Cosmetics and Personal Care Products
The most commonly used carrier systems of cosmetic ingredients, emulsions impart the desired consistency and texture to lotions, creams, make-up, hair conditioners and other products. ROSS High Shear Mixers and Multi-Shaft Mixers are up for the task of providing high speed mixers to accomplish various processing objectives including emulsification, powder wet-out and particle size reduction.
Proper mixing is critical in the production of stable quality emulsions. By investing in a high-throughput mixing strategy that handles a wide range of viscosities and shear requirements, cosmetic manufacturers can gain increased flexibility to respond to ever-changing consumer tastes and market trends.
With ROSS High Shear Mixers and Multi-Shaft Mixers, cosmetic manufacturers enjoy increased flexibility in responding to ever-changing consumer tastes and market trends. ROSS can help you prepare more stable emulsions, smoother dispersions and more consistent batches while reducing excessive foaming, dusting and waste.
- Carbopol Gels - Carbopol resins are a family of water-soluble acrylic acid polymers, available in dry white powder form. It is used in many applications as a thickening agent producing a wide range of viscosities to suspend insoluble ingredients and to stabilize emulsions. Applications in the cosmetic industry include hand and body lotions, sunscreens, skin cleansers, moisturizing creams, shampoo, medicated gels and other personal care products. Although laboratory scale batches of Carbopol Solution can easily be made using bench type agitators, large-scale production of these thickened solutions can present problems. If the white Carbopol powder is not sifted very carefully into a typical agitated vessel, the Carbopol can clump together. The clumps solvate to form a tough outer layer, which prevents complete wetting of the interior polymer particles. This can result in solution defects such as grainy texture, reduced viscosity, or the presence of insoluble particles resembling "fish eyes". The high shear conditions usually needed to break up these agglomerations can also shear the hydrated polymers and result in a permanent viscosity loss. The ROSS VersaMix has been extremely successful at producing consistent, high quality Carbopol formulations. In addition, the ROSS SLIM System, used by itself or in combination with the ROSS VersaMix is a practical solution to preventing fish eye formation.
- Lipsticks - One the largest cosmetics manufacturers in the world standardizes on ROSS Three Roll Mills for their diverse line of lipstick products.
- Powder Foundations - The ROSS PowerMix equipped with a planetary stirrer and four-blade chopper has been tested to thoroughly coat talc powder and titanium dioxide with a blend of water and silicone. These materials are used in the cosmetic industry for powder foundations and sunscreen coatings. The customer's pony mixer displayed inadequate coverage of both the titanium and talc. Problems were experienced with material clinging to mix can sidewalls and unprocessed material at the bottom of the mix vessel. The PowerMix's planetary mixing action and shearing capabilities solved these problems.
- Skincare Creams - The ROSS X-Series Ultra-High Shear Mixer is utilized in various cosmetic plants for final grinding of creams. Product coming out of large mix tanks is passed once through the X-Series to obtain the desired smoothness and optimal particle size.
- Toothpaste - ROSS High Speed Dispersers, High Shear Mixers and Double Planetary Mixers are widely used in the manufacture of toothpastes - from preparation of low-viscosity intermediates to the final paste product.
- Wax Emulsions - Wax emulsions serve as a solubilizer in skin cleaning products or as a gloss modifier in hair care and styling products. Waxes also stabilize the shape of decorative pencils or sticks and adjust the viscosity of creamy products. The ROSS line of High Shear and Ultra-High Shear Mixers, available in batch and inline configurations, are an excellent choice for the preparation of wax emulsions.
