Nanocellulose suspension effect and industrial application in daily chemical field

Under the industry development trend of natural, safe, green and low-carbon, Clean Beauty’s pure beauty concept has fully penetrated the daily chemical industry. Consumers have put forward higher standards for the appearance, texture, skin feel, storage stability and ingredient safety of daily chemical products. Traditional synthetic rheology and suspension additives generally have many shortcomings such as high salt sensitivity, sticky skin feel, easy delamination and sedimentation, and contain microplastic residues, making it difficult to meet the research and development needs of high-end daily chemical products.

As a new bio-based nanofunctional material, nanocellulose can build a reversible three-dimensional colloidal network in the aqueous phase with its unique nanofiber morphology, ultra-high aspect ratio and abundant surface active groups. It has excellent suspension stability and thixotropic rheological properties, which perfectly solves the suspension pain points of traditional daily chemical formulas. It has now become one of the core materials for formula upgrading and green replacement in the daily chemical industry. Nanjing Tianlu Nano Technology Co., Ltd. is deeply engaged in the research and development and application of daily chemical grade nanocellulose materials, continuously optimizing material properties, and providing high-quality, highly adaptable suspension stabilization solutions for the daily chemical industry.

1. The core mechanism of nanocellulose suspension and stability

Nanocellulose commonly used in daily chemicals is mainly divided into cellulose nanofibrils ( CNF ) and cellulose nanocrystals ( CNC ). Among them, high aspect ratio CNF has become the mainstream application category of daily chemical suspension systems due to its excellent network construction ability. Its nanoscale fiber structure can achieve long-lasting and stable suspension effect of the system through multiple physical effects. The core mechanism is divided into four points:

1. Yield stress support, long-term suppression of settlement

Nanocellulose can spontaneously entangle through intermolecular hydrogen bonds in a static aqueous system to form a continuous and elastic three-dimensional nanonetwork, producing stable yield stress. A very low addition amount ( 0.1%~0.6% ) can effectively offset the gravity effect of functional components such as frosted particles, plant extract particles, essential oil microcapsules, pearlescent powders, active microbeads, etc., and completely solve problems such as particle sinking, powder floating, and system stratification during long-term storage of products.

2. Shearing reversible thixotropy, optimizing skin feel during use

This material has typical shear thinning reversible characteristics: during the process of product filling, pouring, and application, under the action of external shear force, the fiber hydrogen bonds are briefly dissociated, the system viscosity is rapidly reduced, and the material has excellent fluidity and smooth spreading; after the external force is removed, the three-dimensional network is quickly reconstructed and the suspension stability performance is quickly restored. It fundamentally solves the industry contradiction of traditional formulas : ' Thickening makes it thicker, while thinning makes it easy to settle .' It takes into account product storage stability and user experience.

3. Electrostatic steric resistance synergizes to ensure uniform dispersion

The surface of modified nanocellulose has a uniform charge, which can prevent functional particles from agglomerating through electrostatic repulsion; at the same time, nanofibers can be adsorbed on the surface of particles to form a steric barrier, which greatly improves the uniformity of dispersion of powders and particles in the system, making the concentration of functional ingredients of the product uniform every time it is used, and improving the stability of the product.

4. The system has strong compatibility and is suitable for multiple formulas

Nanocellulose has excellent ion resistance and acid-base stability, and can be perfectly compounded with various types of surfactants such as nonionic, anionic, and amphoteric. It is suitable for various daily chemical systems such as transparent aqueous agents, skin care gels, lotions, light ointments, and cleansing solutions. It has a wide range of applicable scenarios and a low threshold for formula adaptation.

2. Core application scenarios of nanocellulose in the field of daily chemicals

1. Effective skin care products

Functional skin care products such as essence, repair gel, gel mask, and essence water often add visual functional components such as plant petals, active microcapsules, and whitening and antioxidant particles. Traditional colloidal additives can easily lead to system turbidity, particle sedimentation, and uneven distribution of functional ingredients, affecting the appearance and effectiveness of the product.

After adding nanocellulose, various functional particles can be suspended for a long time while maintaining high permeability of the system, ensuring product batch stability and usage consistency. At the same time, nanocellulose can form a light and breathable moisturizing and hydrating film on the surface of the skin, helping to lock in skin moisture and slowly release active ingredients. It is suitable for high-end gentle skin care formulas such as sensitive skin repair and post-medical and art care.

