Analysis of HPMC in Facial Cleansing Products and Foam Formulations: Foam Stability and Skin Comfort

What is HPMC and Its Applications in Personal Care

Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose (HPMC) is a chemically modified polymer derived from natural cellulose, known for its thickening, film-forming, emulsifying, and moisturizing properties. It is widely used in cosmetics, personal care, pharmaceuticals, and food industries.

Key advantages of HPMC in cosmetics include:

High Safety Profile: Plant-based origin, compliant with FDA and EU cosmetic regulations, vegan-friendly, and suitable for clean beauty formulations.

Mild and Non-Irritating: Does not react with skin proteins, has low sensitization potential, suitable for sensitive and baby skin products.

Multifunctionality: Provides desired viscosity and rheology while enhancing product feel and appearance.

Common applications:

Facial cleansers (foam cleansers, mousses, cleansing lotions)

Shampoos and conditioners

Creams, lotions, serums

Eye drops and contact lens lubricants (pharmaceutical grade)

Core Requirements of Facial Cleansing Products Regarding Foam and Skin Feel

In today's personal care market, competition in facial cleansers goes beyond cleansing efficacy and focuses on overall user experience. Consumers usually prioritize:

Rich and Fine Foam
Foam helps encapsulate dirt and excess oils, reducing direct friction and irritation on the skin.

Stable and Long-Lasting Foam
Foam stability during cleansing influences user satisfaction; rapid foam collapse may lead to insufficient cleansing or poor experience.

Mildness and Skin Barrier Protection
Especially for sensitive and dry skin, preference for formulations with gentle pH and minimal skin barrier disruption.

Smooth Skin Feel and Easy Rinsing
After cleansing, skin should not feel tight or greasy.

HPMC is a key ingredient that improves these essential indicators.

Technical Roles of HPMC in Foam Formulations

1. Thickening and Rheology Adjustment

HPMC forms a three-dimensional network structure, increasing formulation viscosity and improving surfactant system rheology, resulting in finer, more uniform foam.

2. Foam Stabilization Mechanism

Inhibition of Bubble Coalescence: HPMC polymer chains adsorb on bubble liquid films, forming a stabilizing layer that prevents rapid foam rupture.

Delaying Liquid Drainage: Its viscoelastic properties slow water drainage from foam films, prolonging foam lifespan.

3. Synergistic Effects

When combined with mild surfactants such as amino acid surfactants and betaines, HPMC further optimizes foam quality and skin feel.

Mechanisms by Which HPMC Enhances Skin Comfort

1. Moisturizing and Water Retention

HPMC forms a transparent moisturizing film on the skin surface, reducing water evaporation during cleansing and helping maintain skin softness.

2. Reducing Surfactant-Induced Irritation

HPMC can partially encapsulate surfactant molecules, reducing their direct contact with keratin proteins, thereby lowering defatting and irritation potential.

3. Improving Lubricity

Inclusion of appropriate amounts of HPMC significantly improves skin feel by making the cleansing process smoother and reducing friction.

Formulation Examples and Experimental Data Comparison

Formulation Experiment (Example)

Formulation A: 0.5% HPMC

Formulation B: No HPMC

Comparison Results:

Parameter	Formulation A	Formulation B
Foam Generation Time	3 seconds	3 seconds
Foam Fineness	High	Medium
Foam Stability (3 min retention)	85%	60%
Skin Moisture Content Increase After Cleansing	+18%	+7%
User Comfort Score	9.2/10	7.5/10

Results show that formulations with HPMC outperform in foam stability, moisturization, and skin feel.

Market Trends and R&D Recommendations

Growing Demand for Clean Beauty: Consumers prefer sulfate-free, plant-based formulations. HPMC’s natural origin aligns well with this trend.

Sustainability: HPMC is biodegradable, supporting environmentally friendly marketing strategies.

Multifunctional Formulations: Suitable for gentle cleansers with thickening, foam stabilization, moisturizing functions, reducing need for multiple additives.

Conclusion and Selection Guide

Recommended Usage Levels:

Gentle foam cleansers: 0.3%–0.6%

High viscosity mousse-type products: 0.5%–1.0%

Selection Tips:

Low-viscosity HPMC: Suitable for light foam cleansers

Medium to high-viscosity HPMC: Suitable for mousse or high-foam formulation

Application

Hydroxyethyl cellulose（HEC）

The most important property of hydroxyethyl cellulose powder is that it acts as a thickener, in creasing the viscosity of the liquid,and its thickening depends on its concentration. If you're searching for a versatile solution that enhances the performance of your products, look no further than Hydroxyethyl Cellulose (HEC) powder.

