In many formulas, the oil phase is still treated as an almost automatic block: a set of oils is chosen, viscosity is adjusted, and the emulsifier is expected to “hold everything together”. Yet a large part of the issues we see in stability, texture and scale-up start exactly there, in a lipid system that hasn’t really been designed.
When W/O emulsions fail
W/O (water-in-oil) emulsions often appear in briefs where the goal is:
- reinforced protection,
- a more enveloping, marked “cushion” sensation,
- resistance to water or demanding environmental conditions.
However, they are also among the systems that cause the most frustration in development:
- emulsions that break after a few days or weeks,
- textures that change with temperature or time,
- batches that do not behave the same in production as they did in the lab.
Three causes tend to repeat themselves.
- Poor control over droplet size and distribution
An internal water phase with droplets that are too large or highly polydisperse generates stress in the system. Any variation in process (shear, temperature, emulsification time) can trigger instability. - Polarity coherence and interfacial behaviour of the emollient set
Combining very different emollients “because they work well in other formulas” without a clear polarity logic can increase interfacial tension and make the emulsifier’s job harder. The result is textures that are difficult to tune or that change easily over time. - Process that is not robust enough
In W/O systems, small changes in order of addition, agitation regime or emulsification temperature have a greater impact. A poorly structured oil phase is more sensitive to these variations.
Without a defined lipid system, each adjustment opens several new questions at once.
Frequent errors with vegetable oils
Vegetable oils bring narrative, a “natural” profile and, in many cases, real benefits. But using them without a clear technical framework can introduce issues such as:
- Premature oxidation
Some oils are more sensitive to oxidation; without appropriate protection (for example, well-selected and well-positioned tocopherols), texture, odour and colour can degrade earlier than expected. - Sensory variability between batches
The advantage of a predefined lipid matrix is not only achieving the desired sensory finish, but also reducing variability between pilot batches and industrial batches. - Undesired impact on colour and odour
When the vegetable oil is not “encapsulated” within a lipid architecture, its organoleptic profile can dominate the formula, even when it is not part of the desired sensory concept.
The outcome is formulas that communicate naturality but become difficult to keep stable and consistent over time.
Lipid compatibility in cold-process emulsions
Cold-process emulsions respond to a clear demand: reducing energy consumption, simplifying processes and being able to work with actives that are sensitive to high temperatures. But transferring the full complexity of the oil phase into a cold process has consequences
- dispersion of the oil phase depends even more on its initial rheology,
- compatibility between emollients and emulsifiers must be resolved before entering the plant,
- any conflict in polarity or internal viscosity becomes amplified.
If the oil phase enters the project as a “let’s try this mix” of ingredients, the cold-process route turns into a succession of reactive tweaks rather than deliberate engineering.
ESSENTIKA — SQA as a lipid matrix for these scenarios
Before moving to conclusions, it makes sense to ask: what kind of lipid system makes work easier in W/O, in formulas with vegetable oils and in cold-process emulsions?
At Naturol we developed ESSENTIKA — SQA precisely as a family of coherent lipid matrices, where each blend shares the same basic architecture:
- Olive-origin squalane (≥ 92%) as a stable, repeatable emollient that provides a light, consistent sensory baseline.
- Natural tocopherol enriched in γ/δ as an antioxidant reserve in the oil phase, helping preserve the organoleptic profile and integrity of more sensitive oils.
- Functional co-emollients selected to steer the finish (more dry-touch, more cushion, more glow, etc.) without losing control over polarity and stability.
Applied to the three cases above:
- In W/O systems, starting from an oil phase with already characterised sensory and oxidative behaviour helps stabilise the interfacial environment and reduce the system’s sensitivity to process variations. This facilitates more reproducible droplet size distributions, reduces polarity tensions and increases robustness against process changes.
- When working with vegetable oils, integrating them into a system like ESSENTIKA — SQA allows their sensory impact and oxidative behaviour to be better integrated and controlled within a more stable, repeatable lipid backbone.
- In cold-process emulsions, a pre-designed lipid matrix provides initial rheology and compatibility that make emulsification easier, without relying on elevated temperatures or multiple adjustment loops.
The goal is not to replace each laboratory’s own formulation work, but to offer a lipid starting point that reduces uncertainty and trial-and-error in projects where the oil phase is critical.
Conclusion
When we look closely at formulas that remain stable, scalable and consistent with their sensory promise, a clear pattern emerges: the oil phase has been treated as a system, not as a filler.
- In W/O emulsions, a well-designed lipid matrix can be the difference between a texture that breaks and a texture that repeats.
- In the use of vegetable oils, the key is balancing narrative and technical responsibility.
- In cold-process emulsions, process success depends to a large extent on what was already resolved in the oil phase before entering the reactor.
ESSENTIKA — SQA was created precisely to operate at that level: turning the oil phase into a tool for sensory and stability design, rather than a constant source of uncertainty.
If you are facing any of these scenarios in your development work, we can explore together whether it makes sense to start from a structured lipid matrix instead of rebuilding the oil phase from scratch in every project.
References
Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR). Safety Assessment of Squalane and Squalene as Used in Cosmetics. Re-Review for Panel Review, 15 March 2019, 38 pp. The following sections were consulted in particular: “Memorandum and summary” (pp. 1–4); extract from the “original final report” (pp. 10, 26); and “historical and current use levels” (pp. 3, 6, 31).
Barouh, N., Bourlieu-Lacanal, C., Figueroa-Espinoza, M. C., Durand, E., & Villeneuve, P. (2022). Tocopherols as antioxidants in lipid-based systems: The combination of chemical and physicochemical interactions determines their efficiency.
Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 21(1), 642–688. The following sections were consulted in particular: the abstract and introduction (pp. 642–643); “Mechanisms of lipid oxidation and tocopherol reactivity” and “Chemical interactions with other antioxidants” (pp. 644–663); and “Physical factors in heterogeneous systems” (pp. 663–675).
Akanny, E., & Kohlmann, C. (2024). Predicting tactile sensory attributes of personal care emulsions based on instrumental characterizations: A review. International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 46(6), 1035–1063. The following sections were consulted in particular: the abstract and introduction (pp. 1035–1037); “Fundamentals of personal care emulsions” (pp. 1037–1040); and “Correlation between sensory and instrumental parameters”, including the discussion on relationships between tribology/rheology and texture (pp. 1054–1061).
