ISSN 1519-6984 (Print)

ISSN 1678-4375 (Online)

THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL ON NEOTROPICAL BIOLOGY

THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL ON GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY AND ENVIRONMENT

Original Article

Development and stability of intimate soap formulations using

Sapindus saponaria L. extract as a natural surfactant
Desenvolvimento e estabilidade de formulações de sabonete íntimo usando como
tensoativo natural o extrato de Sapindus saponaria L.

J. C. S. Cavalettia* , W. L. M. Prandoa , E. B. Ribeirob , and D. M. de S. Valladãoa,b 

Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso, Instituto de Ciências Naturais, Humanas e Sociais, Programa de Pós Graduação em Ciências Ambientais -
a

PPGCAM, Sinop, MT, Brasil

b
Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso, Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Sinop, MT, Brasil

Abstract
The use of synthetic surfactants reflects the high demand in the hygiene and cleaning sector for products with
low-cost and good-effectiveness. These ingredients are the main components of intimate soap formulations.
Sapindus saponaria L. is a plant rich in saponins, with the potential to be used as a natural surfactant due to its
amphiphilic character and its foam-forming properties. Therefore, this study aimed to develop intimate soap
formulations using S. saponaria extract as a natural surfactant and analyze its stability and surfactant characteristics.
Preliminary and accelerated stability parameters, rheological characteristics, surface tension, foaming power,
foam stability and emulsification potential were evaluated. The formulations were stable at a pH suitable for the
intimate region (4.0 to 4.5), the presence of S. saponaria extract provided greater reduction of surface tension,
better foaming and foam stability and greater emulsification power, desirable characteristics for an intimate liquid
soap. These results demonstrate that the incorporation of S. saponaria extract into liquid soap formulations is an
excellent option as a natural surfactant to reduce the use of synthetic anionic surfactants such as SLES.
Keywords: saponins, surfactant, cosmetics, lauryl-free.

Resumo
O uso de tensoativos sintéticos reflete a alta demanda do setor de higiene e limpeza por produtos de baixo
custo e boa eficácia. Estes ingredientes, são os principais componentes das formulações de sabonete íntimo.
A Sapindus saponaria L. é uma planta rica em saponinas, com potencial para ser utilizada como tensoativo natural
devido a seu caráter anfifílico e suas propriedades espumógenas. Diante disso, este trabalho teve por objetivo
o desenvolvimento de formulações de sabonete íntimo utilizando o extrato de S. saponaria como tensoativo
natural e analisar sua estabilidade e características tensoativas. Foram avaliados parâmetros de estabilidade
preliminar e acelerada, características reológicas, tensão superficial, poder e estabilidade de espuma e potencial
de emulsionamento. As formulações se mostraram estáveis em pH adequado para a região íntima (4,0 a 4,5),
a presença do extrato de S. saponaria proporcionou maior redução da tensão superficial, melhor poder e estabilidade
de espuma e maior poder emulsificação, características estas desejáveis para um sabonete líquido íntimo. Esses
resultados demonstram que a incorporação do extrato de S. saponaria em formulações de sabonete líquido é uma
excelente opção como tensoativo natural para reduzir o uso de tensoativos aniônicos sintéticos como o LESNa.
Palavras-chave: saponinas, tensoativo, cosméticos, livre de lauril.

1. Introduction

The personal hygiene, perfumery, and cosmetics to be adjusted between 3.8 and 4.5, in order to contribute
sector has been growing exponentially over the years to the maintenance of vaginal flora and protection against
(Almukainzi et al., 2022; Rocca et al., 2022) and soaps diseases such as candidiasis and bacterial vaginosis
are among the most used items (Alquadeib et al., 2018). (Bezerra et al., 2016). They are presented in solid or liquid
They have the function of removing dirt from the body forms, although the ease of pH adjustment is an advantage
helping to maintain skin health (Rai et al., 2021). of liquid soaps.
Soaps are used in various parts of the human body, Surfactants are the main ingredients of liquid soaps,
however, to be used in the intimate region, the pH needs organic substances of amphipathic character that

*e-mail: [email protected]
Received: July 25, 2023 – Accepted: October 6, 2023
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use,
distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Brazilian Journal of Biology, 2023, vol. 83, e276940 | https://doi.org/10.1590/1519-6984.276940 1/9

