CDEA: foam booster

I know I said I will talk about this so, let's start. Before I tackle what it really is, I want to emphasize what a surfactant is. 

I won't be too technical about this. I'll be so layman, I'll explain this so simply. A surfactant is used in a wide array of skin-care products as it is used to promote the cleansing power of the product and provide good foam. What are the surfactants famous, or may I say, infamous to the skin market?

• SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate)

• SLeS (Sodium Laureth Sulfate)

• SCS (Sodium Coco Sulfate)

• SLSa (Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate)

• Cocamidopropyl betaine

• CDEA - Coconut Diethanolamide

These surfactants boost the lather and foam of skin and hair products. But many have accounted it to be dangerous to the skin. In my opinion, the latter statement is only true if high amounts of the danger-contributing ingredient are incorporated to the product. As an acting manufacturer, you only add too little enough to get the foaming power of a surfactant. Although, there are a lot of other surfactants that are being produced which are claimed to be more on the "natural" side. 

For example is the launch of Sodium Coco Sulfate. It is said to be a replacement of the ever infamous Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS). SCS is a derivative of coconut. But other researches have found that SLS is also derived from coconut. Maybe the concentration of the SCS is somehow lesser of an irritant to SLS? 

But anyway,

There are some more sufactants that actually increase the MILDNESS of another surfactant. For instance, Coco Betaine. 

In our cold process soaps, we want to greatly differ from those of commercial soaps. Adding a surfactant is just an option. In commercial soaps, a pack of numerous surfactants are contained in one bar. In our handmade ones, we only put one surfactant that is in fact, so mild it can even possibly increase the mildness of Sodium Hydroxide. But if you're skeptical about it, I will be tackling alternatives of surfactants in my next post.

 For experience's sake, if you want to give it a try, I would like to suggest adding CDEA.

Chemical structure of CDEA. 

(I just wanted to add this to create a scientific vibe to you guys but I don't actually understand it. Haha)

What does CDEA or Coconut Diethanolamide have to offer?

"CDEA has good wetting, cleaning, dispersing, resistance to hard water and antistatic performances. CDEA especially has perfect thickening, foaming, foam-stablizing and derusting abilities."

Say what?

In other words, it is a great foam booster for cold process soap and other toiletry products. How do we incorporate this to our cold process soap?

•Add CDEA at trace.

•Always remember that it should constitute at least 30-50% of total superfat. Not the recipe, but the superfat.

• I suggest the soap maker adds Vegetable glycerin to the superfat along with CDEA if the soap maker is using 100% coconut oil for total oil phase.

Comment below. Have you tried it?

:)

x Soap Authority