International University-VNU

School of Biotechnology
Department of Applied Chemistry

COSMETICS AND COSMECEUTICAL

LABORATORY REPORT

EXPERIMENT 3:
Shampoo & Conditioner

Instructors: MSc. Le Tran Hong Ngoc

Teaching Assistant: Ms. Trinh Thi Xuan

Group 1
Date: October 28th, 2023

Group members:
Châu Hoàn Nhân BTBCIU19055
Nguyễn Ý Nhi BTBCIU19058
Lê Thị Hoài Thương BTBCIU19066
Nguyễn Ngọc Phương Anh BTBCIU19034
 Table of content

I. Abstract 2
II. Introduction 2
III. Material & Method 3
1. Reagents & Equipment 3
a. Reagents 3
b. Equipment 3
2. Method 3
IV. Result 5
1. Visual inspection 5
2. Determination pH 6
3. Determine percent of solids contents 6
4. Relative Viscosity 6
5. Dirt dispersion 7
6. Foaming ability and foam stability 7

V. Discussion 7
VI. Conclusion 9
VII. References 9

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 I. Abstract

Soaps and detergents contain a type of molecule known as a surfactant. However shampoo
not soap, soaps are not suited to washing hair. The majority of shampoos use surfactants that
do not originate from soap. Many of those used today are anionic, such as sodium lauryl
sulfate. Anionic surfactants tend to produce a large amount of foam and lather in which the
residual dirt and oil from the hair can be contained before being rinsed away. In this
experiment, sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium chloride have been used to make liquid soap.
To evaluate a liquid shampoo effectiveness, it is subjected to several tests, including visual
inspection, determination pH, determine percent of solids contents, relative viscosity, dirt
dispersion, and foaming ability and foam stability. As a result, the pH of prepared shampoo is
about 5, the solid content was 9.78%, and the relative viscosity was 1.68.

II. Introduction

Hair is a filament that develops from a hair follicle in the skin's dermis. It is mostly made up
of keratinocytes, tightly packed keratin-filled cells. Hair is made up of protein rich dead cells
and divided into three main layers including cuticle, cortex and medulla. Cuticle is the
outermost layer of the hair shaft that protects the inner layers from damage. Cortex is the
middle layer containing melanin that provides the color for the hair shaft. Medulla is the
innermost layer of hair. However, it just appears in the thicker hair, not all hair fibers.[1]

Figure 1. Structure of hair

Shampoo is a viscous cosmetic used to get rid of dandruff, oils, grime, skin particles, and
other contaminants that slowly accumulate in hair. Beside the cleaning action, shampoo also
gives some other benefits for hair such as keeping hair silky, increasing the strength of hair
and fighting hair fall. There are a variety of types of shampoo depending on the purpose

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usage including clear liquid, liquid cream, cream, gel shampoos, powder, aerosol and special
shampoos. Shampoo is made up from surfactants, foaming agents, conditioners, thickeners,
sequestering agents, preservatives, special additives and fragrance.[2]
Surfactants are molecular substances used in shampoos to remove oil and dirt build on the
hair. There are four types of surfactants including anionic surfactants that carry a negative
charge, nonionic surfactants have no charge, cationic surfactants carry a positive charge and
amphoteric surfactants. Similarly to soap molecules, the surfactant of shampoo also contains
one polar hydrophilic head and one non-polar hydrophobic tail. When shampoo contacts with
dirty water, the hydrophobic tail binds to the dirt while the hydrophilic head remains in touch
with the water molecules. Due to this arrangement, the surfactant molecules form micelles
and trap the dirt in the core. Because of charge repulsions, the micelles do not precipitate and
maintain their identity, remaining suspended in water and readily washed away by water.[2]
In this experiment, a liquid shampoo from Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Chloride was
prepared. Then, some tests were performed to analyze the properties of it.