- Recommended Mixing Equipment for Sunscreen and Sun Tan Lotions
Mixing is a critical step in the production of sunscreen, largely because proper dispersion of the active ingredients and additives directly impacts the end product’s efficacy and stability. - Recommended Blending Equipment for Cosmetic Powders
Thorough mixing in a well-designed Ribbon Blender is an effective method for preparing face powders, eye shadows, pressed make-up, foundations, blushes, bronzers and other cosmetics supplied in powder form. - Recommended Blending Equipment for Scented Powders
Blending fragrance into powders is a common operation in the manufacture of cosmetics, personal care and home products. - Recommended Mixing Equipment for Body Washes and Shower Gels
This bulletin discusses the benefits of high-speed, high-shear powder injection in the manufacture of body washes, shower gels, liquid hand soaps, facial cleansers and other similar personal care products. - Recommended Mixing Equipment for Solid Dispersions in Wax
Dispersing solids into molten wax is a common operation encountered in the manufacture of various products, from cosmetics, coatings and crayons to hot-melt adhesives, investment castings and thermal imaging inks. - Recommended Mixing Equipment for Toothpaste
Different types of mixing equipment are utilized in the various stages of toothpaste production. Proper mixing at every step is necessary to achieve lot-to-lot consistency and ensure that each ingredient fully imparts its intended functionality. Viscosity, yield value, thixotropy, density, purity, taste, stability and appearance of the final gel or paste are characteristics directly affected by mixing. - Recommended Mixing Equipment for Cosmetic Emulsions
The most commonly used carrier systems of cosmetic ingredients, emulsions impart the desired consistency and texture to lotions, creams, make-up, hair conditioners and other products. - New technologies for continuous mixing and homogenization of
nano-filled materials
Inline ultra-high shear rotor/stator mixers are high-throughput low maintenance devices capable of producing dispersions in the submicron and nano range. They offer a more efficient and cost-effective way of dispersing nanoparticles compared to conventional rotor/stator mixers, colloid mills and high pressure homogenizers. - Buying reconditioned mixing
equipment
When properly restored to perfect working condition, ideally by the OEM, a reconditioned mixer or blender is comparable, if not equal, in efficiency to new equipment. The savings in cost and faster shipment help you get to the profitable stage sooner without sacrificing reliability. - Dust-free mixing of pigments
into liquid
A common issue in dispersing pigments into liquid is dust generation. Charging solids into an open, top-agitated vessel inherently causes lightweight powders to become airborne. Using a high shear mixer equipped for sub-surface powder induction helps minimize dusting, maximize yield, improve dispersion quality and accelerate production. - Select a powder induction mixer that can serve multiple mix tanks of virtually any size.
An inline rotor/stator mixer equipped for powder induction offers flexibility, capability and portability to serve multiple mix vessels of virtually any size. Its straightforward operation and convenience further maximize equipment utility while simplifying material handling. - Improve emulsion stability through ultra-high shear mixing.
The droplet size distribution of an emulsion largely dictates its stability. Fine droplet sizes are produced by applying sufficient shear, often through the use of conventional rotor/stator mixers. Today, ultra-high shear rotor/stator designs are available which can improve emulsion stability of certain formulations. - Eliminate “fish eyes” in your mix.
Inefficient mixing can lead to agglomerates and “fish eyes” which are difficult to disperse once formed. Using a high shear mixer equipped for powder induction helps prevent the formation of agglomerates, maximizes yield and cuts cycle time. - Consider the advantages and disadvantages of scrapers.
Consider the advantages and disadvantages of scrapers.
The use of scrapers in batch mixing operations helps improve product homogeneity and heat transfer efficiency. However, there are cases wherein scrapers are not recommended such as in the processing of abrasive applications or highly viscous, sticky materials. - Use of powder induction mixing technology can significantly reduce raw material costs.
An efficient mixing system with powder induction capability enables manufacturers to optimize raw material costs in two ways: by allowing them to source and handle ingredients in dry form rather than the more expensive liquid form; and by maximizing yield of all powder components. - Inline high shear mixers instantly boost batch production without disturbing existing equipment.
Many batch mixing processes can be optimized with the addition of an inline rotor/stator mixer. The supplemental agitation and shear provided by an inline mixer boosts production by reducing cycle time. Multiple batch tanks can be serviced by a single inline mixer and benefit from its pumping capabilities. Another practical advantage to an inline mixer is that it is easily installed without disturbing pre-existing equipment.