Cavaletti, J.C.S. et al.

have a hydrophilic portion and a hydrophobic portion 2. Material and Methods

(Felipe and Dias, 2016) and despite the different classes,
anionic surfactants are the most used, due to their detergency 2.1. Plant material obtention
and cleaning potential, while cationic, amphoteric,
The S. saponaria fruits were collected at the Federal
and non-ionic are used as secondary surfactants for
University of Mato Grosso (UFMT) campus of Sinop,
foam stabilization and maintenance of skin hydration
municipality of Sinop/MT. Botanical identification was
(Jurek et al., 2021).
performed at the Centro-Norte-Mato-Grossense Herbarium
The high demand of the sector for low-cost products
(CNMT) at the Federal University of Mato Grosso, Campus
associated with cleaning effectiveness makes synthetic
of Sinop, where an exsiccata was stored under registration
surfactants derived from petrochemicals the most
number 0759 and code AD2F8E4 at Sistema Nacional
used (Wojtoń et al., 2021), however, the interest of
de Gestão do Patrimônio Genético e do Conhecimento
the industry in replacing this type of ingredient is
Tradicional Associado (SisGen).
increasing due to toxicity to the environment and
In the Quality Control laboratory (LaCQ), the fruits were
aquatic life (Johnson et al., 2021), in addition to often
dried in a forced convection drying oven at a temperature
being associated with skin, eye, and scalp irritation
of 45 ± 2°C for a period of 48 h. After that, the fruits were
(Jurek et al., 2021).
ground and stored in a freezer at a temperature of -14 ± 2 ºC
In this sense, the environmental concern arising from
for later use.
the use of products from non-renewable raw materials
has mobilized studies for more ecological alternatives
(Meshram et al., 2021), which can be obtained from natural 2.2. Preparation of the extracts
sources and are less irritating to the skin and biodegradable The extracts were prepared by maceration in a 1:4 (w/v)
(Chen et al., 2010; Johnson et al., 2021). ratio, using 70% ethanol (v/v), for a period of seven
Saponin-rich plants are interesting because saponins days in amber vials, with manual agitation every 24 h.
are potential surfactants, since they have an amphiphilic Afterwards, they were filtered and the solvent evaporated
character and the ability to produce foam (Bezerra et al., in a rotary evaporator under reduced pressure providing
2018; Tucker et al., 2020; Pradhan et al., 2022) and, although an extract with semi-solid consistency which was then
foam is not a guarantee of cleaning, it is an important stored away from light and under refrigeration at 5 ± 2 ºC
aspect for the consumer (Daltin, 2011). (Debiasi et al., 2023).
Sapindus saponaria L. is an angiosperm, belonging to
the Sapindaceae family, found widely in the Brazilian 2.3. Reagents
territory (REFLORA - Herbário Virtual, 2023). Its fruits
Ethyl alcohol and propylene glycol were provided by
when rubbed under water, produce a soap-like foam
“Synth”, coconut fatty acid diethanolamide, Cocamidopropyl
(Wei et al., 2021) resulting from the presence of saponins
betaine, polyethylene glycol 6000 diesterate, hydroxyethyl
in its metabolic structure (Tsuzuki et al., 2007; Damke et al.,
cellulose and Nipaguard were purchased from “Engenharia
2013; Gasca et al., 2019).
das essências”, disodium EDTA from “Sintética”, citric acid
Because it is considered a natural surfactant, S. saponaria
from “Neon” and paraffin from “Vicpharma”.
extract becomes of scientific and biotechnological interest
to be used in the development of hygiene and cleaning
products (Rai et al., 2021; Souza et al., 2019). Within this 2.4. Formulations development
context, the objective of the study was to develop an Three intimate soap formulations were developed, named
intimate soap formulation using S. saponaria extract, as F1 to F3 according to Table 1. The formulations were developed
well as to evaluate the stability, and surfactant properties without the use of anionic surfactants and the ethanolic
of the formulations. extract of S. saponaria was incorporated into two formulations.

Table 1. Developed formulations of intimate soap.