III. Material & Method

1. Reagents & Equipment
a. Reagents

The reagents used in this experiment included Sodium Chloride (NaCl), Sodium Lauryl
Sulfate solution (SLS), ink and distilled water.

b. Equipment

The equipment applied in this experiment consisted of a Pasteur pipette, scale, beakers
(600mL, 250mL and 100mL), stirring rod, blender, litmus paper, Aluminum foil, test tubes
and test tube rack, copper balls and cylinder (250mL).
2. Method
A. Preparation
First, 40g Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) was completely mixed with 56g distilled water. Then,
the mixture was mixed with 2.8g NaCl until the mixture turned opaque and quietly thick.

B. Comparison of the properties of the prepared soap

1. Visual inspection
Observe the shampoo with the naked eye and evaluate its turbidity and viscosity.

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 2. Determination pH
First, 1mL of shampoo was mixed with 19mL distilled water in a 100mL beaker. Then the
litmus paper was dipped in the solution for 1-2 seconds and observed the color. Litmus paper
value of shampoo range from 4 to 5 might be considered as qualified, could be used for
human hair.

Figure 2. Litmus paper range

3. Determine percent of solids contents

Firstly, Aluminum foil was used to make a dish. Next, one gram of shampoo was added into
the dish, weighed them then observed and recorded the results. Then, the shampoo dish was
boiled until the liquid evaporated. After that, the dish was weighed and recorded the results
again. Finally, the percentage of solids content of shampoo was calculated according to the
formula below:
𝑀𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑢𝑒
% 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑑𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡 = 𝑀𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒
× 100%

4. Relative Viscosity
First, one tube containing 15cm of shampoo solution was prepared. Then, three copper balls
were dropped into the test tube one by one. Recorded the time of each ball when it dropped
from the surface of solution to the bottom of the test tube. Did the same with distilled water.
After that, calculating the relative viscosity according to the formula below:
𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒
𝑅𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑦 = 𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟

5. Dirt dispersion
One test tube contained two drops of shampoo, one drop of India ink and 5mL distilled water
was prepared and shook ten times. After that, observed the foam color. The effectiveness in

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dirt dispersion of shampoo was evaluated as none, light, moderate or heavy through the
amount of ink in the foam.

6. Foaming ability and foam stability

Firstly, 1% shampoo solution was made of 1mL shampoo and 99mL distilled water. Next,
50mL of 1% shampoo was added into a 250mL cylinder and shook ten times. Then,
measured and recorded the height of the foam. After 1 minute, the height of the foam was
measured again, did the same until the end of 5 minutes.

IV. Result
1. Visual inspection

Figure 3. Appearance of prepared shampoo

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 2. Determination pH

Figure 4. pH value of prepared shampoo

3. Determine percent of solids contents

Table 1. Recording weight of solid of sample

Sample’s weight 1.0213g

Dry sample and boat’s weight 1.4072g

Boat’s weight 1.3073g

Dry sample’s weight 0.0999g

The solid content in the prepare shampoo:

𝑀𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑢𝑒 0.0999𝑔
% solids content = 𝑀𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒
x 100% = 1.0213𝑔
𝑥 100% = 9.78%

4. Relative Viscosity
Table 2. Recording time for viscosity test of prepared shampoo

Water Prepared shampoo

First time Second time Third time First time Second time Third time

1.03s 1.10s 1.05s 1.72s 1.85s 1.78s

Average: 1.06s Average: 1.78s

The relative viscosity of prepared shampoo:

𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒 1.78𝑠
Relative viscosity = 𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟
= 1.06𝑠
= 1.68

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 5. Dirt dispersion

Figure 5. Observation for dirt dispersion test of prepared shampoo

6. Foaming ability and foam stability

Table . Recording height of foam column

Period Height

Start 22.4 cm

After 1s 22.1 cm

After 2s 21.7 cm

After 3s 21.5 cm

After 4s 21.2 cm

After 5s 21.1 cm

V. Discussion

In this experiment, 6 tests were used to determine effectiveness of shampoo and conditioners
including: visual inspection, pH determination, determination of percent of solid contents,
relative viscosity, dirt dispersion, foaming ability and foam stability.
A closer look at Fỉgure 3 revealed that prepared shampoo had a slightly thicker and cloudy
texture and foam formation on the surface after adding 2.8 grams of Sodium Chloride. In
shampoo, pH measurement is very important because it may affect hair strength, irritation in

