BTMS-50 For Skin and Hair : A Complete Guide

Everyone is looking for skin care and hair care products that cause no damage and offer the most benefits. This is where BTMS-50 comes to our rescue.

Derived from plant-based sources, BTMS-50 is a conditioning emulsifier. Not only is it gentle on skin and body, but also it keeps skin smooth, shiny, and moisturized. As a conditioner, it reduces the amount of frizz in our hair and keeps it silky.

Let’s take a look at what is BTMS-50 and what are its benefits for hair and skin.

What Is BTMS-50?

BTMS-50 is a conditioning emulsifier that is used in making body products like shampoo, hair conditioners, creams, and lotions. An emulsifier is any substance that is used to stabilize an emulsion. That brings us to our second question. What is an emulsion? An emulsion is a homogeneous mixture of oil and water. Using an emulsifier helps us to stabilize the oil and water mixture, and create a smooth texture.

INCI – The INCI of BTMS is Behentrimonium Methosulfate. In simple words, it is a salt of ammonium. BTMS-50 is extracted from Rapeseed oil, which is commonly known as Colza. The 50 in BTMS-50 refers to the presence of 50% Behentrimonium Methosulfate in the emulsifier.

Appearance – BTMS-50 appears as off-white pellets or beads. It has a moderately strong fishy odor. However, most brands sell deodorized variants as well.

How Much BTMS-50 Should I Use?

BTMS-50 is required only in a small quantity in body products and it is soluble in oils only. The approximate usage quantity is 1% – 15% of the final weight of the formulations. You can add it in the heated oil phase of your formulations.

It is important to note that using BTMS-50 over 15% concentration releases a fishy smell.

How Does BTMS-50 Work?

BTMS-50 allows for smooth, frizz-free hair in two ways:

BTMS-50 is a cationic emulsifier. This means that it has positively charged ions. These ions bind with the negatively charged ions of hair. This keeps the hair smooth and conditioned. As BTMS-50 has a smooth and creamy texture, it easily spreads over a wide area, providing maximum conditioning.

The Butylene Glycol in BTMS-50 acts as a humectant. It attracts moisture and is beneficial for dry hair.

Is BTMS-50 Natural?

BTMS-50 is derived from plants but not all-natural. As BTMS-50 is derived from Colza oil, it is further chemically processed to achieve the final product. The other inactive ingredients present in it are also derived from coconut or palm oil, making it a fully vegetable-based emulsifier.

Is BTMS-50 Vegan?

Yes, BTMS-50 is a vegan product. The conditioning emulsifier BTMS-50 is completely derived from plant-based ingredients.

The active ingredient Behentrimonium Methosulfate is derived from Colza or Rapeseed oil. While the compound cetyl alcohol was previously obtained from sperm whale oil, these days, it is found in coconut or palm oil.

Additionally, BTMS-50 is not tested on animals. This makes it a fully vegan and cruelty-free product.

Is BTMS-50 Safe And Good For Hair?

As BTMS-50 is derived from natural ingredients but further processed with chemicals to achieve the final product. The chemicals used to make BTMS-50 are safe and can be used on skin and hair. It is a mild conditioning emulsifier. It does not contain any harmful chemicals such as ethoxylated ingredients.

BTMS-50 is mostly preferred while manufacturing hair conditioners because it leaves the hair smooth, silky, and moisturized. Additionally, it also helps to detangle wet hair smoothly with negligible hair loss.

Using BTMS-50, the hair conditioner becomes creamy, so it reduces the friction between the strands of hair. Besides, BTMS-50 allows conditioners to function as both leave-in and rise-off products, making it a versatile choice.

Is BTMS-50 Soluble In Water?

BTMS-50 is insoluble in water. However, BTMS-50 is soluble in oil. Thus, in order to use BTMS-50, you have to heat it in an oil phase of your formulation, with continuous stirring until it dissolves completely.

Is BTMS-50 An Emulsifying Wax?

Yes, BTMS-50 is an emulsifying wax and it helps to combine oil and water together and create a stable emulsion. It is added to the heated oil phase of the formulation. It is added at 1% – 15% of the final weight of the formulation.

Does BTMS-50 Need A Co-emulsifier?