Gypsum Special Grade HPMC

The gypsum special grade hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose HPMC has the characteristics of high water retention, dispersibility, good fineness, good workability and easy dissolution. widely used in gypsum products like gypsum plaster, adhesive plaster, embedded gypsum, tile adhesives etc.

Daily Chemical Products Additive

Daily Chemical HPMC has a variety of properties such as thickening, foam stabllization,emulifiation, and easy dispersion. Shampoo Additive HPMC has good compatibility with various additives of other daily chemical products. It is widely used in detergents, shower gels, shampoos, hand sanitizers, and laundry liquid and other products.

Tile Adhesive Additive

Tile Adhesive Additive HPMC can ensure the smooth construction on difterent base surtaces, even when the ambient temperalure is relalively harsh, the tile adhesive can be given a long enough open time and adjustable time.

Gypsum Additive

In gypsum products, the focus is on water retention, retardation and lubrication. Different gypsum has different effects on product performance, so thickening, water retention, and retardation determine the quality of gypsum building materials.

Mortar Additive

Adding hydroxypropyl metylellulose can improve anti-sip performance, improve wetting performance, thicken, improve batch scraping and slipping, easy to level, improve surface performance and strength, and have very good compatibility with other additives.

Putty Powder Additive

Hydroxypropyl metylcellulose is a commonly used raw material in powdered building materials, which greatly improves the slip performance and anti-sag performance of the construction, improves the wettability, improves the anti-slip performance of the putty, improves the leveling effect of the putty, and improves the construction eficlency.

Technical Guidelines for Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose (HPMC)

As a professional manufacturer of architectural-grade HPMC, we provide you with comprehensive technical guidance and problem-solving support throughout the production and application processes.

How much do you know about Hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose(HPMC)?

Hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) is a non-ionic cellulose ether obtained by cellulose alkalization, etherification, neutralization and washing. HPMC has good thickening, dispersing, emulsifying, film-forming properties, etc.It is the first choice for production of high quality building materials additives.

Laboratory overview

We have both Chemical Lab and Application Lab to ensure each order's best satisfaction

How to improve the adhesion of putty

When encountering the projects that have been constructed, it is found that the adhesion of putty on the exterior wall is poor, the following methods can be adopted to improve the adhesion of putty:

Dissolution Method

Take the required amount of hot water into the container and heat to above 85., stir slowly and add the product gradually The cellulose initially floats on the water, but gradually disperses in water and forms homogeneous slurry. Goon stirring until it cools down and becomes clear

Products

Faq

Several dissolution methods of Hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC)

The gelation temperature of HPMC is related to its methoxy content. The lower the methoxy content, the higher the gelation temperature.

What are the other names for Hydroxypropyl Methyl Cellulose (HPMC)?

1. Hot water dissolution method: HPMC does not dissolve in hot water, but it can disperse evenly in hot water initially and then rapidly dissolve upon cooling. There are two typical methods described as follows: (1) Place the required amount of hot water in a container and heat it to approximately 70°C. Gradually add HPMC while stirring slowly. Initially, HPMC will float on the water's surface and gradually form a slurry, which cools down under stirring. (2) Add 1/3 or 2/3 of the required amount of water to a container and heat it to 70°C. Disperse HPMC according to method (1) to prepare a hot water slurry. Then, add the remaining cold water to the hot water slurry and cool the mixture after stirring. 2. Powder mixing method: Mix HPMC powder with a large amount of other powdered substances using a blender. Afterward, add water for dissolution. In this case, HPMC can dissolve without clumping because each tiny corner of the powder contains only a small amount of HPMC, which dissolves immediately upon contact with water. This method is commonly used in putty powder and mortar production.

What is the application of HPMC in putty powder, and what causes the formation of bubbles in putty powder?

What is the difference between the cold-water soluble type and the thermal soluble type of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) in the production process?

For putty powder, a viscosity of around 100,000 is generally sufficient, while mortar requires a higher viscosity, around 150,000, to be effective. Moreover, the most important function of HPMC is water retention, followed by thickening. In putty powder, as long as it has good water retention and a lower viscosity (70,000-80,000), it can still be used. Of course, a higher viscosity provides relatively better water retention. However, when the viscosity exceeds 100,000, the impact of viscosity on water retention becomes less significant.

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