Case Study: Practical Application of Cream Emulsifier in Skin Care Product Manufacturing
In the field of skin care product manufacturing, the formation of a stable emulsion system is the core link in producing high-quality creams. Creams, as a typical oil-in-water (O/W) or water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion product, require uniform dispersion of oil and water phases, fine particle size, and good stability to ensure skin-friendly texture and effective absorption of functional ingredients. For enterprises engaged in medium and small-batch cream production, especially those focusing on natural and mild skin care products, the performance of cream emulsifiers directly affects product quality, production efficiency, and process flexibility. This case study is based on 18 months of actual application experience, focusing on the application of a cream emulsifier in the production of facial moisturizing cream, anti-aging cream, and body cream, elaborating on its application background, operation process, problem-solving effects, and long-term application value, without involving any specific enterprise name or marketing-related expressions.
1. Application Background
The entity involved in this case mainly engages in the research, development and production of mild skin care products, with product lines covering facial moisturizing cream, anti-aging cream, body cream, and children's cream. Before introducing the dedicated cream emulsifier, the entity faced multiple pain points in the cream production process that affected product quality and production efficiency:
First, the previous production relied on general-purpose mixing equipment instead of professional emulsifiers. Due to the lack of efficient shear and emulsification capacity, the oil and water phases could not be fully mixed, resulting in uneven emulsion particle size (average particle size 6-10 μm). The produced cream had a rough texture, obvious graininess when applied, and poor skin penetration, which affected user experience.
Second, the stability of the emulsion system was insufficient. The cream products were prone to delamination, water separation, or discoloration during storage (especially under high-temperature conditions of 35-40℃), with a qualification rate of only 82% after 3 months of storage, failing to meet the internal quality control standards.
Third, the production process was cumbersome and inefficient. For small-batch production (batch volume 30-200L) and formula adjustment, the general-purpose equipment required long pre-mixing and emulsification time (total production cycle 7-9 hours per batch), and the cleaning and disinfection between different formulas took 3-5 hours, leading to long downtime and low production capacity utilization.
Fourth, the dispersion of functional ingredients (such as plant extracts, vitamins, and hyaluronic acid) was uneven. Due to the lack of targeted shear and mixing mechanisms, functional ingredients were prone to agglomeration in the cream matrix, resulting in inconsistent efficacy of different parts of the same batch of products and failure to achieve the expected skin care effects.
To solve the above problems, the entity conducted in-depth investigation and comparison of cream production equipment, and finally selected a dedicated cream emulsifier with a working volume of 50L-300L. The core consideration was that the equipment has targeted emulsion formation mechanisms, precise process control capabilities, and easy operation and maintenance characteristics, which can adapt to the production needs of multiple types of creams, small and medium batches, and frequent formula adjustments. At the same time, the equipment meets GMP and FDA standards for cosmetic production, ensuring the safety and hygiene of the production process and compliance with relevant industry regulations.
2. Equipment Overview and Installation
The dedicated cream emulsifier adopted in this case is a integrated equipment integrating pre-mixing, high-shear emulsification, vacuum deaeration, heating, cooling, and automatic cleaning functions, which is specially designed for the characteristics of cream products (high viscosity, high emulsion stability requirements, and fine texture requirements). The main structural components of the equipment include a mixing tank, high-shear emulsifying head, frame-type mixing paddle, scraper, heating and cooling jacket, vacuum system, control system, and support frame.
The mixing tank of the equipment is made of 316L stainless steel, with a mirror-polished inner surface (surface roughness Ra ≤ 0.4 μm), which is corrosion-resistant, not easy to adhere to materials, and easy to clean. The tank volume is 200L (working volume 160L), which is suitable for the medium and small-batch production needs of the entity. The high-shear emulsifying head, as the core component of the equipment, adopts a 3-stage stator-rotor structure with a shear gap of 0.02-0.08 mm and a stepless speed regulation range of 2000-12000 rpm. It can generate strong shear force, impact force, and turbulence to break down oil droplets and water droplets into micro-particles (average particle size ≤ 3 μm) and promote the formation of a stable emulsion system.