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eyes and stability of the ecological balance of the scalp. Most shampoo should be pH 4-5
because it may make the cuticle contract making it more shiny and strong. In contrast, higher
pH may increase the negative electrical charge of the hair and disrupt some of the
non-covalent interaction causing weakening the hair and making it frizzy and dry hair. In
Figure 4, the prepared shampoo had around pH 5 because it is very safe for hair. Moreover,
percent of solid contents is also important in shampoo effectiveness. Shampoos are
surfactants arranged in tiny structures called micelles. Anionic surfactant has a specific
charge density in the outer surface. A thinner solution is formed due to the repulsion of
micelles caused by a higher charge density. The purpose of adding Sodium Chloride is that
salt can improve thicker texture of shampoo because of lowering charge density and packing
micelles closer together. A good shampoo should be 20-30% of solid contents. If shampoo
contains too many solids, it is very difficult to rinse and hard to work with the hair. If it does
not have enough solids, it will be too watery and will wash away quickly. It was not difficult
to observe that the solid content value of prepared shampoo was 9.78%. That meant the solids
content in the sample was too low which led to the poor efficiency for utilization.
The viscosity may affect texture, flow rate, and stability in shampoo. Viscosity should be
controlled to ensure the cleaning properties, easy to apply and spread evenly. The
concentration of surfactant can affect the interaction between the shampoo molecules and
water causing the effect of viscosity. The viscosity of the shampoo solution depends on the
size and packing structure of micelles. In normal, salt is used to improve the viscosity in
shampoo in some specific systems with highly tolerant of salt. Low viscosity is suitable for
fine hair to prevent weighing down the hair while damaged or dry hair should be used with
higher viscosity shampoo because it provides more nourishment and hydration. In this
experiment, viscosity was conducted by dropping a miniature ball and recording the time.
The ball fell and hit the bottom within 1.72s that determined low viscosity in prepared
shampoo. The prepared shampoo was quite thin and suitable for fine hair.
Dirt dispersion was tested to determine the cleaning action of shampoo. A good shampoo
should not cause ink not to concentrate on the foam because if the ink or dirt remains on the
foam, the dirt or ink will be difficult to rinse and re-stick on the hair. The dirt must
concentrate in the water to achieve a better cleaning action. The prepared shampoo didn’t
push red ink in the water completely and red ink still remained in foam. It was shown that the
prepared shampoo had poor cleaning action.
Foaming ability and foam stability is an important method to evaluate shampoo. After 5
minutes, the foam volume decreased from 22.4 cm to 21.1 cm. It was shown that there was

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no significant change in foam volume in the 5 minutes indicating that the resulting foam had
good stability.

VI. Conclusion

In conclusion, a liquid shampoo was made from sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium chloride.
From the results of the tests, it can be seen that the prepared shampoo has a slightly thick
texture, was opaque and foams on the surface, the pH was about 5 and it is safe to use on hair,
low viscosity is suitable for hair thin, and the resulting foam has good stability. However, the
prepared shampoo has a solid content value of 9.78%, which means that the solid content in
the sample was too low, leading to poor usage efficiency, and poor cleaning effect. Quality
shampoo is quite difficult to make. Problems that have occurred may be due to laboratory
techniques not being good enough or due to errors that occurred during the experiment. From
there, creating a good shampoo is created thanks to meticulousness and care in
experimentation.

VII. References

[1] Cosmetics and Cosmeceuticals Laboratory Manual, MSc. Le Tran Hong Ngoc, semester 1
(2023-2024)
[2] CHEMEUROPE.COM. Shampoo. Retrieved from
https://www.chemeurope.com/en/encyclopedia/Shampoo.html