Product Finder

Month: September 2026

September 24, 2026

Formula Girls Formulation Spotlight – No. 1069 Curl Defining Cream

Blog
Personal Care
Product

Curl Defining Cream No. 1069

Rich conditioning. Curl definition. Frizz control. All in a streamlined formula.

Curl creams have a fairly demanding job: provide enough conditioning and smoothing to support definition and manageability without sacrificing body and movement.
Curl Defining Cream No. 1069 takes a streamlined approach, building the formula around a concentrated conditioning base with targeted additions for moisture, shine, and frizz control.

On the Bench

Formulation No. 1069 is an opaque, white cream with a finished viscosity of 25,000–35,000 cP and a pH of 4.5–5.0.
This formula is approximately 90% biobased with an estimated NOI of 0.90 and NOC of 98.9%.
The curl-defining system features Cola®Lac SLB, Cola®Quat Q80, and Colonial BetaNat. Together, these ingredients create a rich conditioning cream designed to support hydration, shine, and frizz control without heavy buildup.

Why It Works

At the center of No. 1069 is Cola®Lac SLB, a conditioning concentrate based on Cetearyl Alcohol and Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine Lactate. The Cetearyl Alcohol helps build the cream’s viscosity and structure, while the cationic conditioning component provides affinity for the hair fiber but does not build up on hair. The robust emulsification ability of Cola®Lac SLB also supports incorporation of 3% coconut oil used in the formula.
Cola®Quat Q80, a substantive silicone quat, complements the primary conditioning base and is intended to enhance combability, shine, and frizz control.
Colonial BetaNat, a 100% plant-based betaine, acts as a powerful osmolyte to help support moisture balance and hair elasticity, making hair more flexible and resistant to breakage. It is intended to enhance overall bounce, body, and strength.
The result is an efficient curl-defining system in which the primary structure and conditioning is provided by Cola®Lac SLB, while the lower-level additions refine the moisture and sensory profile without unnecessary formula complexity.

Formulator Notes

The viscosity specification of 25,000 – 35,000 cP allows for a pumpable product with a substantial cream texture. Viscosity is built with Cola®Lac SLB. Richness and emollience is further enhanced with Cola®Quat Q80, Colonial BetaNat, and coconut oil.
The pH specification of 4.5 – 5.0 supports the performance of the cationic conditioning system and is appropriate for a leave-in hair product.
Processing is relatively straightforward with no need for a separately prepared oil phase or a homogenization step. The water-soluble Cola®Quat Q80 and Colonial BetaNat are dispersed in water before the batch is heated to 70–75°C. Cola®Lac SLB and coconut oil and then added, and the batch is mixed until the solids are fully melted and the emulsion is uniform. Preservative and fragrance are added during cooldown blow 50°C.

The Formula Girls Take

Formulation No. 1069 keeps the process simple and the ingredient list short while delivering a thoughtfully layered conditioning system.
Both time and resources are saved by using a concentrated blend and a single-phase heated process.
Furthermore, using the Cola®Lac SLB as both the structural and conditioning foundation leaves room in the ingredient list for a few targeted additions that shape the final performance of the cream without requiring a more complicated emulsification system.
For a ten-ingredient formula, there is quite a bit happening in the finished cream.

Take It Back to the Lab

Want to dig into the percentages and process? Check out the complete Formulation No. 1069 for the full formula, specifications, and procedure.

You can also take a closer look at Cola®Lac SLB, Cola®Quat Q80, and Colonial BetaNat to explore the featured chemistries behind this conditioning system.

September 16, 2026

The Cola®Carb Series – Part Three

Blog
Household & Industrial
Industrial Lubricant Additives
Oil & Gas
Personal Care

What Colonial Has Brought to You for Your Ether Carboxylate Needs – An Overview of Colonial’s Product Cascade

In response to market needs, Colonial has developed and commercialized a comprehensive portfolio of ethoxylate-based ether carboxylates, marketed under the Cola®Carb trade name.

Alkyl chains in Colonial’s ether carboxylate portfolio range from a butyl group (C4) to an oleyl group. The degree of ethoxylation ranges from 1 to 10, providing the appropriate balance of performance and cold-flow properties.

R1: C4 – C18

R2: H (all ethoxylate-based)

n: 1 to 10

Based on the alkyl chain lengths of ether carboxylates, they are sub-grouped as short-, medium-, and long-chain to accommodate the focused performance expectations.

Most products in the Cola®Carb series are supplied in the acid form, with the exception of Cola®Carb BEA and Cola®Carb BEA-B, which are available as alkali salts. Additionally, Colonial has the manufacturing capability to supply alternative salt forms upon request.
The Cola®Carb product portfolio is typically manufactured with high conversion levels of the underlying ethoxylated alcohol substrates. However, customized degrees of conversion can be provided in commercial scales to meet specific customer requirements, subject to production feasibility.
Colonial Chemical offers ether carboxylates with exceptionally low inorganic salt content, typically well below the industry standard of 1.0%.
By tailoring the molecular structure of ether carboxylates, the Cola®Carb product portfolio delivers a broad range of performance attributes associated with this chemistry, including low-foaming behavior, emulsification, lime soap dispersing, hard water and electrolyte tolerance, surface wetting, hydrotroping, degreasing, cleansing, corrosion protection, and lubrication.

