A natural emulsifier, exemplified by plant-derived AC-M68, is a gentle, non-ionic ingredient that stabilizes oil and water in skincare; a key advantage is its high efficiency, where only 0.5% is sufficient to emulsify up to 30% oils, and it operates effectively within a skin-compatible pH range of 5.5-7.5, ensuring safety and mildness.

Basic Definition

From a chemical perspective, any emulsifier (including natural emulsifiers) belongs to surfactants, and all of them possess a core "amphiphilic" molecular structure.

It is this unique structure that allows it to stand at the oil-water interface, with the hydrophilic head extending into the aqueous phase and the hydrophobic tail embedding into the oil phase, thereby significantly reducing the surface tension between oil and water.

Differences Between Natural and Common Emulsifiers

The hydrophilic end of common synthetic emulsifiers is often an artificially synthesized chemical group (such as polyoxyethylene chain, i.e., PEGs), while natural emulsifiers use naturally occurring, sustainable raw materials to construct their hydrophilic moieties, the most common being sugars (such as glucose, sucrose) from plants (e.g., corn, potatoes).

Natural emulsifiers are surfactants mainly derived from renewable plant resources, whose hydrophilic parts are composed of natural molecules such as sugars, and can achieve efficient emulsification function while having excellent gentleness, skin affinity and environmental friendliness.

Key Facts about Natural Attributes:

• Raw Material Traceability: Its starting raw materials (such as glucose, vegetable oil) can be traced back to non-fossil plant sources.

• Production Process: Adopts green processes such as "glycosidation", avoiding the use of harmful solvents, and the by-products are safe.

• Biodegradability: After the end of the product life cycle, it can be effectively decomposed by microorganisms in the natural environment.

• Skin Safety: Has passed strict skin tests to confirm its hypoallergenic and low-irritant properties.

In skin care products, natural emulsifiers are not just simple "mixers". When matched with suitable formula ingredients (such as cetearyl alcohol), they can form a layer of ordered "liquid crystal film" on the skin. This film is like an intelligent protective net:

• Provides physical stability far exceeding ordinary emulsions to prevent stratification.

• Simulates and enhances the skin's own lipid barrier, effectively locking in moisture and reducing transdermal water loss.

• Encapsulates active ingredients to achieve slow release and improve skin care efficiency.

• Endows the product with a top-level skin feel that is delicate, silky and non-greasy.

Main Types

If the emulsifier family is compared to a team with members of different personalities, it can be clearly divided into four major types according to whether they are "charged" in water and the nature of the charge: anionic, cationic, non-ionic and zwitterionic.

Anionic Type

Anionic emulsifiers are the "powerful vanguards" in cleaning products. After ionization in water, their hydrophilic ends carry a negative charge.

This charge characteristic endows them with strong detergency and rich foaming properties. The dense foam you feel in facial cleansers and shampoos is largely attributed to them.

• Advantages: Outstanding cleaning power, electrolyte resistance, and high stability.

• Disadvantages: The biggest shortcoming is compatibility. They will conflict with positively charged ingredients (such as cationic conditioners in hair conditioners), combine instantly to produce precipitation, leading to product failure. Therefore, they are rarely used in creams that need to be matched with a variety of active ingredients.

Cationic Type

Cationic emulsifiers are just the opposite. After ionization in water, their hydrophilic ends carry a positive charge. They are the "softening experts" in hair care products.

The positive charge can effectively neutralize the negative charge carried by the hair after washing, eliminate static electricity, and make the hair smooth and easy to comb. At the same time, many cationic agents also have certain antibacterial properties.

• Advantages: Outstanding antistatic and softening effects, and have antibacterial properties.

• Disadvantages: Some members (such as Cetyltrimethylammonium Bromide CTAB) are highly irritating and may cause eye or skin discomfort, so their application scenarios are relatively specific.

