BUTTER-C
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Bi-phase essence OEM/ODM manufacturing
Bi-phase Essence · OEM/ODM
A bi-phase essence is a clear bottle with two distinct layers: a light oil floating on top and a moisturizing water layer underneath. The user shakes it so the layers break into fine droplets, applies it, then sets the bottle down and watches the two layers separate again — that moment is the product's signature. In this version the top layer is squalane: a saturated hydrocarbon made by hydrogenating squalene, a lipid naturally present in human sebum; squalane is more resistant to oxidation than squalene and works as an emollient that leaves skin soft and smooth and less rough. The bottom layer holds sodium hyaluronate and humectants, the basis for the moisturizing claim. The evidence should be stated plainly: squalane has no human trial isolating its own effect, while hyaluronate has human data on increased skin hydration in other formulas, so the product's claims stop at "moisturizes" and "softens", with testing of the finished product. The hard part is the physics of two phases: no emulsifier, and a phase ratio, density and viscosity chosen so the layers separate quickly, with a clean boundary and no haze, plus a preservative system for the water phase. Butter-C offers turnkey OEM/ODM manufacturing, from formula development and testing to labeled finished goods and the notification dossier.
Formula base
Squalane oil phase, hyaluronate water phase — and no emulsifier
The two layers only separate cleanly when nothing in the formula holds them together. Choosing ingredients for a bi-phase essence therefore means choosing what to leave out as well.
Oil phase: squalane
C30H62, a saturated hydrocarbon, non-ionic and pH-independent; relative density 0.8115 at 15 °C (PubChem). CIR (2023) confirmed squalane safe at the surveyed use levels. The material Butter-C holds is plant-derived squalane ≥ 95% per its MSDS; "plant squalane" goes on the label only with the supplier's declaration of origin.
Optional co-oils
Coco-caprylate/caprate for a drier feel; caprylic/capric triglyceride has a relative density of 0.92–0.96 (CIR) — heavier than squalane, so it narrows the density gap with the water phase. Unsaturated plant oils need tocopherol and oxidation testing because a clear bottle lets light in.
Water phase: hyaluronate and humectants
Sodium hyaluronate at a low level — 0.1% increased hydration in one human trial (Pavicic 2011, eye-area cream); CIR reports use up to 2%. Glycerin, butylene glycol, panthenol and trehalose add moisture retention and make the water phase heavier.
What stays out of the formula
Emulsifiers, solubilizers (PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil, polysorbates) and surface-active extracts: even a small amount can leave a cloudy middle layer, slow separation or create a stable emulsion (formulation experience). Fragrance, if used, is dissolved in the oil phase instead of using a solubilizer.
Key technical points
Separation is the design, not a defect
For this product, phase separation is a specification to meet: fast enough, with a clear enough boundary, and the same from the first batch to the end of shelf life.
Density and viscosity
By the creaming/settling principle for droplets (Stokes' law), oil droplets rise faster when the density difference is larger and the water phase is thinner. Light squalane (0.81) over a glycerin-containing water phase is a favorable pair; high-molecular-weight hyaluronate thickens the water phase and slows separation, so a low-to-medium molecular weight at a low level is chosen.
Salts and polyols help clean separation
A small amount of sodium chloride or magnesium sulfate together with polyols makes the water phase heavier; salt also lowers the viscosity of hyaluronate (an anionic polymer). Both effects help fast separation with a clear boundary (formulation experience) — salt is kept low because this is a leave-on product and salts can sting broken skin.
A clean interface
Common defects: flakes or a thin film at the boundary, a milky middle layer that does not clear, haze in the cold. Frequent causes are surface-active ingredients, polymer precipitation (hyaluronate meeting cationic ingredients) and ingredients crystallizing at 4 °C (formulation experience). The water phase is filtered before filling and tested at 4 °C.
Preservatives partition between the phases
Microorganisms grow in the water phase. Phenoxyethanol has a log Pow of 1.2 (SCCS) and partly moves into the oil; its efficacy depends on the free amount in the water phase, and the more lipophilic the oil phase, the more phenoxyethanol partitions into the water (Puschmann 2018, per our phenoxyethanol article). The challenge test to ISO 11930 is run on the finished two-layer product, not just the water phase.
Three formulation directions
Three kinds of bi-phase essence
Unlike a bi-phase makeup remover (light oils to dissolve makeup, then wiped off) and a single-phase facial oil, a bi-phase essence stays on the skin: the oil softens, the water moisturizes.
Basic clear bi-phase
Squalane on top, a hyaluronate–glycerin–panthenol water layer below, colorless and fragrance-free. A lower oil ratio for normal skin, a higher one for dry skin; the ratio is fixed on skin feel and re-separation time.
Tinted bi-phase
One phase is tinted so the two layers contrast. Only colorants listed in ASEAN Annex IV, within their permitted area of use; a water-soluble color must not bleed into the oil layer. A clear bottle lets light in, so fading under light exposure must be tested.
Oil-rich bi-phase for dry skin
A higher oil ratio, squalane blended with jojoba oil or triglyceride plus tocopherol. Heavier oils separate more slowly and feel richer — a balance between softness and separation time.
Packaging is designed with the formula
Clear PET or glass bottles to show the two layers, tight screw or flip-top caps; light oils tend to creep through cap threads and seals (formulation experience), so weight loss is tested. Pumps and droppers need a check of the oil/water ratio per dose when the layers separate quickly.
Parameters we monitor
What our R&D lab measures on every sample
These are the parameters Butter-C monitors during formula development and scale-up. Specific limits are agreed with you on the approved sample and then written into the product's in-house specification.
- Re-separation time
- Shaken by a fixed procedure (number of shakes, amplitude) and timed until the layers fully separate — the parameter specific to bi-phase products, measured at 4 °C and 40 °C as well.