The equipment is equipped with a frame-type mixing paddle and a wall-scraping paddle. The frame-type mixing paddle (speed 10-80 rpm) is used for pre-mixing of oil and water phases and auxiliary mixing during emulsification, ensuring the overall uniformity of materials; the wall-scraping paddle is closely attached to the inner wall of the mixing tank, continuously scraping off the materials adhered to the wall during the production process, avoiding local overheating or under-emulsification of materials, and ensuring that all materials are fully involved in the emulsification process.
The heating and cooling system of the equipment adopts a jacketed structure. The heating method is electric heating with a heating power of 12 kW, and the temperature control range is 20-90℃ with a temperature fluctuation accuracy of ±0.5℃; the cooling method is circulating cooling water, with a cooling rate of 5-10℃/h, which can quickly cool the emulsified materials to room temperature without affecting the stability of the emulsion. The vacuum system of the equipment can maintain a vacuum degree of ≤ -0.09 MPa, which can effectively extract air bubbles in the materials during the emulsification process, avoid the formation of bubbles in the cream, and improve the smoothness of the product texture.
The installation of the cream emulsifier is simple and convenient, without the need for professional foundation construction. It only needs to place the equipment in a flat, dry, and well-ventilated area of the workshop, connect the power supply (380V, 50Hz), cooling water pipeline, and compressed air pipeline (for auxiliary discharge), and complete the debugging after checking the tightness of each pipeline, the operation of the motor, and the accuracy of the control system. The equipment's control system adopts a PLC touch screen with a Chinese-English bilingual interface, which is intuitive and easy to operate. Operators can master basic operation skills (including parameter setting, start-stop operation, and simple fault judgment) after 2-3 days of systematic training.
3. Practical Application Process (Taking Facial Moisturizing Cream as an Example)
The entity mainly uses this cream emulsifier to produce facial moisturizing cream (oil-in-water type, viscosity 15000-35000 mPa·s), anti-aging cream (oil-in-water type, viscosity 20000-40000 mPa·s), and body cream (water-in-oil type, viscosity 12000-30000 mPa·s). The following takes the production of facial moisturizing cream (batch volume 150L) as an example to detail the application process, operation points, and key control links of the equipment, so as to fully reflect the practical application effect of the cream emulsifier.
3.1 Pre-Production Preparation
Before starting production, operators need to complete two core tasks: equipment inspection and cleaning, and raw material preparation, so as to lay the foundation for stable production and product quality.
In terms of equipment inspection and cleaning: First, check the integrity and operation status of each component of the cream emulsifier, including the operation of the motor (mixing motor, emulsifying motor), the tightness of the vacuum system (no air leakage), the smoothness of the cooling water pipeline (no blockage), the wear of the emulsifying head (stator-rotor gap within the standard range), and the flexibility of the wall-scraping paddle (closely attached to the tank wall without gaps). Second, clean and disinfect the mixing tank, emulsifying head, feeding port, discharge port, and other parts in contact with materials. The cleaning process adopts the CIP automatic cleaning system equipped with the equipment: inject neutral detergent (concentration 2-3%) into the tank, start the cleaning nozzles (360-degree rotation) and mixing paddle, clean the inner wall of the tank and the surface of the components for 20 minutes; then rinse with pure water 3 times (each time 50L of pure water) to remove residual detergent; finally, dry the tank with hot air (temperature 70-75℃) for 30 minutes to ensure that there is no water residue or detergent residue, avoiding cross-contamination between batches.
In terms of raw material preparation: According to the formula of facial moisturizing cream, prepare the required raw materials, including water phase raw materials (deionized water, glycerin, hyaluronic acid, triethanolamine, etc.), oil phase raw materials (vegetable oil, squalane, cetearyl alcohol, beeswax, etc.), emulsifiers (cetearyl glucoside), functional ingredients (green tea extract, vitamin B5), and preservatives (phenoxyethanol). All raw materials are inspected for quality first to ensure that they meet the relevant standards for cosmetic raw materials; then, the water phase and oil phase raw materials are separately mixed and dissolved (the water phase is heated to 60-65℃ to dissolve hyaluronic acid and other water-soluble ingredients, and the oil phase is heated to 70-75℃ to melt beeswax and other oil-soluble ingredients); finally, all raw materials are filtered through a 200-mesh filter screen to remove impurities and undissolved particles, ensuring that no solid particles enter the mixing tank to avoid wear of the emulsifying head and affecting the emulsification effect.