Phase Raw material F1 (%) F2 (%) F3 (%)

A Cocamidopropyl betaine 25 25 15

A Coconut fatty acid diethanolamide 5 5 10

A Polyethylene glycol 6000 distearate 3 3 3

B Propylene glycol 2 2 2

B Nipaguard 0.2 0.2 0.2

C S. saponaria Extract 0 10 10

C Disodium EDTA* 0.05 0.05 0.05

C Distilled water 64.75 54.75 59.75

D Citric acid q.s. pH 4-5 q.s. pH 4-5 q.s. pH 4-5

*EDTA- Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid

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 Development of intimate soap containing a natural surfactant

The preparation was adapted from the methodology of The number of drops formed in a constant flow of 3 mL
Esprendor et al. (2019) where phases A, B, and C were was correlated with the surface tension through the
heated separately. Phase B was poured over phase A and Equation 1 below:
homogenized, then the volume was completed with
= γ sample H ₂ O drop number × γ H ₂ O / sample drop number (1)
phase C. After cooling, the pH was corrected with phase D.
Where 𝛄= surface tension and H2O = water.
2.5. Quality control and stability of formulations
The organoleptic characteristics and some physico- 2.5.5. Determination of Foaming Power and Foam Stability
chemical parameters of the developed formulations were The foaming power and foam stability were determined
evaluated after 24 h of preparation. The same parameters by the stirring method (Chen et al., 2010; Gomes et al., 2022),
were evaluated in the preliminary stability tests (alternating where 20 mL of solutions at 0.5% and 1.0% (v/v) concentrations
temperature cycles of 45 ± 2 ºC and 5 ± 2 ºC every 24 h for of formulations F1, F2, F3, and S. saponaria extract were
a period of 14 days) and accelerated stability, where new manually stirred for 15 s and, after 30 s of rest, the volume
formulations were prepared and subjected to different (mL) of the formed foam was measured. After 5 min of rest,
storage temperatures (5, 25, and 45 ± 2 ºC) and exposure the foam stability (R5) was determined by the Equation 2:
to light radiation for a period of 90 days. All tests were
= R5 ( foam volume after 5 min / foam volume after 30 s ) × 100 (2)
performed in triplicate.
Where R5 = ratio of foam volume in 5 min to foam volume
2.5.1. Organoleptic characteristics in 30 s
The formulations had their organoleptic characteristics
visually evaluated by verifying homogeneity, color, and odor 2.5.6. Determination of the Emulsification
or changes such as the presence of precipitates, lumps, and The percentage of emulsification was measured using
dispersed particles (Brasil, 2004; Almukainzi et al., 2022). the methodology of Basu et al. (2015) where 2 mL of liquid
paraffin and 2 mL of formulations F1, F2, F3, and of the
2.5.2. Physico-chemical parameters S. saponaria extract were subjected to agitation in a Vortex
The parameters were evaluated according to (Cosmetics mixer (Norte Científica, model NA 3600) for a period of
Europe, 2004; Brasil, 2004): 2 min and then allowed to rest for 24 h. The percentage of
Centrifugation (Quimis®) was performed at 1000 g paraffin emulsification was determined using the Equation 3:
for 30 min to check for signs of instability and need for % emulsification =
(3)
formulation adjustments. emulsified area height / total solution height
The pH (Del Lab®) and conductivity (Tecnopon®)
were evaluated by direct insertion of the electrode into
the formulations. 2.6. Analysis of the results
The relative density was performed by the pycnometer The results of the stability tests were subjected to
method, through the ratio of the sample mass to the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the significant difference
water mass at a given temperature, and then calculated between the mean values were verified by Tukey’s multiple
the mass density ( ρ ). comparisons test with 95% significance (p<0.05). Results
The refractive index (Polax WYA-2S) was evaluated with were expressed as mean ± standard deviation using the
the equipment previously calibrated with distilled water. Origin Pro software version 8.5.1 (OriginLab©).

