Emulsifiers; what counts and what doesn’t?

Emulsifiers? You have probably heard the word and either wondered what it means or you know what it means but you aren’t sure what constitutes an emulsifier or why someone would even need one. So what are emulsifiers, how do they pertain to essential oils/aromatherapy and why do you need them?

Emulsifier: Emulsifier, in foods, any of numerous chemical additives that encourage the suspension of one liquid in another. Emulsifiers are closely related to stabilizers, which are substances that maintain the emulsified state. Emulsifiers, stabilizers, and related compounds are also used in the preparation of cosmetics, lotions, and certain pharmaceuticals, where they serve much the same purpose as in foods—i.e., they prevent separation of ingredients and extend storage life.

Emulsifiers are essentially fancy way of saying we are incorporating the essential oils in another liquid so that they do not separate. But why is this important? Essential oils do not mix with water, at least not well. Most essential oils will float on the surface on the water, others might mix for a time or sink to the bottom (depending on the density of the oil) but they will never truly mix into the water. They will never truly mix with most liquids either. So if you are wanting to use an essential oil topically, or in any kind of water based product, you will want (and need) an emulsifier/binder/stabilizer to make the product come together. The reason you want to mix the essential oils in a product with an emulsifier is because essential oils can cause reactions or be unsafe if used neat or undiluted. Using an emulsifier ensures that all of the essential oil is mixed into the product and won’t be leaving any undiluted essential oils in the product.

It is important to note in this blog post that while I use the word emulsifier or emulsion, this is not always what happens when mixing essential oils with a water base, most often the essential oils are broken down or bound with another chemical/product that will then mix into water. I know that emulsifier is not the “technically” correct term to use here but it is the best one to explain what is going on, because we are indeed working to mix essential oils with water based items.

So then what makes an emulsifier? What are some products that will bind the essential oils into the water base and make them safe to use? When do you need to be using an emulsifier?

What makes an emulsifier?

An emulsifier would be any product that suspends one liquid in another. Eggs are emulsifiers when you are making mayonnaise. You wouldn’t of course use an egg for essential oils, and it’s slightly different when working with essential oils because they aren’t exactly the same as water, but they aren’t really an oil either. In the aromatherapy world though we have a few things that would work as an emulsifier, and many more that are commonly thought to be one but really aren’t.

What are some emulsifiers?

Beeswax: beeswax acts an emulsifier in lotions. While you can use essential oils in an unscented lotion base that has already been made, you need something in the lotion if you are actually making it. As lotion consists of mostly water, the the beeswax acts as the emulsifier here when combining the water with the oils. You can add the essential oils to the oil portion and then make your lotion, or simply make the lotion and then add the oils. I personally prefer to make the lotion and then add the oils. Using beeswax can be a little tricky though, as you have to melt it down with any other oil you are using then add it (once cooled slightly) to the water in a blender (a little at a time) and blend like crazy. Most people end up buying a lotion base.

Alcohol: This one is a little trickier, through trial and error I found that you need a really high proof of alcohol for this to work and even then, it’s not that great. I use ever clear which is about 190 proof. I use this for things like sprays, where the base is entirely water. It’s not my favorite method honestly, and again it’s not perfect. I have found that using anything less is not going to result in a proper mix. I think the recommended minimum for using alcohol is 150 proof. The reason that alcohol works is that it will break down and disperse the essential oils. So while this isn’t classified as a true emulsion, for the purpose of this blog it’s the word I will use because it most closely represents what is happening.

Polysorbate 80: Polysorbate 80 is a synthetic emulsifier derived from polyethoxylated sorbitan and oleic acid. This one is controversial because it is synthetic, designed to emulate the fatty acids from animals and vegetables. While derived from natural sources they still have changed the original source to make a synthetic product. I used to use this before realizing it was synthetic and now have found other sources I prefer to use. This works with breaking down the oils (much like the alcohol however much more efficiently) and thus making them able to be mixed into liquids. It is the most popular emulsifier on the market, appearing in a wide variety of products from skincare to food items.

Castile liquid soap/bubble bath base/liquid soap base: This can work as an “emulsifier” of sorts (although what is actually happening is better defined as solubilization more than anything) if you mix the oils in the soap base before mixing this with the liquid. You will often see something mix up the entire DIY into the water and then add oils after the fact. This will not properly mix the essential oil into the liquids. When you hear that castile soap can work as an emulsifier of sorts, you might not think the order matters when mixing the ingredients but it really does matter and will make for a much cleaner DIY when mixed properly.

Natural Solubilizer: This is my favorite for emulsification and I buy mine at Simply Earth. This is an all natural emulsifier that helps to bind essential oils to water. Much similar to polysorbate however naturally derived. It consists of Caprylyl Capryl Glucoside, and not that I generally hold much weight into this but Caprylyl Capryl Glucoside scored a 2 on the EWG website. So as far as options go this is one of the best ones. You don’t have to specifically buy from Simply Earth, you can find the Caprylyl Capryl Glucoside in other places I just prefer to source this from Simply Earth to ensure I am getting the best and it’s nice especially for those who like to make their own products at home on a smaller scale.