3.2 Feeding and Pre-Mixing
After completing the pre-production preparation, the feeding and pre-mixing process is carried out. Operators first open the feeding port cover of the cream emulsifier, add the prepared water phase raw materials (about 90L) into the mixing tank, then start the frame-type mixing paddle, adjust the speed to 30 rpm, and stir for 5 minutes to make the water phase materials evenly mixed. Then, slowly add the prepared oil phase raw materials (about 60L) into the tank while stirring, and continue stirring at 30 rpm for 10 minutes to realize the initial mixing of the water phase and oil phase. During the feeding process, it is necessary to control the feeding speed of the oil phase raw materials to avoid local agglomeration caused by rapid feeding; at the same time, monitor the material temperature in real time to ensure that the temperature of the mixed materials is maintained at 65-70℃, which is conducive to the subsequent emulsification reaction.
In the pre-mixing stage, the wall-scraping paddle of the equipment plays an important role. It continuously scrapes off the materials adhered to the inner wall of the tank, ensuring that no materials are left on the tank wall, avoiding local overheating of the materials (especially oil phase materials) and affecting the stability of the emulsion. Compared with the previous general-purpose mixing equipment, the pre-mixing time of the cream emulsifier is shortened by 30%, and the mixing uniformity of the materials is significantly improved, laying a good foundation for the subsequent high-shear emulsification.
3.3 High-Shear Emulsification and Vacuum Deaeration
After the pre-mixing is completed, the high-shear emulsification and vacuum deaeration process is carried out, which is the core link to form a stable cream emulsion system. First, start the vacuum system of the cream emulsifier, extract the air in the mixing tank, and maintain the vacuum degree at ≤ -0.09 MPa. The vacuum system can quickly extract the air in the tank (pumping time is about 4 minutes), which can not only avoid the formation of air bubbles in the emulsification process but also prevent the oxidation of easily oxidized ingredients (such as vegetable oil and vitamin B5) in the materials, ensuring the efficacy and stability of the product.
After reaching the set vacuum degree, start the high-shear emulsifying head, adjust the speed to 9000 rpm, and at the same time adjust the frame-type mixing paddle speed to 50 rpm to ensure that the materials are fully involved in the emulsification process. During the emulsification process, the 3-stage stator-rotor structure of the emulsifying head generates strong shear force, impact force, and turbulence, which breaks down the oil droplets in the mixed materials into micro-droplets (average particle size 0.8-2.5 μm) and disperses them evenly in the water phase, forming a stable oil-in-water emulsion system. The emulsification time is set to 15 minutes according to the formula requirements and material characteristics. During the emulsification process, the operator monitors the material state in real time through the observation window on the tank cover, and adjusts the emulsifying speed and mixing speed appropriately according to the actual situation (such as material viscosity and uniformity) to ensure the emulsification effect.
It is worth noting that the cream emulsifier has a good adaptability to different formulas. When switching from facial moisturizing cream production to anti-aging cream production (the viscosity of anti-aging cream is higher), operators only need to adjust the emulsifying speed (increase to 10000-11000 rpm) and emulsification time (extend to 18-20 minutes) through the control system, without replacing the emulsifying head or other components, which greatly improves the flexibility of formula switching.
3.4 Cooling and Post-Mixing of Functional Ingredients
After the emulsification is completed, the cooling and post-mixing process of functional ingredients is carried out to ensure the stability of the cream and the uniform dispersion of functional ingredients. First, stop the high-shear emulsifying head, keep the frame-type mixing paddle running (speed adjusted to 20 rpm), and start the cooling system to cool the emulsified materials to room temperature (25-30℃). The cooling system of the equipment adopts circulating cooling water, which can cool the materials evenly and quickly. The cooling rate is controlled at 6-8℃/h to avoid the destruction of the emulsion system caused by rapid cooling.
