Why is foam so important to women users? body or hair cleansing products ?
We looked at consumer reviews on the Internet, developed a short questionnaire on the solid cosmetics and we noticed how much foam there was.
Source of dissatisfaction when it does not foam enough, real expectation of users when we develop this type of product. In short, we wanted to dig into the subject…
How does foam form? Why do we love it so much? Is foam always a sign of a quality product? What about the planet? We answer all your questions.
How is foam formed?
Foam is linked to an emulsion of air in water. When you shake a bottle of water, bubbles form but they burst immediately because they lack a stabilizer. In cosmetics, a stabilizer is added that will allow the bubbles to remain intact and clump together to form foam: this is the surfactant .
Surfactants are the cleaning agents present in soap or any cleaning product. They consist of a part attracted by grease, dirt and another part attracted by water. The surfactants mixed with water will therefore on the one hand cling to the dirt then attract it into the water to evacuate it during rinsing.
The surfactant is therefore the ingredient which will have the cleaning power in your soap or shampoo. It is also what causes the foam formation more or less abundantly depending on its nature and its foaming power .
While the natural surfactants have a relatively low foaming power, synthetic surfactants used in industrial cosmetic products have a very high foaming power, particularly sulfated surfactants.
The benefits of foam: why we love it so much?
The foam helps the product spread
The foam makes it easier to spread the product over the entire hair or skin. A less foaming product using milder surfactants will be harder to spread. But don't panic, you just need to spread the product better at the start instead of applying the entire dose to one place. This is what we usually do...
Foam brings sensoriality and pleasure
Foam is a pleasant, voluptuous, soft texture . It thus contributes to the pleasure of using the product. It participates in the sensory experience . It is associated with the bubble bath synonymous with relaxation or the delicacy of a chocolate mousse. This side light and airy is very popular and contributes greatly to user satisfaction.
Abundant foam does not mean greater efficiency
The collective imagination associates foam and cleaning efficiency . Some detergent products even add additives to their formulas to make them foam more, if not more cleaning.
As seen previously, the foam will have advantages in terms of practicality during use and application. It also has advantages in terms of efficiency since it reflects the presence of surfactants, cleaning agents .
But be careful! The amount of foam is not linked to the cleaning power of the surfactant but to its foaming power. It is therefore not proportional to the effectiveness of the formula!
Some less foaming formulas, such as those of Natural solid soaps will have a greater cleaning power than some industrial formulas using synthetic surfactants. So be careful...
Foam is not a sign of a healthy formula for your skin or the planet.
We saw that the foam was linked to the presence of surfactants in the formula.
However, certain particularly aggressive surfactants can damage your skin's protective barrier: the hydrolipidic film . Of course, the product cleans the skin well but it damages the epidermis . This is the case with sulfated surfactants, one of whose properties is precisely to create a generous foam.
Furthermore, these sulfate products released by the shower when rinsing end up in nature and can have harmful consequences on the environment.
Fortunately, it is now possible to identify these in our products irritating surfactants thanks to applications like Yuka. For example, we find the following:
- Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate*,
- Ammonium Laureth Sulfate*,
- Ammonium Sulfate*,
- Sodium Lauryl Sulfate,
- Sodium Laureth Sulfate,
- Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate,
- Sodium Laureth-8 Sulfate,
- Sodium Laureth-12 Sulfate,
- PEG-8 lauryl ether sulfate,
- Sodium Myreth Sulfate,
- Sodium Oleth Sulfate.
If you find these ingredients in your cleaning products, run away!
Finally, too much foam means longer rinsing! Using products that foam too much is therefore less good for the planet and your wallet!
Is there a good compromise between foam and benefits for the skin and the planet?
YES !
Foam is important in terms of speed, convenience and sensoriality. It therefore contributes greatly to a consumer's satisfaction when using a cleaning product.
Fortunately, today there are Mild, sulfate-free surfactants, derived from naturally occurring ingredients , with sufficient foaming power to be practical to use.
There are also nonionic surfactants , sugar derivatives such as Decyl Glucoside, Coco Glucoside or Lauryl Glucoside.
So there are natural alternatives to make our cosmetic products foam while protecting our skin and the planet. Good news!
Long live cold saponification!
At On Behalf, we have of course taken this into account in our products. We have chosen the cold saponification for the formulation of our washing care . This manufacturing process allows for a foaming product without using surfactants. This is thanks to the saponified oils!
For our range of children's cleansing care , we use a Mild non-ionic surfactant of natural origin approved by the cosmos charter.
