As is the case with traditional cosmetic creams, a stable emulsion is the key to achieving the desired product consistency and functionality. As such, to produce a high quality CBD oil-based cream, dispersing the CBD oil into the aqueous phase and forming the emulsion is the key stage in the manufacturing process.
In Silverson Machines’ recent video: 'How to make CBD Creams and Lotions', the benefits of using a high shear mixer for this application and these products are shown. Silverson mixers are at the forefront of the rapidly growing CBD market, having already supplied mixers to customers producing a range of CBD-oil based products such as creams and lotions. Mixers have also been supplied to the wider CBD market for the manufacturing of products including beverages, gummies and baked goods.
For CBD creams and lotions, in order to form a stable emulsion you need to obtain the finest possible droplet size. The mixing equipment being used needs to impart a large amount of energy into the mix, the more shear energy introduced into the mix, the smaller the suspended droplets will become, creating a fine stable emulsion with both phases, the CBD oil and the aqueous phase in this case, completely and uniformly dispersed into one another.
Conventional mixers and agitators, which are suitable for basic liquid/liquid blending, are unable to form a stable emulsion because they do not have the necessary means to impart large amounts of energy into the mix. This type of mixing equipment simply moves the two liquid phases around the vessel, so although it may appear as though the phases have blended, the droplet size hasn’t been significantly reduced, so once the agitation stops the emulsion will soon separate into the two distinct phases once more.
High shear mixing subjects the liquids to intense high-energy which reduces the droplet size sufficiently and allows the two phases to combine, resulting in a stable emulsion which will not separate once the shear energy has been removed. The high shear rotor/stator design of the Silverson mixer is ideally suited to this application and can easily achieve emulsions with a droplet size of 2 to 5 microns. Finer emulsions down to 0.5 microns can be obtained, depending on the formulation.
Silverson high shear Laboratory mixers come with a range of Interchangeable mixing heads and emulsor screens as standard, allow you to tailor the mixing characteristics to achieve the desired consistency, skinfeel and functionality in the end product. This also allows a single mixer to be used for a range of different products and mixing processes.
Silverson Laboratory mixers are ideal for R&D and small production batches. Identical results can be obtained with our pilot scale and larger production machines as rotor tip speeds are consistent across the entire product line. This allows for easy scale up as products do not have to be reformulated and any changes in product processes are kept to a minimum. With a Silverson mixer, batch-to-batch consistency is guaranteed, this is a further advantage in the CBD market where declared potency levels need to be maintained.
If you’d like to know more about how Silverson Machines can be beneficially in manufacturing creams and lotions, you can watch the 'How to make CBD creams and lotions' video, read the application report on the website, or speak to a mixing expert at sales@silverson.co.uk
Link to the application report: www.silverson.co.uk/en/resource-library/application-reports/cbd-oil-in-cosmetic-products-uk