2.5.3. Rheological characterization

The rheological analysis was performed using a Modular 3. Results and Discussion
Compact Rheometer – MCR 102 (Anton Paar®, Germany) Three formulations of liquid soap for the intimate
coupled to the Rheoplus V3.61 Software, with permanent area were prepared. They were liquid, homogeneous
control of the measurement gap with a 0.099 mm TruGap™ and translucent. The formulations in which the extract
support, a Toolmaster™ CP 50 measuring cell, and precise was incorporated had a brown color and a sweet smell,
temperature control with the T-Ready™ feature. The assay characteristic of the fruit.
was performed according to Ribeiro et al. (2020) using The surfactants used were an extract obtained from
600 µL of sample. S. saponaria and amphoteric and non-ionic auxiliary
For the flow and viscosity curves, the shear stress (τ) was surfactants to contribute to foam stability and hydration.
stablished to vary from 0 to 5 Pa for the upward curve and The most commonly used anionic surfactant, SLES, was
from 5 to 0 Pa for the downward curve. These measurements not present in the formulations.
were performed under isothermal conditions at 25 ° C, In the case of liquid soaps, formulating a product that
comprising 75 readings per analysis. replaces anionic surfactants such as Sodium Lauryl Ether
Sulphate (SLES) is a challenge, as they are associated with
2.5.4. Determination of Surface Tension (𝛄) factors such as foaming and cleaning (Jurek et al., 2021).
It was performed by the drop-counting method (Teixeira The use of natural surfactants rich in saponins has been
Neto et al., 2009) with solutions at concentrations of 0.1, 1.0, gaining prominence as they contribute to the detergency
and 10% of formulations F1, F2, F3, and S. saponaria extract. and emulsification process (Panotin et al., 2022).

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Cavaletti, J.C.S. et al.

The industry’s interest in natural ingredients reflects The mass density result of the formulations (Table 4)
consumer demand for less aggressive and more sustainable was between 1.0369 and 1.0562 g/mL. Although there
products, and the replacement of synthetic raw materials are no established values for density, authors such as
with natural ingredients offers better biocompatibility Hawa et al. (2022) and Pires et al. (2021) found values
and less risk of allergens, as well as socio-environmental between 1.0077 and 1.066 g/mL with plant extracts.
benefits with impact reduction (Rocca et al., 2022). According to Rusdianto et al. (2021), values between
Table 2 shows the results for the organoleptic 1.01 and 1.10 g/mL are acceptable for liquid soaps. This is
characteristics and physico-chemical parameters obtained an important parameter since it interferes with consumer
during the preliminary stability test of formulations experience with the product and the weight and volume
F1, F2, and F3, which remained stable at the end of the of the final packaging (Brasil, 2004).
14-day cycle. The rheology of the formulations showed that the
The preliminary stability parameters (Table 2) showed behavior of the upward and downward flows occurs in a
the adequacy of the formulations, remaining stable non-linear manner and that as the shear rate increases,
throughout the entire period. New samples were prepared a slight decrease in viscosity occurs (Figure 1 and Figure2),
and subjected to accelerated stability (Table 3). demonstrating that the samples behave as pseudoplastic
The formulations stored at a temperature of 25 ºC type non-Newtonian fluids with a tendency to Newtonian,
maintained all their organoleptic characteristics during verified by the minimum hysteresis area.
the 90-day test period. The pH values were stable and Literature reports that pseudoplastic behavior is
within the established range of 4.0 to 4.5. Although there a desirable characteristic in liquid soaps because it is
is no consensus, the literature suggests that the pH of related to the consistency of the formulation (Kumar and
intimate soaps should be in this range, as this prevents an Mali, 2010; Sharma et al., 2011; Alquadeib et al., 2018).
imbalance of the intimate microbiota (Sousa et al., 2019; Also, the incorporation of the extract into the formulations
Gupta et al., 2019). led to a reduction in viscosity from approximately 3.5 Pa∙s
The incorporation of S. saponaria extract as a natural to values less than 0.5 Pa∙s, a behavior that provides less
surfactant favored the acidic pH of the intimate liquid soap resistance to flow and improves characteristics such as
formulations because, due to the extract’s pH of 4.29, the spreadability (Cornwell, 2018).
formulations had a pH of 3.8 to 4.8, being possible to adjust The surface tension has great significance in the
formulations to the desired range if necessary. evaluation of liquid soap formulations since it is related
The electrical conductivity values of the formulations to the detergency process. Figure 3 shows the surface
contributed to the evaluation of stability since the increase tension data of formulations F1, F2, F3, and S. saponaria
or decrease of these values are indicators of coalescence extract, which ranged from 48.22 to 31.72 m/Nm as the
or aggregation of constituents in the formulation concentration of the samples increased.
(Brasil, 2004). All formulations showed good surface tension reduction
The formulations submitted to a temperature of 5 ºC and the addition of the extract in F2 and F3 potentiated this
presented similar results to the formulations at 25 ºC. At effect in all concentrations evaluated. This is an important
a temperature of 45 ºC, all formulations presented one parameter to be analyzed since surfactants, when in
or more changes (color, pH, and electrical conductivity). aqueous solutions, tend to interfere with factors such as
Changes at high temperatures are expected, by the wettability, wetting (Daltin, 2011), cleaning potential and
possibility of evaporation of water from the formulation, particle dispersion (Teixeira Neto et al., 2009).
or by enzymatic oxidation of compounds present in The extract of S. saponaria presented a minimum surface
the extract that are sensitive to temperature (Silva and tension value of 48.22 m/Nm. Formulations and extracts
Cavalcante, 2022). analyzed by Kumar and Mali (2010), Wojton et al. (2021),
When subjected to light radiation, the formulations and Yang et al. (2010), presented corroborating surface
remained stable, that is, they did not present any type tension values and although there are no pre-established
of change, showing that transparent packaging can be values of surface tension, these data indicate that S.
used, which favors the acceptance of the product by the saponaria extract offers the potential to be used for
consumer (Pires et al., 2021; Silva and Cavalcante, 2022). detergent purposes.

