K-beauty inspiration: how to formulate multi-balm

K-beauty has changed the beauty industry in the past decade with its amazing innovations. A multi-use product bringing both hygiene and convenience to a busy modern life is becoming increasingly attractive to Korean consumers.
K- Beauty 在过去十年里以其令人惊叹的创新改变了美容产业。这款多功能产品为繁忙的现代生活带来了卫生和便利，对韩国消费者的吸引力正在日益增强。

Beauty sticks made for multi-purpose use by combining the functions of cream, serum, makeup and even facial mask have quickly become one of the biggest K-beauty trends this year. However, formulating stick products is more challenging than creams and serums. The key attributes that are previously linked to lipsticks, such as stability, firmness and pay-off, now need to be re-evaluated for whole facial applications.
通过结合面霜、血清、化妆品甚至面膜的多功能美容棒，迅速成为今年最大的 K 美容趋势之一。然而，制作美容棒产品比面霜和血清更具挑战性。以前与口红相关的关键属性，如稳定性、坚固性和效果，现在需要对整个面部应用进行重新评估。

The oil components within a stick formulation function as a solvent for the waxes and a carrier for the pigments. “Stick sweating”, the phenomenon which is very familiar to makeup formulators, is usually caused by poor wax solvency which creates a coarse, non-homogenous structure, leading to fine oil droplets on the surface of the stick during small temperature fluctuations or product storage. In very unstable systems, variations such as temperature fluctuation, which is very common in tropical regions, or improper storage, can lead to the stick melting completely.
棒状配方中的油脂成分作为蜡的溶剂和颜料的载体。化妆品配方师非常熟悉的 “棒状出汗” 现象，通常是由于蜡溶解度低造成的粗糙、不均匀的结构，导致在微小的温度波动或产品储存过程中棒状表面出现细小的油滴。在非常不稳定的系统中，温度波动 (这在热带地区非常常见) 或储存不当等变化可能导致棒状物完全融化。

Hectorite based organoclay gels of the BENTONE GEL® series can create a network in the stick’s oil phase, working together with the waxes in the system to promote a fine, homogenous crystalline structure that leads to an increased stick integrity. Unlike the crystalline mechanism of waxes, the gel network is built up via hydrogen bonding formed by the hydroxyl groups on the edges of the organoclay platelet. This network is much more thermo-resilient than the one from waxes, thus the BENTONE GEL® can help to stop the stick system from melting at high temperatures. The stability test shows that the Moisture Boost Serum Stick (F-1012-01) with 10% BENTONE GEL® LC V (INCI: C9-12 Alkane (and) Disteardimonium Hectorite (and) Triethyl Citrate) did not melt when stored at 40°C, while the benchmark formula without BENTONE GEL® partially melted. The prototypes have also been stored in the oven at 50°C, and the result shows that the one without BENTONE GEL® partially melted in an uneven way.
BENTONE GEL® 系列的赫克托石基有机粘土凝胶可以在棒的油相中形成网络，与系统中的蜡相互作用，形成细小、均匀的晶体结构，从而提高棒的完整性。与蜡的结晶机制不同，凝胶网络是通过有机粘土板边缘的羟基形成的氢键建立的。这种网络比蜡的网络具有更强的耐热性，因此 BENTONE GEL® 可以帮助防止棒系统在高温下融化。稳定性测试表明，含有 10% BENTONE GEL® LC V (INCI: C9-12 烷烃 (和) 赫克托石 (和) 柠檬酸三乙酯) 的水分增强血清棒 (F-1012-01) 在 40°C 储存时没有融化，而未含 BENTONE GEL® 的基准配方部分融化。样品也在 50°C 下储存在烤箱中，结果显示，未含 BENTONE GEL® 的样品部分融化的方式不均匀。

Picture 1: Moisture Boost Serum Stick (F-1012-01) with and without 10% BENTONE GEL® LC V stored at 50°C
图 1: 水分增强血清棒 (F-1012-01), 含有和不含 10% BENTONE GEL® LC V, 储存在 50°C