Zwitterionic Type

Zwitterionic emulsifiers can be regarded as the "gentle diplomats" in the family. Their molecules contain both anionic and cationic groups, making their properties change with the pH of the solution. This "flexible" characteristic makes them very mild, with extremely low irritation to the skin and eyes, and they can be well compatible with other types of surfactants.

• Advantages: Mild and good biodegradability, with both cleaning and moisturizing functions.

• Disadvantages: Easy to "inactivate" in high-concentration electrolyte (such as salt) environments, and stability will be reduced.

Non-ionic Type

Non-ionic emulsifiers, which are highly favored in high-end skin care formulations, such as AC-M68 (Cetearyl Glucoside). They are the "universal coordinators" in the team, and their biggest feature is that they do not ionize and are electrically neutral in water.

This brings several incomparable advantages:

• Absolute gentleness and safety: Since they are uncharged, they will not have unnecessary electrostatic interactions with skin proteins, thus avoiding a sense of irritation.

• Excellent broad compatibility: The electrically neutral characteristic makes them very "popular". They can stably coexist with various oil phases (from vegetable oils to silicones), active ingredients (such as AHAs, vitamin C), as well as sunscreens and pigments, providing formulators with great creative freedom.

• Skincare value beyond emulsification: Many non-ionic emulsifiers, especially alkyl glycoside derivatives such as AC-M68, can cooperate with co-emulsifiers (such as cetearyl alcohol) to form an ordered liquid crystal structure on the skin. This structure can not only provide extraordinary stability, but also simulate the human sebum membrane, playing an intelligent skin care role of long-lasting moisturization, barrier repair and sustained release of active ingredients.

Uses of Different Types

Anionic Type

For anionic emulsifiers, their "main battlefield" is undoubtedly cleaning products.

With the characteristic of carrying negative charges after ionization in water, they can efficiently adsorb on oils and dirt (usually positively charged) on the skin and hair, and easily carry them away with water flow through emulsification and dispersion.

• Typical Applications: Facial cleansers, body washes, shampoos, soap-based products.

• Core Value: Provide excellent foaming power and oil removal ability, bringing a refreshing skin feel after washing.

• Usage Taboos: Because they will "fight" with positively charged ingredients to produce precipitation, they are usually avoided to be used simultaneously with cationic conditioners (such as hair conditioners) in the same formula, which is one of the reasons why we need to "wash hair first, then condition".

Cationic Type

On the other hand, cationic emulsifiers firmly occupy the core position in the hair care field. After washing, the hair carries negative charges due to friction, resulting in frizz and static electricity.

Positively charged cationic emulsifiers (such as quaternary ammonium salts) can adsorb on the hair surface like magnets, effectively neutralizing the charges and smoothing the cuticles.

• Typical Applications: Hair conditioners, hair masks, hair softeners.

• Core Value: Provide excellent antistatic and softening effects, making hair easy to comb and smooth to the touch.

• Precautions: Some cationic products may be irritating to the eyes or skin, so they are relatively less used in skin care products and more focused on hair care.

Non-ionic Type

Non-ionic emulsifiers are the absolute main force in skin care creams, lotions and multi-functional products.

Taking the naturally derived AC-M68 (Cetearyl Glucoside) as an example, its electrically neutral, mild and liquid crystal structure-forming properties make its application scenarios extremely wide.

Zwitterionic Type

Zwitterionic emulsifiers, such as Cocamidopropyl Betaine (CAPB), are the first choice for pursuing the concept of "gentle cleansing".

Their molecular structure carries both positive and negative charges, and the charge changes with pH value changes. This "intelligent" characteristic makes their irritation far lower than that of ionic surfactants.

• Typical Applications: Amino acid facial cleansers, infant body washes, special cleaning products for sensitive skin.

• Core Value: While providing sufficient cleaning power, it minimizes irritation to the skin barrier, resulting in a soft and smooth skin feel after washing, without tightness or dryness. They are experts in balancing "cleaning power" and "gentleness".