Making Creams and Lotions

Creams and Lotions are staples in the body care market and require great care in manufacturing.  Creams (and crèmes) can be a  simple moisturizer for the skin by creating an oil and water emulsion for a barrier against microorganisms to a host of additives and ingredients for much more sophisticated skincare preparations.

We now have skin care lotions that do much more.  With the discovery of new herbs, plants, and ingredients to enhance the skin care formulations, the cream and lotion marketplace has a plethora of products that can do wonders for the skin.   The production of lotions and creams can be difficult as the recipes get more complicated.

Having the proper mixing and homogenizing equipment is a good step in the ability to create and stabilize an oil and water emulsion.   It is important to have a repeatable process, so your formulation comes out the same every time it is produced.   When folks buy your skin care cream, they become used to the texture and feel – so manufacturing it the same way each and every time is important.   A good mixer or homogenizer can help tremendously.

Basic equipment needed to make lotions and creams:

Stainless steel vessels or glass bowls for mixing are required.   Typically we use tanks that are taller than wide so they are best for mixing, usually a height that is 1.25 times the diameter is good.   For small scale batches a good hand homogenizer or lab stirrer can do a proper job mixing.  A scale is important to weight the ingredients.   Sometimes a wire whisk is helpful, large stainless steel spoons, and kitchen spatulas.   For heating and cooling if you don’t use a jacketed mixing tank, a double boiler or pots that can be heated on a stove is helpful.   While most of the tanks and utensils are readily available items, the mixer should be sized appropriately and chosen with care.   Mixers and homogenizers are available in a variety of orientations, mixing shear rates, materials of constructions etc so there are a lot of considerations.  Some of the mixer details would include:

• Air or electric motor
• Single shaft or multiple mixer shaft and impellers
• Low shear or high shear mixing, or both
• Style of mixer impeller
• Mixer speed range
• Stainless steel mixing components or other, any polishing required
• Minimum and maximum volume to mix
• Hp and torque required, based on final mixture viscosity and sg

Proper cleaning and sanitizing of all tanks, mixers, and utensils is important for sterility.

Some common mixers used for making creams and lotions:

High Shear Mixer

Lab Homogenizer

Vacuum Mixer

Vacuum Homogenizer

Multishaft Mixer

Vacuum Blender

Paddle Mixer

New England Sales provides mixers and homogenizers which are used to make creams and lotions in the cosmetic, consumer care, and biopharmaceutical marketplace.   We offer FREE testing to optimize the mixing process for you and help choose the right laboratory mixer or production homogenizer to make your lotions properly.    Please call us at 617-686-0843 or visit us at www.newenglandsalesinc.com.

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