When the material temperature drops to 40℃ (the optimal temperature for adding functional ingredients), add the pre-diluted green tea extract and vitamin B5 into the tank through the feeding port (the feeding port can be opened without breaking the vacuum to avoid air entering the tank), and continue stirring at 20 rpm for 10 minutes to ensure that the functional ingredients are evenly dispersed in the cream matrix. Then, add the preservative (phenoxyethanol) into the tank and stir for 5 minutes to complete the post-mixing process. During the cooling and post-mixing process, the wall-scraping paddle continues to work, ensuring that the functional ingredients and preservatives are evenly dispersed, and no local agglomeration occurs.
3.5 Discharge and Post-Production Cleaning
When the material temperature drops to room temperature and the post-mixing is completed, the discharge and post-production cleaning process is carried out. First, stop the vacuum system and mixing paddle, open the discharge port at the bottom of the mixing tank (equipped with a ball valve to control the discharge speed), and discharge the finished facial moisturizing cream into a clean stainless steel container. The inner wall of the mixing tank is mirror-polished, and the wall-scraping paddle has scraped off the materials adhered to the wall, so there is no material residue during discharge, and the material utilization rate is improved.
After the discharge is completed, the post-production cleaning is carried out immediately. The cleaning process is the same as the pre-production cleaning process: use the CIP automatic cleaning system to clean the mixing tank, emulsifying head, wall-scraping paddle, feeding port, and discharge port with neutral detergent and pure water, and then dry with hot air. The entire cleaning process takes about 40 minutes, which is much shorter than the cleaning time of the previous general-purpose equipment (3-5 hours), greatly reducing the downtime between batches and improving production efficiency. After cleaning, the equipment is in a standby state and can be put into the production of the next batch or the next type of cream product.
4. Application Effects and Data Analysis
Since the introduction of the dedicated cream emulsifier, the entity has used it for the production of facial moisturizing cream, anti-aging cream, and body cream for 18 months. Through the comparison of production data and product quality indicators before and after the introduction of the equipment, the application effect is obvious, and significant improvements have been achieved in product quality, production efficiency, and production cost control. The specific data analysis is as follows:
4.1 Significant Improvement of Product Quality
The application of the cream emulsifier has significantly improved the quality of cream products, mainly reflected in four aspects:
First, the emulsion particle size is finer and more uniform. Before introducing the equipment, the average particle size of the cream emulsion was 6-10 μm, and the particle size distribution was uneven (PDI ≥ 0.25). After using the cream emulsifier, the average particle size of the emulsion was reduced to 0.8-2.5 μm, and the particle size distribution was more uniform (PDI ≤ 0.15). The finer and more uniform emulsion particles make the cream texture smoother and more delicate, with no graininess when applied, and better skin penetration, which significantly improves the user experience.
Second, the stability of the emulsion system is significantly enhanced. Before introducing the equipment, the qualification rate of cream products after 3 months of storage at 35℃ was only 82%, and 18% of the products had delamination, water separation, or discoloration. After using the cream emulsifier, the qualification rate of products after 3 months of storage at 35℃ reached 99.5%, and no delamination, water separation, or discoloration occurred. Even after 6 months of storage, the product quality remained stable, which fully met the internal quality control standards and market demand.
Third, the dispersion uniformity of functional ingredients is improved. Taking green tea extract (the core functional ingredient of facial moisturizing cream) as an example, before using the equipment, the content difference of green tea extract in different parts of the same batch of products was up to 12%, resulting in inconsistent efficacy of different parts of the product. After using the cream emulsifier, the content difference of green tea extract in different parts of the same batch of products was reduced to within 2%, ensuring the consistency of product efficacy.
Fourth, the product qualification rate is significantly improved. Before introducing the equipment, the overall qualification rate of cream products (including texture, stability, and functional ingredient content) was 85%. After using the cream emulsifier, the overall qualification rate of products reached 99.2%, reducing the waste of raw materials and production costs caused by unqualified products.
