Sucragel^® CF

A: Sucragel® can be used to disperse up to 5% essential oils or fragrance. Slowly stir the fragrance into the Sucragel® using a propeller stirrer. The mixture should thicken into a gel/paste which will easily disperse into your aqueous base. For a clearer product, Sucragel® AP V2 can be used at about 2.5% for every 0.1% fragrance to produce a clear or almost clear solution with water (different fragrances give different clarities). This works best with systems that do not contain terpenes.

A: Yes. To make a lotion to be sprayed onto a wipe, simply dilute the Sucragel with water, add a small amount of a stabiliser and preserve. Alternatively, if you want additional oils in your solution, stir these into the Sucragel and then dilute with water. It has the added benefit of allowing the lotion to be shipped as a ‘concentrate’ to be used when it’s needed.

A: Yes, you can switch to Sucragel® AP V2, but you will need to take into account the following points:

• You can use 2/3^rds the amount of AP V2 than CF, (15% instead of 20% to gel oils)
• Because there isn’t any oil in the AP V2, you need to add the oil slightly slower at the beginning
• You will still need to use Sucrablend to ensure high temperature stability.

A: It is likely that the pH dropped below 4.5 or in extreme cases above pH 8. Gels, creams and lotions made with Sucragel® should be kept above pH 4.5 and below pH 8. Dropping below or above that boundary for even a short time, for example when buffering, will cause the emulsion to split. Also, note that Sucragel® only emulsifies the system, it will not add viscosity or stability to the water phase. Therefore it is important to add a rheology modifier to ensure the water phase is stabilised.

A: In short, you can make it yourself but experience has shown that even the very biggest companies do not like making these systems for a number of good reasons:

• The sucrose laurate requires high temperatures for up to 6 hours to dissolve
• A lot of foam and air bubbles are generated (best manufactured under vacuum)
• Stirring can be a problem (design of vessel)
• Mixing requires care over a long time (operator judgement). Post manufacture adjustment is sometimes necessary

A: Unless you have any solid ingredients in the oil phase, this phase can remain cold even if the Sucragel® phase is heated.

A: Sucragel® is unusual as the less there is in the formulation, the thicker the product.

• So by increasing the amount of Sucragel® or decreasing the amount of oil, you will reduce the viscosity of the gel.
• A second option is to replace some of the oil phase with glycerine, but this is a balancing act as more glycerine may affect the feel of the finished product. Alternatively, by adding water the viscosity will instantly drop but the gel will go cloudy.

A: This is almost always a symptom of the way the process is being managed, and can be solved by:

• Ensuring that a propeller stirrer is used, or one which stirs in a circular motion
• Ensuring the stirrer is immersed in the Sucragel and is on at a fast speed
• Initially, adding the oil very slowly in portions
• As the viscosity increases, increasing the stirrer speed and height. Remember, the gel cannot be over stirred

A: Yes. We have a scale up guide to assist your manufacturing team. Scaling up is actually simpler and less labour intensive than the lab trials as more oil can be added at once as the stirring speed and size are much faster and bigger than a propeller stirrer in the lab.

A: Yes. Wait until the gel and the oil have separated. Remove the oil from the top and then begin stirring again and slowly re-introduce the oil.

A: Clarity is achieved when the refractive indexes of each of the raw materials add up. If your gel is not transparent is likely that some water has been lost during manufacture. Add small amounts of water (drop by drop) until clarity is restored.

BUT ... it is essential not to add too much water as the water/glycerine balance is vital in creating a system that does not need preserving. Also there is the chance that the product will turn into an emulsion.

A: Sucrablend has been shown to enhance the stability of the formulations especially at high temperatures. It is not in the formulation to help gel the oils, it is just there to ensure high temperature stability and it needs to be used between 0.5-1% to provide the stability required.