NIVEA Repair & Care Fragrance-free Body Cream, 400ml

Polysorbate 20 is a type of oily liquid ingredient that is used in the cosmetic industry because it acts as an emulsifier and helps bind oil and water together. It enhances the spreadability of formulations and is also gentle on skin and hair. Polysorbate 20 can be found in products like face washes, body lotions, hair sprays, mascaras and foundations. It is also responsible for creating foam in cleansing products.

What is Polysorbate 20 used for?

Polysorbate 20 offers many benefits to the cosmetic and personal care industry. It is useful for skin and hair formulations in many different ways.
Skin care: It acts as a great surfactant that reduces the surface tension of other ingredients to result in a stable product. It also produces foam in cleansing products and attracts oil and dirt to wash them away
Hair care: Apart from its surfactant traits, it doubles up as a fragrance ingredient as Polysorbate 20 is derived from sorbitol which comes from certain sweet smelling fruits. Hence, it enhances the scent of the products that it is added to
Cosmetic products: It is a good emulsifier that prevents the water based and oil based ingredients from separating in a formulation. This results in a better textured product that is easy to spread and apply
Origin
Polysorbate 20 is made by the reaction of sorbitol and polyol with ethylene oxide. The number 20 here represents the number of molecules of ethylene oxide that were reacted. Polysorbate 20 appears as a viscous liquid that is clear, yellow or yellow green in color.

What does Polysorbate 20 do in a formulation?

Emulsifying
Surfactant

Safety Profile of Polysorbate 20

Polysorbate 20 is safe for use on skin and hair. It is sometimes termed as a carcinogen because of the possible contamination with 1,4-dioxane during the manufacturing process. However, proper filtration processes make this ingredient absolutely safe for use. Polysorbate 20 is also vegan and non-comedogenic, which means that it does not clog pores or cause acne.

Polysorbate 20 Alternatives
Decyl Glucoside

Polysorbate 20 Technical profile

Solubility Soluble in water

Polysorbate-20 can be used where you need water and oil to combine, room fragrances for example. It can also be used in shower gels, cream & skincare preparations, liquid cosmetics and shower gels or shampoos.

Make your own Room Spray

Add one-part Polysorbate-20 to nine-parts water (10% polysorbate to 90% water) and add up to 3% essential or fragrance oil to make a simple room spray.

What’s in the box
1 x NBT Naturals – Polysorbate 20 (DIY Cosmetics)