Table 2. Organoleptic characteristics and physico-chemical parameters of intimate soap formulations during the preliminary stability test.

Time Formulation Color, Odor and Appearance pH Electric Conductivity (mS/cm) Refractive index

After 24 h F1 N 4.03 ± 0.37 16.91 ± 0.20 1.3704 ± 0.01

F2 N 4.14 ± 0.24 15.26 ± 0.12 1.3877 ± 0.02

F3 N 4.16 ± 0.24 10.25 ± 0.19 1.3975 ± 0.01

After 14 days F1 N 4.06 ± 0.14 16.85 ± 0.18 1.3755 ± 0.01

F2 N 4.13 ± 0.36 15.22 ± 0.20 1.3946 ± 0.00

F3 N 4.17 ± 0.36 10.07 ± 0.19 1.3875 ± 0.02

Appearance, color and odor: N – normal. Results expressed as mean values and relative standard deviation.

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Table 3. Accelerated stability test of intimate soap formulations at different temperatures (5, 25, and 45 ± 2 ºC) and light radiation (UV).

Sample T (ºC) Days Organoleptic Characteristics pH Electric Conductivity (mS/cm) Refractive Index
F1 5±2 0 N 4.23 ± 0.00 15.53 ± 0.00 1.3705 ± 0.00
30 N 4.28 ± 0.13 15.85 ± 0.28 1.3711 ± 0.02
60 N 4.30 ± 0.13 15.64 ± 0.09 1.3704 ± 0.02
90 N 4.30 ± 0.35 15.72 ± 0.47 1.3710 ± 0.03
25 ± 2 0 N 4.23 ± 0.00 15.53 ± 0.00 1.3705 ± 0.00
30 N 4.24 ± 0.35 15.99 ± 0.25 1.3745 ± 0.02
60 N 4.26 ± 0.23 15.81 ± 0.41 1.3744 ± 0.04
90 N 4.26 ± 0.13 16.08 ± 0.12 1.3722 ± 0.02
45 ± 2 0 N 4.23 ± 0.00 15.53 ± 0.00 1.3705 ± 0.00
30 M 4.46 ± 0.48 16.26 ± 0.21 1.3744± 0.046
60 M 4.50 ± 0.15 16.67 ± 0.19 1.3752 ± 0.06
90 M 4.57 ± 0.15 16.49 ± 0.08 1.3728 ± 0.01
UV 0 N 4.23 ± 0.00 15.53 ± 0.00 1.3705 ± 0.00
30 N 4.27 ± 0.27 16.00 ± 0.40 1.3732 ± 0.03
60 N 4.32 ± 0.13 16.52 ± 0.36 1.3732± 0.04
90 N 4.29 ± 0.46 16.49 ± 0.12 1.3771 ± 0.04
F2 5±2 0 N 4.25 ± 0.00 13.62 ± 0.00 1.3812 ± 0.00
30 N 4.27 ± 0.35 13.70 ± 0.40 1.3850 ± 0.03
60 N 4.28 ± 0.13 13.67 ± 0.37 1.3848 ± 0.06
90 N 4.27 ± 0.46 13.70 ± 0.22 1.3824 ± 0.02
25 ± 2 0 N 4.25 ± 0.00 13.62 ± 0.00 1.3812 ± 0.00
30 N 4.24 ± 0.23 13.84 ± 0.15 1.3882 ± 0.05
60 N 4.22 ± 0.23 13.88 ± 0.40 1.3878 ± 0.02
90 N 4.23 ± 0.36 13.89 ± 0.21 1.3849 ± 0.04
45 ± 2 0 N 4.25 ± 0.00 13.62 ± 0.00 1.3812 ± 0.00
30 M 4.26 ± 0.16 13.65 ± 0.25 1.3840 ± 0.03
60 M 4.27 ± 0.13 13.95 ± 0.25 1.3834 ± 0.05
90 M 4.27 ± 0.13 14.02 ± 0.10 1.3848 ± 0.03
UV 0 N 4.25 ± 0.00 13.62 ± 0.00 1.3812 ± 0.00
30 N 4.24 ± 0.35 13.58 ± 0.25 1.3873 ± 0.03
60 N 4.25 ± 0.13 13.87 ± 0.23 1.3879 ± 0.03