No, BTMS-50 does not need any co-emulsifier. One of the advantages of BTMS-50 is that it is a self-emulsifier and conditioner in one. Unlike BTMS-25, it does not need another c0-emulsifier to stabilize the emulsion.

What Is The Difference Between BTMS-25 and BTMS-50?

BTMS is a cationic emulsifier that is used to stabilize emulsions such as hair conditioners, creams, and lotions. In reality, the compound has three ingredients:

• Behentrimonium Methosulfate
• Cetyl alcohol
• Butylene Glycol

While BTMS-50 has 50% Behentrimonium Methosulfate, BTMS-25 has 25% Behentrimonium Methosulfate. As Behentrimonium Methosulfate is the active ingredient of the BTMS emulsifier, the number 50 or 25 is used to denote the percentage of the active ingredient in the actual product.

Due to the presence of a higher quantity of Behentrimonium Methosulfate, BTMS-50 has a more softening and conditioning effect on the hair and skin. While BTMS-25 does have a conditioning effect as well, it is not as effective as BTMS-50.

Can I Substitute BTMS-50 With BTMS-25?

Yes, you can substitute BTMS-50 with BTMS-25. As you can probably guess from their names, BTMS-50 and BTMS-25 are similar products. But they are not the same. The active conditioning ingredient Behentrimonium Methosulfate is present in varying amounts in these two products. BTMS-50 has 50% Behentrimonium Methosulfate which means it contains 50% of hair conditioning ingredients, while BTMS-25 has only 25% Behentrimonium Methosulfate.

In simple words, BTMS-25 is much less effective as a conditioning emulsifier than BTMS-50. You can substitute BTMS-50 with BTMS-25, but your hair will not be as smooth, shiny, or frizz-free as you would expect with BTMS-50.

Is BTMS-50 Bad For Curly Hair?

No, BTMS-50 is not bad for curly hairs. BTMS-50 is one of the safest ingredients to be used on curly hair. Because of its anti-frizz and detangling properties, BTMS-50 keeps the curly hair bouncy, smooth and manageable. It also contains cetyl alcohol, which is a fatty alcohol and thus keeps your curly hair shiny and smooth.

What Are The Alternatives Of BTMS-50?

Truth to be told, BTMS-50 is one of the best conditioning emulsifiers out in the market. It does not need any additional ingredients to get stabilized and provides great conditioning. However, if you are on the lookout for alternatives, here are some products that you should check out:

• BTMC
  BTMC stands for Behentrimonium Methochloride. Similar to BTMS-50, it is a conditioning emulsifier. However, its conditioning ability is not at par with BTMS-50. BTMC is slightly difficult to melt. However, it can easily be processed in hot water. The usage rate of BTMC is 0.3 to 5%. Since BTMS is also a cationic conditioner, it is used to repair damaged hair and soften dry hair.
• ICE Conditioner
  The main components of the ICE conditioner are Cetyl alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, and Sorbitan Laurate. Like BTMS-50, it is also a conditioning emulsifier. It can be processed in cold water or slightly warm water. This gives it an advantage over BTMS-50 in the manufacturing process. The usage rate of ICE is between 5 to 10%. ICE is halfway lipophilic and hydrophilic, making it a great ingredient for softening hair easily.
• Varisoft EC 65
  The main ingredients of Varisoft EQ 65 are Distearoylethyl Dimonium Chloride and Cetearyl Alcohol. Unlike BTMS-50, it is not a cationic conditioner. However, it has the same conditioning and emulsifying properties as BTMS-50. Varisoft EQ 65 needs to be processed only at a particular pH to get the desired result. While BTMS-50 works well both as a leave-in and rinse-off conditioner, Varisoft EQ 65 is found to make the hair dull in the case of leave-in conditioners.

Can I Use Emulsifying Wax NF Instead Of BTMS-50?

Yes, you can use emulsifying wax NF in place of BTMS-50. The purpose of emulsifying wax is to simply stabilize the emulsion between water and oil. However by adding emulsifying wax NF as a standalone ingredient, you will not achieve the silky, smooth conditioning feels that BTMS-50 offers.

Table Showing BTMS-50 Properties –