As the personal cleansing and hair care market continues to diversify, consumers are looking beyond basic cleansing performance. Product appearance, texture, mildness and positioning are increasingly shaping their choices of shampoos, body washes and other cleansing products.

A highly transparent appearance can convey freshness, lightness and cleanliness. For this reason, clear formats are widely used in shampoos, body washes and other personal cleansing products.

For formulators, however, achieving high transparency involves more than creating a visually clear system. Reaching the target viscosity while maintaining good clarity is an important consideration in the development of transparent cleansing formulations.

What Are the Main Challenges in High-Transparency Formulations?

AES is a commonly used surfactant in shampoos, body washes and other personal cleansing products.

In practical formulation development, final clarity and viscosity may be influenced by the surfactant concentration, pH, thickener and other formulation components. As the formulation structure changes, the system may experience reduced transparency or insufficient viscosity.

When selecting a thickener for a transparent AES-based system, formulators should therefore consider:

• Whether the formulation can reach the target viscosity;
• Whether good transparency can be maintained after thickening;
• How viscosity and clarity change at different AES concentrations;
• Whether the thickener is suitable for the target pH range.

For highly transparent personal care products, viscosity alone is not enough. The thickener must also be compatible with the intended surfactant system.

Performance of Repoly® 100 in Transparent AES-Based Systems

Repoly® 100 is an acrylic-based thickener suitable for use in transparent personal cleansing and hair care formulations.

In AES-based system testing, both viscosity and light transmittance increased as the AES concentration increased when Repoly® 100 was used.

These results indicate that Repoly® 100 can provide effective thickening while maintaining a transparent appearance in the tested AES system, offering formulators an additional option for developing clear cleansing products.

In testing conducted under different pH conditions, the formulation containing Repoly® 100 achieved a light transmittance of more than 87% at approximately pH 7, resulting in a relatively clear appearance.

The above results were obtained under the corresponding test conditions. Performance in a complete formulation may also be affected by the surfactant blend, pH, salt content, fragrance and other ingredients. Further evaluation in the final formulation is therefore recommended.

Potential Application

Based on the available test results, Repoly® 100 may be considered for the development of:

• Clear shampoos;
• Clear body washes;
• Transparent cleansing systems based primarily on AES;
• Personal cleansing and hair care products requiring both clarity and viscosity.

Before commercial application, the complete formulation should be evaluated for viscosity, transparency and storage stability. The appropriate use level and manufacturing process should then be determined according to the specific formulation requirements.

Selecting a Suitable Thickening Solution for Transparent Formulations

Different personal cleansing and hair care products have different requirements for appearance, viscosity and sensory experience. In transparent AES-based systems, the choice of thickener affects not only the product texture but also its final visual appearance.

In the tested AES system, Repoly® 100 demonstrated simultaneous increases in viscosity and light transmittance as the AES concentration increased. It also achieved more than 87% light transmittance at approximately pH 7, providing a useful reference for the development of highly transparent personal care formulations.

For product information, test data, reference formulations or samples of Repoly® 100, please contact Guangzhou Reachin Chemical Co., Ltd. for further technical support.