Not all ether carboxylates are created equal. It is unrealistic to expect a single Cola®Carb product to deliver every desirable performance attribute. To achieve the optimal balance of performance requirements in specific applications, blends of ether carboxylates have proven highly effective. The Cola®Carb family includes two optimized blend products, Cola®Carb HC49C and Cola®Carb TCAM, which have been developed to address a broad range of industry needs. Additional blend products are currently under development. For more detailed information about the Cola®Carb product line, please visit www.colonialchem.com.

The Cola®Carb product portfolio has found success across a wide range of applications, including personal care, HI&I (Household, Industrial & Institutional cleaning), and industrial formulations. As the versatility of ether carboxylate technology continues to expand, new applications and performance opportunities are continually being explored and developed.

What performance balance are you looking to achieve? Whether your priorities are wetting, emulsification, detergency, lubrication, foaming behavior, or hard water tolerance, the Cola®Carb platform offers solutions tailored to your specific needs. Contact Colonial Chemical to learn how the Cola®Carb family can help optimize the performance of your formulation.

September 2, 2026

Anionic Functional APGs

Blog
Personal Care

A Solution for Every Need

Alkyl polyglucosides (APGs) are naturally derived nonionic surfactants produced from renewable feedstocks and are well known for their excellent foam, detergency, and relatively low irritation potential. Nonetheless, their functionality is limited in most personal care cleansing formulations, where gel viscosity with low to moderate surfactant concentration is desired. By adding anionic functional groups, Colonial Chemical produces surfactants that keep or even further improve the gentle, plant-based profile of an APG while gaining the cleansing power and foam performance formulators expect from anionic chemistry. In some instances, the APGs are further polymerized to create novel, EO-free polymer surfactants with unique surface properties.


With so many demands today on formulators for high biobased, low irritation, high viscosity, and high foam, where can they turn to? It seems most replacement products have serious negative tradeoffs, but Colonial’s wide range of APG anionics provide excellent solutions for every formulation need. They are all very high (up to 100%) biorenewable carbon and readily biodegradable.

A Portfolio Built for Flexibility

Colonial Chemical’s Suga® and Poly Suga® lines illustrate how much range this chemistry actually offers. Rather than a single surfactant solution, our platform spans several anionic groups, each suited to different formulation goals:


Our flagship sulfonate-based (Poly Suga®Nate 100P NC, Poly Suga®Nate 160P NC, Suga®Nate 100NC, Suga®Nate 160NC) deliver robust foam and cleansing, positioning them as sulfate alternatives for shampoos and body washes. These 100% biorenewable carbon products are produced from Decyl (100/100P) or Lauryl (160/160P) Glucosides to give a wide range of performance and compliance features. SugaNate 160NC is completely unique in the fact that it’s a non-irritant, even as supplied, making it the product of choice for advanced care products for babies, distressed skin, sensitive intimate areas, and more. APG sulfonates are incredibly robust, with excellent clarity and stability even in harshly acidic, caustic, or oxidative conditions. The Decyl Glucoside derivatives have very high flash foam properties while the Lauryl Glucoside derivatives deliver higher viscosity response. SugaNate 160NC has a wide array of certifications, including USDA Biopreferred and NSF/ANSI 305 compliance.


Phosphate-based (Poly Suga®Phos 1000P, Poly Suga®Phos 1200P) derivatives are mild, low-irritation options often used where phosphate esters’ conditioning and emulsifying properties are wanted. These products feature strongly in our SugaDet EcoPearl, providing outstanding control over pearl appearance.


Another unique option is our recently introduced citrate-based APG (Suga®Citrate L1C MB), where the anion is completely biorenewable. It is derived from Lauryl Glucoside and offers many of the same benefits as SugaNate 160NC, but with added COSMOS approval.


Our APG carboxylate (Suga®Mate LGC MB) rounds out the toolkit with a high biobased option that has significant market acceptance.


Global compliance status varies by product, ranging from limited-market clearance to global regulatory acceptance. Please check the sales bulletin and RDS (available upon request) for additional details.
Having options across these anionic groups means a formulator isn’t locked into just one performance profile or claim or regulatory scheme. A sulfate-free shampoo, a low-irritation baby wash, and a naturally positioned cleanser can each pull from the same underlying APG platform while landing on the specific derivative that fits the claim, texture, and cost target.

Where APG Anionics Fit in a Formulator’s Toolkit


In practice, these surfactants show up as primary or secondary cleansers in:

  • “Sulfate-free” and “sulfate-alternative” shampoos and conditioners (properly said, those without SLS or SLES)
  • Facial and body cleansers marketed on mildness or sensitive-skin claims
  • Baby and kids’ personal care lines, where low-irritation profiles are non-negotiable
  • Natural and organic-positioned brands needing ingredients that can actually support the claim, not just the marketing copy


APG-based anionic surfactants are more than a single ingredient swap for traditional SLS and SLES. They’re a category that lets formulators dial in cleansing strength, mildness, and sustainability positioning from one related chemistry family instead of stitching together unrelated surfactants to hit each goal separately. As biobased and environmentally safe claims move from niche to expected, having a portfolio of sulfonate, phosphate, citrate, and carboxylate options built on the same renewable backbone gives brands real flexibility instead of forcing a trade-off between performance and a clean ingredient story.


Since they are not produced from fatty acids or fatty acid chlorides like many other sulfate-free surfactants, our APG derivatives are inherently more stable in low pH environments, which is a problem for many applications requiring high clarity and stability at low pH.


Ready to see which anionic group fits your next formula? Explore the full Poly Suga® and Suga® product listing or reach out to Colonial Chemical’s technical team for formulation support.