Another important aspect of stick application is the firmness. It describes the interaction between the oils and waxes within the formulation and can be controlled by altering the oils or waxes used. Within a formulation, formulators need to carefully select the paste-like materials that can be used to create micro-crystalline or gel-like structures to ensure more elasticity and are less prone to potential breakage. On the other hand, if the stick texture is too hard, it will impact another key attribute – the pay-off. Pay-off is a measure of the amount of product deposited on the skin when applying, and is directly related to the formulation’s wax structure. Pay-off is important to ensure even and thorough covering of area with product, and can be inversely proportional to firmness i.e. the softer formulations provide increased payoff and vice versa. This relationship creates a challenge for formulators – balancing the need for a firm formulation while maintaining a good pay-off, the two fundamental attributes where good performance is expected by the customer.
棒材应用的另一个重要方面是硬度。它描述了配方中油和蜡之间的相互作用，可以通过改变使用的油或蜡来控制。在配方中，配方师需要仔细选择类糊状材料，这些材料可以用来创造微晶体或类凝胶结构，以确保更大的弹性和更少的潜在破坏倾向。另一方面，如果棒材质地过硬，它将影响另一个关键属性 —— 收益率。收益率是指在应用时产品沉积在皮肤上的量，它与配方的蜡结构直接相关。收益率对于确保产品均匀和彻底地覆盖面积至关重要，并且可以与硬度成反比，即软配方提供更高的收益率，反之亦然。这种关系给配方师带来了挑战 —— 在平衡企业配方需求的同时保持良好的收益率，这是客户期望良好表现的两个基本属性。

Hectorite based organoclay gels make the stick structure more elastic, and the hydrogen bonding network structure will be fully formed when the product is in the container. When shear is applied, the platelets align flat on the skin, giving a beautiful application. Generally, BENTONE GEL® will make a stick softer, so that a better pay-off on application can be achieved. At the same time, it will give a stick more flexibility, so that it is less prone to breakage.
黑铁矿基有机粘土凝胶使棍棒结构更具弹性，当产品在容器中时，氢键网络结构将完全形成。当施加剪切时，板块在皮肤上平整对齐，提供了美观的应用效果。通常，BENTONE GEL® 会使棍棒更加柔软，从而在应用中获得更好的回报。同时，它将赋予棍棒更大的柔韧性，从而减少其断裂的可能性。

Picture 2: Hardness vs. flexibility in stick formulas with various BENTONE GEL®s
图 2: 使用各种 BENTONE GEL® 的棒式公式中的硬度与灵活性

Current beauty sticks have gone beyond skin moisturization only, and more diversified multi-purpose sticks are emerging in the market, such as clay mask stick, sun care stick, highlighter stick, foundation stick and many more. The variety of applications brings more insoluble ingredients like sunscreens, particles, pigments, clays and some actives into the stick, causing more challenges to the formula system.
当前的美容棒已经不仅仅局限于护肤保湿，市场上出现了更多样化的多功能棒，如粘土面膜棒、防晒棒、荧光棒、粉底棒等。多种多样的应用为美容棒带来了更多不溶性成分，如防晒霜、颗粒物、颜料、粘土和一些活性剂，给配方系统带来了更多挑战。

The BENTONE GEL® series offers a unique rheological performance in both single oil systems and the oil phase of an emulsion. The honeycomb like network formed by the gel, often referred to as a house of cards, can help the oil droplets, pigments and other particles to be evenly suspended and stabilized in the system in a much finer texture. The extraordinary suspension performance of BENTONE GEL® leads to a much more uniform and stable stick and ensures replication of the formula performance from batch to batch.
BENTONE GEL® 系列在单一油体系和乳液的油相中都提供了独特的流变性能。凝胶形成的蜂窝状网络，通常被称为纸牌屋，可以帮助油滴、色素和其他颗粒在体系中均匀悬浮和稳定，形成更细腻的纹理。BENTONE GEL® 非凡的悬浮性能导致了更加均匀和稳定的棒状结构，并确保了配方性能在批次间的复制。

Picture 3: Idealized two-dimensional representation of the network formed by a BENTONE GEL® for stabilizing actives and particles
图 3:BENTONE GEL® 为稳定活性剂和颗粒而形成的网络的理想化二维表示

