Oleogels as silicone-free oil thickeners for personal care products
Innovative oleogel systems using ethylcellulose and crystalline gelators offer silicone-free oil thickening for personal care products, enhancing performance traits like oil binding and rheological behavior.
Overview
This solution presents a cutting-edge approach to developing silicone-free oil thickeners for personal care products using oleogels. By leveraging multi-component oleogel systems, the research focuses on combining ethylcellulose (EC) with crystalline gelators such as monoglycerides, fatty acids, and natural waxes. This combination enhances the structuring power and functional traits of oils, offering improvements in oil binding, brittleness reduction, and rheological behavior modification. These oleogels provide significant formulation flexibility, allowing the creation of tailored personal care products without the use of silicones.
Technical specifications
Key features include:
- Multi-component systems: Utilizes binary oleogelator combinations to enhance performance.
- Ethylcellulose integration: Enhances structural and functional traits below its minimum gelling concentration.
- Performance optimization: Adjusts polymer-induced viscosity, lubricity, and glide based on solvent polarity.
- Versatile applications: Compatible with established cosmetic ingredients and non-polar solvents.
The oleogels are prepared through thermal dissolution and static solidification, and their performance is characterized by large deformation analysis, oil binding tests, and rheological assessments.
Technology readiness level
This technology is at Technology Readiness Level 3, indicating that it is in the early stages of experimental proof of concept. Future validation plans include evaluating EC-crystalline gelator combinations, analyzing additives, and employing response surface methodology to optimize formulations.
About University of California, Davis
UC Davis is a comprehensive public research university in Northern California, combining a land-grant heritage with an integrated academic health system and a veterinary teaching hospital. Industry engages through co-located clinical and translational facilities in Sacramento, a campus-adjacent research park, pilot-scale food and bioprocessing facilities, and a statewide extension network for field-to-market deployment. Proximity to the Bay Area and California's Central Valley enables rapid collaboration with startups and established enterprises, while corporate relations staff streamline access to faculty, talent, and core labs. Research is supported by competitive federal funding from agencies such as NIH, NSF, USDA, and DOE. A dedicated technology transfer office and venture support programs provide IP management, licensing, and startup formation pathways for industry partnerships.
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