Impact of different emollient esters on body emulsions: Sensory, physicochemical, and biometrological characterization

A range of liquid emollient ester‐loaded body emulsions were evaluated on the basis of sensory profile, consumer perception, physicochemical, biometrological, and rheological performances. This was complemented by skin hydration and transepidermal water loss (TEWL) studies performed using a Corneometer® and Tewameter®, respectively. The rheological studies showed similar behavior of creams on variation of shear stress, frequency, and temperature. However, skin hydration performances of creams were found varied when compared between base cream and emollient ester‐containing creams. In case of the TEWL study, base cream (F1, no ester) and octyl palmitate‐containing cream (F2), exhibited the most protective behavior for the skin with minimal water loss. Sensory profiles of creams were obtained using the sensory descriptive analysis method. A study performed with human consumers (as subjects) using the difference of test attributes (directional) method showed the importance of sensory evaluation with consumers and proved to be an interesting analysis for comparison with the sensorial profile. In this case, the attributes with the highest intensity in the evaluated creams were, that is, spreadability, slipping, and dry touch. Stability studies of creams were performed for 90 days under different storage conditions. Stability studies showed octyl stearate‐containing (F2) and palmitate‐containing (F5) creams exhibited best stability under extended storage conditions. This research has demonstrated the importance of physicochemical characterization and sensory evaluations performed with consumers for more targeted analysis of cream‐based formulations to differentiate product characteristics and identify attributes‐led preferences. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Results from the present work suggest that emollients are directly responsible for sensory characteristics such as spreading, absorption, and touch on the skin; they can influence the viscosity and appearance of emulsions. After application on the skin, they regulate the moisture content of the epidermis together with the humectants. This research has demonstrated the importance of sensory evaluation, especially performed with consumers, which may be considered a more targeted analysis to differentiate product characteristics and help in the choice of emollient with the desired characteristics for the cosmetic product.