90 N 4.24 ± 0.35 13.94 ± 0.21 1.3847 ± 0.01
F3 5±2 0 N 4.28 ± 0.00 12.19 ± 0.00 1.3848 ± 0.06
30 N 4.28 ± 0.13 12.67 ± 0.19 1.3865 ± 0.03
60 N 4.30 ± 0.13 12.43 ± 0.42 1.3864 ± 0.04
90 N 4.29 ± 0.13 12.55 ± 0.21 1.3860 ± 0.02
25 ± 2 0 N 4.28 ± 0.00 12.19 ± 0.00 1.3859 ± 0.00
30 N 4.24 ± 0.13 12.36 ± 0.28 1.3890 ± 0.03
60 N 4.25 ± 0.13 12.16 ± 0.21 1.3909 ± 0.02
90 N 4.30 ± 0.48 12.69 ± 0.23 1.3852 ± 0.05
45 ± 2 0 N 4.28 ± 0.00 12.19 ± 0.00 1.3859 ± 0.00
30 M 4.47 ± 0.31 11.04 ± 0.10 1.3822 ± 0.01
60 M 4.50 ± 0.12 10.69 ± 0.33 1.3846 ± 0.04
90 M 4.58 ± 0.21 10.30 ± 0.20 1.3833 ± 0.02
UV 0 N 4.28 ± 0.00 12.19 ± 0.00 1.3859 ± 0.00
30 N 4.28 ± 0.23 12.21 ± 0.12 1.3882 ± 0.04
60 N 4.29 ± 0.13 12.67 ± 0.20 1.3907 ± 0.06
90 N 4.29 ± 0.48 12.84 ± 0.20 1.3928 ± 0.04
Appearance, color and odor: N – normal, M – modified. Results expressed as mean values and relative standard deviation.

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Cavaletti, J.C.S. et al.

Foam, although not essential and does not contribute to at the same concentration of the formulation solution.
the detergency process, is a relevant factor for the consumer The legislation does not present pre-established values
when choosing a soap, due to the fact it is associated with for this parameter, but the findings are in agreement with
greater cleaning power (Rai et al., 2021). Foam height authors such as Rusdianto et al. (2021) and Meshram et al.
values are in Table 5. (2021), who worked with plant extracts.
The formulation without extract, F1, presented
foam volume values of 96 and 108 mL in 0.5 and 1.0%
solutions. The incorporation of the extract in formulations Table 4. Mass density of intimate soap formulations.
F2 and F3 contributed in enhancing this power. These
values corroborate those found in shampoos (formulation Sample Density (g/mL)
with characteristics similar to liquid soaps) with plant
F1 1.0369 ± 0.01
extracts by Sharma et al. (2011) and Panotin et al. (2022).
The foam potential of the extract in a solution at the F2 1.0478 ± 0.00
same concentrations of the formulations demonstrated
F3 1.0562 ± 0.00
that the foam increase percentage of the formulations is
equivalent to the foam percentage of the extract solution Results expressed as mean values and relative standard deviation.