When do you need to use an emulsifier?

Anytime the essential oils don’t mix and incorporate into a product you need to use an emulsifier. This is generally with water-based products but like I mentioned before if the product is already made and has an emulsifier (like lotion) then you can safely add the essential oils. Things like room sprays would need an emulsifier, bath salts/bath bombs would need an emulsifier or an oil, if you want to use essential oils topically they need to be diluted with a carrier oil or properly emulsified product. You do not need one if the “liquid” in question is an oil (however vitamin E oil doesn’t count as a carrier oil), if the product is already emulsified or if the product doesn’t contain water/water based liquids. Essential oils mix with carrier oils and butters so you don’t need anything extra to mix the product.

What is commonly thought to be an emulsifier?

There are a lot of things that are thought to be emulsifiers that people share online, however unless it completely mixes the oils it’s not a true emulsifier and is still leaving undiluted essential oil throughout a product.

Witch Hazel: Many people claim that this works in room sprays and hair sprays to emulsify the essential oils but it actually doesn’t. The oils float on the top of the witch hazel and put you at risk for coming into contact with undiluted essential oils.

Salt: While salt is technically an emulsifier, at least according to google, it doesn’t actually work (never has for me) especially in larger dilutions with essential oils. You might have seen people add essential oils to bath salts or use salt in a room spray. This can (technically) work, but for the sake of safety I am adding this to the no list because I have also seen this not work. Having undiluted essential oils floating around your bath is not ideal, nor is having a room spray that doesn’t properly mix with it’s water base. I believe that you need a certain type of salt for this to work, and quite honestly once I tried this myself and was less than pleased with the result I didn’t pursue this one any further.

Alcohols: Like I had mentioned before, unless you have a high enough proof of alcohol it’s just not going to work. You really must have the highest proof of alcohol (190 proof or 95% alcohol) and you can’t use rubbing alcohol generally speaking because it just does not reach a high enough proof to be able to work. A lot of DIY recipes call for vodka or for rubbing alcohol and this is simply incorrect advice because it is not strong enough to be able to work as some people claim. Alcohol is also a popular choice to use for preservatives but again you need a high enough proof for that (I believe it is 120 proof for use as a preservative) so it’s really important to make sure you have the right kind of alcohol or it won’t work. Ethanol, ever clear and perfumers alcohol are popular choices with a high enough proof.

Aloe vera: While a popular choice for DIYs and emulsification, aloe vera gel is a water based substance and does not actually mix with the essential oils. It gives the impression that it does, seeming to mix a lot better than water or witch hazel but it does not. Plant Therapy has an aloe vera jelly that comes thickened, that could work and is ready to add essential oils. This is the only exception that I know of and you will need something else to mix in with the aloe to be able to make it work.

How should I use the emulsifier?

Okay so we know what emulsifiers are, but how do we use them? For things like beeswax it’s best to follow a solid lotion recipe and then add the essential oils to the completed lotion. I have found this works best and is relatively easy to use once you get the hang of making a lotion, or if you buy a lotion base it becomes even easier. How do things like alcohol, natural solubilizers and polysorbates work? With alcohol you will use the allotted amount for your recipe, measure it out and then add the amount of essential oils that you want. You need to let this sit, so it is best to do this in a separate container. This could take some time, 15-20 minutes maybe even longer if the density of the oil is heavier. Once the oils have degraded down and you can mix them into the alcohol and they don’t settle back at the top you are good to go. Continue the recipe as you would. With a solubilizer or polysorbate you will add them in addition to the recipe. Polysorbate is a 1:1 ratio and Solubilizer is a 2:1 ratio. So for polysorbate you will do equal parts of the polysorbate and essential oils. With the solubilizer you will do 2 parts solubilizer and 1 part essential oil. You will then let them sit, around 15-20 minutes although this time can vary depending on the density of the essential oils. Once it has sat, gently swirl or stir and then add to your DIY as you would add the essential oils and mix gently. You product is now properly combined and will last longer without separation.

When mixing essential oils with castile soap all that you need to do is thoroughly mix the oils and soap base together. Once you have done this you can make the DIY project as you normally would adding the the allotted amount of water, oils, glycerin etc.

Hopefully this gave you some insight on emulsifiers and what to look for to ensure your products are properly formulated. This can also be helpful when checking a product to buy, if you see a water base and you don’t see an emulsifier I would take caution with that product.

 Thank you so much for reading, your support means a lot. If you have any questions feel free to email me at holisticary@gmail.com or call/text me at 641-631-6355

This blog post was meant to educate and entertain, it is entirely my opinion and not meant to treat or diagnose anyone or to be taken as absolute unwavering fact. Please seek proper medical care and advice. Some links might contain affiliate links, this is at no cost to you and helps the blog.