Emulsion stability of cosmetic creams based on water-in-oil high internal phase emulsions

The emulsion stability of cosmetic creams based on the water-in-oil (W/O) high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) containing water, squalane oil and cetyl dimethicone copolyol was investigated with various compositional changes, such as electrolyte concentration, oil polarity and water phase volume fraction. The rheological consistency was mainly destroyed by the coalescence of the deformed water droplets. The slope change of complex modulus versus water phase volume fraction monitored in the linear viscoelastic region could be explained with the resistance to coalescence of the deformed interfacial film of water droplets in concentrated W/O emulsions: the greater the increase of complex modulus was, the more the coalescence occurred and the less consistent the emulsions were. Emulsion stability was dependent on the addition of electrolyte to the water phase. Increasing the electrolyte concentration increased the refractive index of the water phase, and thus decreased the refractive index difference between oil and water phases. This decreased the attractive force between water droplets, which resulted in reducing the coalescence of droplets and increasing the stability of emulsions. Increasing the oil polarity tended to increase emulsion consistency, but did not show clear difference in cream hardness among the emulsions.