Particularly during the molding process in production, when oils and waxes are still liquid, sedimentation of the particles is of concern. Picture 4 depicts glitter in a stick base, that was put into the mold at 80°C, and without organoclay gel (10% BENTONE GEL® GTCC V), all the glitter sedimented. It is clearly shown that the incorporation of BENTONE GEL® into the stick system will help improve the suspension performance at large.
特别是在生产中的成型过程中，当油和蜡仍然是液态时，颗粒的沉淀是一个值得关注的问题。图 4 描绘了在 80°C 下放入模具的棒基中的闪光物，如果没有有机粘土凝胶 (10% BENTONE GEL® GTCC V), 所有闪光物都会沉淀。这清楚地表明，将 BENTONE GEL® 添加到棒基系统中将有助于提高整体悬浮性能。

Picture 4: BENTONE GEL® helps to improve the particle suspension in a stick formula
图 4:BENTONE GEL® 有助于改善棒状配方中的颗粒悬浮

One extra benefit brought by is the smooth and velvet sensory. Most stick formulas are wax-based, which often leave a greasy feeling when applied to the whole face instead of lips only. Hectorite clay is treated with quaternary ammonium compounds, which cover the hydrophilic surface structure of the clay with organophilic (hydrophobic) material to facilitate the clay to build the network in the oil phase of a system. These so called organoclays demonstrate enhanced skin-feel by masking greasy or tacky components and impart a pleasant residual silkiness to the skin.
附带的一个额外好处是光滑和天鹅绒般的感官。大多数棒状配方都是基于蜡的，当涂抹在整张脸上而不是仅仅涂抹在嘴唇上时，通常会留下油腻的感觉。黑曜石粘土经过季铵化合物处理，这些化合物用亲水 (疏水) 材料覆盖粘土的亲水表面结构，以便于粘土在系统的油相阶段构建网络。这些所谓的有机粘土通过掩盖油腻或粘稠的成分，展现出增强的皮肤感觉，并为皮肤带来一种令人愉悦的残留丝滑感。

What is hectorite?什么是黑铁矿？

Hectorite clay, named after the originating area in a location near Hector, California, is an exceptionally pure, non-toxic, non-bioaccumulating, three-layer clay of the smectite family. It is sourced from the world’s purest hectorite mine, near Newberry Springs, California. The hectorite clay was created from volcanic ash by hydrothermal means. The salt beds found in this area in combination with hot springs yielded a unique clay mineral structure that is different to other smectite clays. The extremely efficient swelling capability and network stability of hectorite is due to the uniform charge density distribution, as the clay was built from a quick volcanic eruption; while Bentonite is built from a longer-lasting weathering process with less uniform charge density distribution. The hectorite clay ore is selectively mined using open-pit mining operations, and the wet processing removes impurities to create different grades of hectorite clay. The platelets are remarkably uniform with respect to elemental composition, charge density distribution and charge location. The hydrothermal conditions create platelets with a thin shape, which results in a favorable edge-to-face surface ratio.
黑铁矿粘土以加利福尼亚州赫克托附近的发源地命名，是一种特别纯净、无毒、非生物积累的三层蒙脱土家族粘土。它来自世界上最纯的黑铁矿，位于加利福尼亚州纽伯里泉附近。黑铁矿粘土是通过水热法从火山灰中形成的。该地区发现的盐层与温泉相结合，形成了一种独特的粘土矿物结构，与其他蒙脱土粘土不同。黑铁矿极其高效的膨胀能力和网络稳定性源于其均匀的电荷密度分布，因为粘土是由快速火山喷发型形成的；而本顿石则是由一个持续时间较长的风化过程形成的，电荷密度分布不太均匀。黑铁矿粘土矿石采用露天开采作业进行选择性开采，湿法处理去除杂质，形成不同等级的黑铁矿粘土。在元素组成、电荷密度分布和电荷位置方面，板块表现出显著的均匀性。水热条件下形成的板块形状较薄，这导致了有利的边面比。

BENTONE GEL® products bring multiple benefits to the oil phase of a formulation while remaining up to 99% naturally derived according to the ISO 16128 standard.
BENTONE GEL® 产品为配方的油相带来多重益处，同时根据 ISO 16128 标准保持高达 99% 的天然来源。