4.2 Remarkable Improvement of Production Efficiency
The cream emulsifier has optimized the production process of cream products, significantly shortening the production cycle and improving production efficiency. Taking the production of 150L batch facial moisturizing cream as an example: before introducing the equipment, the total production cycle (including pre-mixing, emulsification, cooling, discharge, and cleaning) was 8 hours; after using the cream emulsifier, the total production cycle was shortened to 4 hours, and the production efficiency was increased by 50%. The main reasons for the efficiency improvement are as follows:
First, the emulsification efficiency is significantly improved. The high-shear emulsifying head of the cream emulsifier has strong emulsification capacity, which shortens the emulsification time from 30 minutes (previous general-purpose equipment) to 15 minutes, reducing the emulsification time by 50%.
Second, the cleaning time is greatly shortened. The CIP automatic cleaning system of the equipment and the mirror-polished inner surface of the mixing tank make the cleaning process more efficient, shortening the cleaning time from 3-5 hours (previous general-purpose equipment) to 40 minutes, significantly reducing the downtime between batches.
Third, the formula switching efficiency is improved. The cream emulsifier has good adaptability to different formulas, and operators only need to adjust parameters through the control system when switching formulas, without replacing components or complex debugging, shortening the formula switching time from 2-3 hours to 30 minutes.
In addition, for small-batch trial production (50L batch), the production efficiency improvement is more obvious. Before introducing the equipment, the production cycle of small-batch trial production was 7 hours; after using the cream emulsifier, the production cycle was shortened to 2 hours, which meets the entity's demand for rapid trial production of new formulas. In the past 18 months, the entity has completed the trial production of 35 new cream formulas using this equipment, which is 1.8 times the number of new formula trial productions in the same period before introducing the equipment.
4.3 Effective Reduction of Production Costs
The application of the cream emulsifier has not only improved product quality and production efficiency but also effectively reduced the production costs of the entity, mainly reflected in three aspects:
First, the energy consumption is reduced. The total power of the cream emulsifier (mixing motor + emulsifying motor + heating system) is 18 kW, while the total power of the previous general-purpose equipment is 28 kW. For the production of 150L batch facial moisturizing cream, the energy consumption of the cream emulsifier is 7.2 kWh, which is 39.3% lower than that of the previous general-purpose equipment (11.8 kWh). Based on the annual production of 200 batches, the entity can save 920 kWh of electricity every year.
Second, the raw material loss is reduced. Before introducing the equipment, the raw material loss rate (including unqualified products, material residue on the equipment, and material loss during the production process) was 6%. After using the cream emulsifier, the raw material loss rate was reduced to 1.5%, reducing the raw material loss by 75%. Based on the annual raw material consumption of 10 tons (cost 500,000 yuan/ton), the entity can save 225,000 yuan of raw material costs every year.
Third, the labor cost is reduced. The cream emulsifier has a high degree of automation, and one operator can complete the entire production process (from feeding to discharge and cleaning) of a single batch of products, while the previous general-purpose equipment required two operators. This reduces the labor intensity of operators and saves 50% of the labor cost for each batch of production.
4.4 Enhancement of Production Flexibility
The cream emulsifier has strong adaptability, which enhances the production flexibility of the entity. On the one hand, the equipment is suitable for the production of multiple types of cream products (facial moisturizing cream, anti-aging cream, body cream, children's cream, etc.), and operators can switch between different product types by adjusting parameters such as emulsifying speed, emulsification time, and temperature, without the need to replace equipment or major components. On the other hand, the equipment is suitable for both small-batch trial production (30-50L) and medium-batch mass production (100-300L), which can meet the entity's production needs for different batch sizes. This flexible production mode enables the entity to quickly respond to market changes (such as changes in consumer demand and market trends) and adjust the product structure and production plan in a timely manner, improving the market adaptability and competitiveness of the entity.
5. Daily Maintenance and Operation Experience
During the 18-month application process, the entity has accumulated rich experience in the daily maintenance and operation of the cream emulsifier, which ensures the stable operation of the equipment, prolongs the service life of the equipment, and ensures the continuity and stability of production. The specific experience is summarized as follows:
5.1 Daily Maintenance
The daily maintenance of the cream emulsifier mainly focuses on five aspects to ensure the stable operation of each component of the equipment:
First, timely cleaning after production. After each batch of production, the equipment must be cleaned in time (including the mixing tank, emulsifying head, wall-scraping paddle, feeding port, and discharge port) to avoid material residue and bacterial growth, which affects the quality of the next batch of products and the service life of the equipment.