2. Washing and cleaning products

Products such as suspended shampoo, scented shower gel, and scrub cleanser often contain solid components such as scrub particles, fragrance microcapsules, pearlescent flakes, and anti-dandruff powder, which are prone to sand accumulation, floating, and delamination problems.

Nanocellulose can achieve long-term and stable dispersion of particles in the cleansing and care system, eliminating the problem of stratification and precipitation during storage. At the same time, it will not produce the heavy sticky feeling and rinse residue of traditional additives, greatly optimizing the feel of cleansing and skin care. It is especially suitable for transparent and high-looking cleaning and care products, helping brands create differentiated and high-quality cleaning and care products.

3. Makeup base products

Makeup products such as liquid foundation, isolation cream, tinting gel, and makeup cream contain a large amount of inorganic powders, soft-focus microspheres, and tinting pigments. The sedimentation and agglomeration of powders can easily lead to problems such as mottled application, uneven color, and unstable makeup effects.

Taking advantage of the three-dimensional network suspension advantage of nanocellulose, makeup powder can be evenly dispersed, suppressing the settling and agglomeration of heavy pigments, and greatly improving product storage stability. At the same time, the fluidity of the system is improved when applied, and the powder ductility is better, which effectively improves the problem of powder sticking and floating powder. It can replace some synthetic rheology additives and promote the natural and high-end upgrade of makeup formulas.

4. Innovate green daily chemical categories

As microplastic control and environmental compliance policies continue to tighten, bio-based, degradable, and non-irritating raw materials have become an urgent need in the daily chemical industry. Nanocellulose is derived from natural plant fibers, has good biocompatibility, is completely biodegradable, and has no risk of microplastics. It can be widely used in innovative categories such as transparent soap base, solid balm, no-rinse disinfectant gel, pet care, etc., helping companies create compliant, green, and high-end differentiated products.

3. Key technical points of daily chemical formula application

In order to ensure the optimal effect of the nanocellulose suspension system, the core process points need to be controlled during the application and production of daily chemical formulas:

1. Accurately control the addition amount : The recommended addition amount for conventional daily chemical aqueous systems is 0.15%~0.6% , which should be fine-tuned appropriately according to the functional particle density and system viscosity to avoid excessive addition that will cause the material to be thick and affect the skin feel.

2. Standardize the dispersion process : adopt low-temperature pre-hydration and gradient stirring process to ensure that the nanofibers are fully dispersed, prevent the generation of agglomerated colloidal particles, and ensure a uniform and stable system.

3. Scientific formula compounding : It can be compounded with natural polysaccharides and other raw materials to improve the salt resistance and temperature resistance stability of the system; avoid direct compatibility with high-concentration strong cationic raw materials to protect the integrity of the three-dimensional network structure.

4. Strengthen stability testing : Through hot and cold cycles and long-term standing acceleration tests, the suspension sustainability of the product in high and low temperature environments is verified, and it is suitable for all-scenario storage and use environments.

4. Industry value and industrialization development prospects

At present, the daily chemical industry has shifted from basic cleansing and skin care to a high-quality development stage of high appearance, high efficacy, high safety and greenness. The performance shortcomings and environmental protection limitations of traditional synthetic suspension and thickening additives have become increasingly prominent. Nanocellulose has become an ideal material to replace traditional chemical additives with its core advantages of natural green, plastic-free and harmless, excellent suspension, transparent skin feel, and wide adaptability .

Relying on mature material modification and preparation processes, special nanocellulose for daily chemicals effectively solves the industry pain points of poor dispersion, weak stability and low adaptability of ordinary nanofibers. Nanjing Tianlu Nano Technology Co., Ltd. focuses on material innovation in the field of daily chemicals, continues to optimize the morphology, surface properties and batch stability of nanocellulose fibers, provides daily chemical companies with standardized raw materials and customized formula application technical support, and helps brands achieve green formula upgrades and product quality iterations.

Conclusion

With its unique reversible thixotropic suspension effect, nanocellulose breaks through the technical bottleneck of traditional daily chemical formulas, perfectly balances product appearance, skin feel and storage stability, and is in line with the global green development trend of daily chemicals. In the future, with the continuous iteration of material technology and the continuous improvement of formula application systems, nanocellulose will be widely used in all categories of daily chemical products such as high-end skin care, cleansing, and makeup, continuing to empower the daily chemical industry to innovate and develop in the direction of high-end, green, and refinement.