- Boundary & clarity of each layer
- A sharp boundary with no flakes, film or residual milky layer; each layer clear — compared with the reference sample kept in our R&D lab.
- Phase volume ratio
- Height of each layer in the bottle; detects dosing deviations during filling.
- Water-phase pH
- Measured on the separated water phase at 25°C; pH drift tracked across stability time points.
- Water-phase density & viscosity
- The two figures that drive separation speed; a viscosity drop over time signals chain scission of hyaluronate.
- Stability
- Accelerated aging at 40°C, freeze–thaw cycling, storage at 4°C and light exposure: haze, crystallization, color change, oil odor.
- Microbiology & challenge test
- Tested at a GLP / ISO 17025-accredited laboratory; preservative efficacy (challenge) test to ISO 11930 on the finished two-layer product.
- Packaging compatibility
- Filled into the actual bottle, cap and seal; checked for oil leakage, weight loss, deformation and material odor.
- On-skin evaluation
- After-feel (greasiness, tackiness) and softness; hydration figures on the label only when measured on volunteers using the finished product.
Claims
Claims matched to the evidence
Squalane: no randomized human trial isolating its effect; data on protection against UVA exist only in cultured cells. Hyaluronate: increased skin hydration in humans with the formulas tested, with the size of the effect depending on the formula. A bi-phase essence's claims stop at moisturizing and softening, with no performance figures unless measured on the product itself. Annex 03-MP of Circular 06/2011/TT-BYT does not accept claims of preventing or reversing aging.
Moisturizes, leaves skin soft and smooth
Instead of: deep hydration, skin restoration claims, locks in moisture for days.
Softens, reduces the feeling of roughness
Linked to the squalane layer. Instead of: identical to the skin's own sebum, rebuilds the skin barrier.
Two layers of oil and water, shake before use
Describes the product format; states clearly that the layers separating again after shaking is a feature of the product. Instead of: breakthrough formula, exclusive technology.
Contains plant-derived squalane
Only with the supplier's written declaration of origin. Instead of: anti-aging, boosts collagen, UV protection.
Performance figures
Percent hydration increase only when measured on the finished product itself. Instead of: figures borrowed from studies of other formulas.
Directions and warnings
Shake well before use; avoid the eye area; patch test on a small area first; stop use if irritation occurs. People with breakout-prone skin should test first — there is no direct comedogenicity study on squalane.
Manufacturing specifications
Current capabilities
- Texture
- Two clear liquid layers, oil and water; colorless or with one phase tinted.
- Format
- Clear bottle with screw cap, flip-top, pump or dropper. Pack size agreed when choosing packaging.
- Minimum order quantity
- Agreed per order — depends on the formula direction and format chosen.
- Testing
- Tested at a GLP / ISO 17025-accredited laboratory; a certificate of analysis accompanies every batch.
- Documentation
- Product Information File (PIF) and cosmetic product notification dossier prepared by Butter-C, with the supplier's declaration of squalane origin.
- Packaging
- Label design, printing and packing run in parallel with formula development; the label carries "shake before use".
Suggested product concept
Squalane–hyaluronate bi-phase essence for dry skin
A product direction to help you picture the concept — not a ready-made product for sale. The actual formula is built around your brand's positioning and price range.
Squalane
Names the oil layer; the oil-phase ratio is fixed on skin feel and re-separation time.
Sodium hyaluronate, glycerin, panthenol
A moisturizing water layer, with the hyaluronate molecular weight chosen so the water phase does not thicken too much.
No emulsifier, fragrance-free
Phenoxyethanol/ethylhexylglycerin preservative system (phenoxyethanol ≤ 1% per Annex VI), challenge-tested to ISO 11930 on the finished two-layer product.
Clear PET bottle with screw cap
Both layers clearly visible; the label lists all INCI names and "shake before use".
Customization options
What you can specify
The same product type can serve very different customers. Tell us your requirements in the areas below and our pharmacists will build the formula accordingly.
Layer ratio
Less oil for normal skin, more oil for dry skin — it affects feel, separation time and how the bottle looks.
Co-oils
Squalane alone or blended with light esters or jojoba oil; unsaturated plant oils come with an antioxidant.
Humectants
Hyaluronate at several molecular weights, glycerin, panthenol, trehalose — chosen so the water phase does not get too thick.
Color
Colorless, or one layer tinted with an Annex IV-permitted colorant, with fading tested in the clear bottle.
Dispensing
Screw cap, flip-top, pump or dropper — each checked for tightness and oil/water ratio per dose.
Ingredient positioning
Fragrance-free, alcohol-free, vegan (requires declarations of squalane origin and fermentation-derived hyaluronate) — please state these at the start.
Further reading
Related knowledge
Squalane in cosmetics
How squalane differs from squalene, its sources, level of evidence and safety (in Vietnamese).
Hyaluronic acid in cosmetics
Molecular weight, evidence for increased hydration, and stability under heat (in Vietnamese).
Makeup remover OEM/ODM manufacturing
The bi-phase format used to cleanse and then wipe off — different from a leave-on bi-phase essence.
Hyaluronic acid serum OEM/ODM manufacturing
A single-phase serum with several molecular weights of hyaluronate.
Gac fruit facial oil OEM/ODM manufacturing
A single-phase, water-free facial oil blended with stable base oils such as squalane.
Phenoxyethanol in cosmetics
Why preservative efficacy depends on the free amount in the water phase (in Vietnamese).
How we work
From idea to finished batch
Eight steps and three milestones signed off by both sides: approved sample, notification number, finished batch. Step-by-step details (in Vietnamese) →
Get started
Tell us about the product you plan to launch
Send us your product direction and expected volume. Our team will get back to you during business hours (Vietnam time, GMT+7).
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