| Handymade

There is such an interesting thing on our shop with a cryptic name Symbio solv clear plus.

It is a solubilizer, in other words a solvent, and it is a very good tool in case you need to add to your product aessential oils, fragrance oils or preservatives (these are the most common uses of solvents in natural cosmetics). Without this miracle, you simply can't do it and you'll end up with oily globules of essence floating in the water

It should also be pointed out that a solubilizer is neither an emulsifier nor a dispersant, although all three belong to the surfactant group. None of the aforementioned ingredients will create such a clear and transparent appearance to the solution created

Why use a solubilizer?

You may say to yourself that you just need to shake the product before use, if you see a layer of preservative or essential oil at the bottom and everything is fine.

In fact, thanks to the solubilizer, all the fatty ingredients are evenly dispersed throughout the solution and their concentration is exactly the same

But what happens if you don't use a solubilizer?

The fatty component simply settles in the solution, the case floats on the surface. Even if you shake the product before use, the fatty components will not disperse evenly in the water. A disproportionate amount of the preservative or essential oil that you apply to your skin may get into the spreader this way, resulting in an allergic skin reaction

And what about the preservative?

How does it then stabilize your product when it is not evenly dispersed throughout the solution?

One side is the health risk and the other is the economic risk - natural preservatives and good quality essential oils are not exactly the cheapestit is therefore worth using all the necessary ingredients to ensure that your product is of high quality and meets health and quality criteria in particular.

Please note: It is advisable to look at the natural products you have bought to see if there is any sediment or floating on the surface. And then look at the label to see if there is a warning: shake before use

So how do you use a solubilizer?

Symbio solv clear plus is gluten free and PEG free, and as it is classed as a surfactant, using it will also increase the foamability of the final product.

If you are using it in a foam cleanser, you probably won't notice the foaming effect here, but in the case of skin toners, the foaming is basically undesirable.

Therefore, certain ratios must be observed in the application.
It is customary to use a ratio of 1:3 (that is, 3 parts solubilizer to 1 part essential oil) and 1:5 (5 parts solubilizer to 1 part essential oil).

But the golden rule is still to use as much as you need, so we recommend testing on a smaller amount of your product. Even with essential oils, everyone is different, it is a natural extract after all.

We also offer Caprylyl/Caprylyl Glucoside, which is primarily a surfactant, but is also an excellent solubiliser - as it is a surfactant, it has it is therefore recommended as a solvent only in liquid foam products, hand wash and body cleansers.

How are you? Do you use a solvent in your products or is this a complete novelty for you?

Article prepared for you by

Martina Oboňová

SOLUBILIZER - what is it and how to use it?

Why use a solubilizer?

But what happens if you don't use a solubilizer?

So how do you use a solubilizer?