Formulation of emulgel containing coconut oil

Abstract

The study aims at formulating an emulsion-structured gel (emulgel) containing coconut oil. The methodology of the study is as follows: the ratio of each emulsifier and the composition in the emulgel formula were determined based on the required hydophilic lipophilic balance (RHLB). IV-Optimal design which has 25 experiments was designed by Design-Expert v8.0.6 software to determine the optimal formula. This design was based on independent variables, including the percentage of coconut oil, the percentage of Carbopol, the percentage of triethanolamine, the percentage of emulsifier mixture, and the percentage of distilled water; and dependent variables such as pH, average particle size, spreadability, and physical stability. The results showed that the RHLB value of the resulting coconut oil emulgel was 5.5. Therefore, the ratio of span 80:tween 80 was 89:11. Through the analysis of experimental data, Design-Expert software proposed the optimal formula with the highest desirability (0.99). The formula included 5% coconut oil, 4.5% mixture of emulsifiers, 0.39% Carbopol, 0.36% triethanolamine, and 81.59% water. The experimental results of the optimal formula exhibited no difference from the prediction of the software. In conclusion, the coconut oil emulgel was successfully prepared and proved its stability so that it can be used for preparing skincare cream products.