Figure 1. Viscosity curve by shear rate of formulations F1, F2 and F3.

Figure 2. Shear stress by shear rate curve of formulations F1, F2 and F3.

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 Development of intimate soap containing a natural surfactant

Table 5. Foaming power and foam stability of F1, F2, F3, and S. saponaria extract in 0.5% and 1.0% solutions, measured after 30 s and
after 5 min.

Sample Foam (cm)

0.5% after 30 s 0.5% after 5 min R5* (%) 1.0% after 30 s 1.0% after 5 min R5* (%)

F1 96 ± 1.28 77 ± 1.48 80.20 108 ± 1.04 76 ± 1.44 70.37

F2 304 ± 0.36 280 ±0.34 92.10 332 ± 0.33 299 ± 0.32 90.06

F3 325 ± 0.34 294 ± 0.38 90.46 360 ± 0.31 327 ± 0.34 90.83

Ext 191 ± 1.55 166 ± 1.35 86.91 235 ± 0.82 197 ± 0.99 83.82

*R5 is the ratio of foam volume in 5 min to volume in 30 s. Results expressed as mean values and relative standard deviation.

Table 6. Percentage of paraffin emulsification for formulations F1, that contributes to justify the potential of the extract as
F2, F3, and S. saponaria extract. a surfactant (Wisetkomolmat et al., 2019).
The cleaning potential (Table 6) was calculated by
Sample % Emulsification the percentage of paraffin emulsification, and the values
ranged between 18.47 and 89.90%.
F1 18.47 ± 2.17
F1, which does not have the extract in its composition,
F2 88.75 ± 1.99 presented a value of 18.47%, and the addition of S. saponaria
extract to F2 and F3, enhanced the emulsification, with
F3 89.90 ± 1.58 results close to 90%. S. saponaria extract in a 10% solution
Ext 10% 62.90 ± 3.62 showed 62.20% of emulsification, demonstrating excellent
potential for incorporation into cleaning formulations.
Results expressed as mean values and relative standard deviation. Natural surfactants need to have an emulsifying activity of
50 to 90% (Bezerra et al., 2018), a fact that is directly related
to the surfactant potential of the product (Daltin, 2011).
The values found corroborate the results of authors such as
Saripalla et al. (2022) and Basu et al. (2015) in formulations
and in plant extracts.
Emulsification is an important attribute because it is
related to detergency through the removal of dirt from
the body, such as oiliness (Daltin, 2011) and also brings
the possibility of S. saponaria extract being used as an
emulsifier in cosmetic formulations.

4. Conclusions

The incorporation of S. saponaria extract in an intimate

soap formulation enabled the development of stable
formulations at an appropriate pH for the intimate region
Figure 3. Surface tension of formulations F1, F2 and F3, and S. and potentiated parameters such as emulsifying capability,
saponaria extract at concentrations of 0.01%, 0.1% and 1% through foam, and reduction of surface tension.
the drop-counting method. Also, the replacement of synthetic surfactants such as
SLES by a natural one contributes to sustainability due
to its greater biodegradability, in addition to minimizing
The stability of the foam over time is an important aspect
risks of skin irritations, which makes this formulation of
for the consumer because it means that the foam does not
intimate soap with S. saponaria extract an innovative option.
evaporate immediately when it comes into contact with the
environment. All formulations showed good foam stability,
and in F2 and F3, the presence of the extract enhanced
Acknowledgements
stability, remaining greater than 90%. These results are in
line with those found by Panotin et al. (2022) and Hawa et al. This study was financed by the Researcher Financial
(2022) in formulations with plant extracts. Assistance Program (PAFiPesqPG/UFMT) and Pos-graduate
Regarding the foam stability of the S. saponaria extract Support Program (PROAP/CAPES 2021) and Project
at 0.5%, the value of 86.73% was found, results consistent and Research Financing (FINEP) (agreement 2013:
with the findings of Chen et al. (2010), Yang et al. (2010), and 01.13.0434.00, ref. 0645/13). The authors would like to
Meshram et al. (2021). Foaming stability is associated with thank the Federal University of Mato Grosso (UFMT) for
activity at the liquid-air interface, thus, it is a parameter the infrastructure provided for the research.

Brazilian Journal of Biology, 2023, vol. 83, e276940 7/9

Cavaletti, J.C.S. et al.

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