and you don’t have to make the mistake I did. Sucragel is expensive and you don’t want to waste it.
I did just get some Sucragel XL from makesy.com that I am excited to try out though. Have you used it before?
Experiment 2
Sucragel CF as a cold process Emulsifier Experiment;
I know sucragel CF can be used as a cold process emulsifier, but I’ve never attempted it. So I wanted to try to attempt that. Basically it doesn’t work the same way as most emulsifiers. Sucragel will not add any viscosity to your emulsion, it will just emulsify. So we need to add viscosity through the water gelling agents. We could use synthetic or natural polymers. Naturally the better choice (or maybe not so naturally) would be the synthetic polymers because they have a much better sensory feel, but for some reason I decided to go with the natural gelling agent I don’t have any experience with. (Idk why I thought this was a good idea). So I chose Tara Gum as my water thickener. Since I had never used Sucragel as an emulsifier I wasn’t sure exactly how to do it. So I referenced this video by the Institute of personal care science to learn how.
Formula for Sucragel CF as a cold process Emulsifier Experiment;
Phase A
10% Sucragel CF
20% Caprylic/Capric Triglycerides
Phase B
62% distilled water
2% Tara Gum
5% propanediol 1,3
0.5% Liquid Germall Plus
0.5% vitamin E
Directions;
I first combined all of phase A in one beaker and mixed.
In another beaker I combined all of phase B. You do not need to mix tara gum with propanediol. Just add it all in together and mix. Tara Gum will thicken over time.
Pour phase A into phase B. I did it this way since phase B was thicker. (Also my phase A container wasn’t bit enough)
Then mix with an immersion blender and it will immediately turn into a lotion.
Result;
It worked, but my choice of ingredients was bad. I should not have used Tara Gum. Tara Gum pills really bad. Way worse than any gum I have used. So it made this moisturizer feel awful and has so much pilling. It was bad! The moisturizer had a gel-cream texture and it had no rub in time at all. So I do think sucragel has the potential to be a great cold process emulsifier, but only with the right polymers. So I will try this again another time with a different choice of polymer. Let me know if you wanna see that video.
Side note - I did just do an experiment using Tara Gum for last months patreon exclusive video, but I actually filmed this video before I recorded that video. So that is why I wasn’t aware of how bad Tara Gum pilled in this experiment.
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