Second, regular inspection of lubricating oil. Check the oil level of the mixing motor and emulsifying motor every day, and add lubricating oil (No. 32 mechanical oil) in time if the oil level is lower than the standard line to ensure the normal operation of the motor and reduce wear.
Third, regular inspection of sealing parts. Check the sealing rings of the mixing tank cover, discharge port, and other parts every day for wear, aging, or leakage. If problems are found, replace the sealing rings in time to ensure the tightness of the equipment (especially the vacuum system) and avoid affecting the emulsification effect and product quality.
Fourth, regular cleaning of filters. Clean the filter screens of the vacuum system and cooling water system every week to avoid blockage of the filters, which affects the operation of the vacuum system and cooling system.
Fifth, regular calibration of instruments. Calibrate the temperature sensor, vacuum gauge, and other instruments of the equipment every month to ensure the accuracy of the instruments and the reliability of the production process parameters.
5.2 Operation Experience
In terms of equipment operation, the entity summarizes four key experience points to ensure the emulsification effect and product quality:
First, reasonably set emulsification parameters. The emulsifying speed and emulsification time should be adjusted according to the type and viscosity of the cream product. For high-viscosity products (such as anti-aging cream), the emulsifying speed should be set to 10000-11000 rpm, and the emulsification time should be extended to 18-20 minutes; for low-viscosity products (such as body cream), the emulsifying speed can be set to 7000-9000 rpm, and the emulsification time can be shortened to 12-15 minutes.
Second, strictly control the material temperature. The temperature of the materials during pre-mixing and emulsification should be strictly controlled within the set range (65-70℃ for oil-in-water type creams). Too high or too low temperature will affect the emulsification effect and the stability of the emulsion system. For heat-sensitive functional ingredients (such as vitamin C and some plant extracts), the adding temperature should be strictly controlled at 35-40℃ to avoid the degradation of active ingredients.
Third, control the feeding speed and order. When adding oil phase raw materials to the water phase, the feeding speed should be slow and uniform to avoid local agglomeration; the functional ingredients and preservatives should be added in the correct order (functional ingredients first, then preservatives) to ensure their uniform dispersion and effectiveness.
Fourth, strengthen operator training. Regularly train operators on the operation skills, maintenance methods, and fault judgment of the cream emulsifier, so that operators can master the key points of operation and deal with simple faults in a timely manner, reducing the equipment failure rate and ensuring the continuity of production.
6. Summary and Prospect
After 18 months of practical application, the dedicated cream emulsifier has played an important role in the cream production process of the entity, and has achieved remarkable results in improving product quality, increasing production efficiency, reducing production costs, and enhancing production flexibility. The equipment's targeted high-shear emulsification mechanism, precise process control capabilities, and easy operation and maintenance characteristics are fully compatible with the entity's production needs of multiple types of creams, small and medium batches, and frequent formula adjustments. During the application period, the equipment operated stably, with a failure rate of less than 1%, which ensured the continuity and stability of production and provided strong support for the entity's product research and development and market expansion.
Looking forward to the future, the entity plans to further expand the application scope of the cream emulsifier, and apply it to the production of more types of cream products (such as whitening cream, sunscreen cream, and after-sun repair cream) to meet the diverse market demands. At the same time, the entity will continue to optimize the production process parameters based on the application experience of the equipment, further improve product quality and production efficiency, and enhance the market competitiveness of products.
For entities engaged in cream production with similar production needs (multiple types, small and medium batches, frequent formula adjustments), the dedicated cream emulsifier is a practical and cost-effective production equipment. Its application can effectively solve the problems of uneven emulsion particle size, poor stability, low production efficiency, and high production cost existing in the traditional cream production process, and provide reliable guarantee for the production of high-quality cream products. With the continuous development of the skin care product industry, the demand for high-quality cream products and efficient production equipment will continue to increase, and the dedicated cream emulsifier will have a broader application prospect in the field of cream production.
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