N°4/2021
“Before being foam we will be indomitable waves“
(Cesare Pavese, Italian writer)
Foam
/fəʊm/
“A mass of small bubbles that are formed when air and a liquid are mixed.”
Intimately mysterious, light and soft as a cloud, it seduces and fascinates philosophers and artists since the mists of time. It is not only a solid, a liquid or a gas: it is composed of bubbles or alveoli of gas enclosed in a liquid or a solid and combines the characteristics of the three states of matter (solid foams, liquid foams).
When Kronos, in cahoots with his mother Gaea, ousted his father Uranus from world domination, he cut off her genitals with his scythe and threw them into the sea.
From the foam (aphròs in Greek) of the rough sea, Aphrodite was born.
In the food industry, entire categories of products such as bread, beer and sparkling wine rest on ephemeral bubbles which emphasize the extreme beauty and evanescence of foam.
In the cosmetic universe, foams are commonly used in toiletries (Shampoo, Whip Soap, Face Mousse etc…), but also in detoxifying products in bubble masks or skincare products (such sorbet creams); further evidence that its texture offers a particularly appreciated and continuously evolving Mouthfeel and Skinfeel.
Even though widely accepted as a typical property of surfactants and therefore detergents, foam is actually a sensory attribute; in cosmetics, foam can transport hydrophobic particles away from the skin keeping the correct humidity on the skin.
Foams are liquids which “tenderly” embrace the gas in which they are dispersed; the addition of gas allows the liquid to change its texture from “sticky” to soft and fluffy; what was perceived as unpleasant becomes evanescent, light and pleasant.
In addition, foams have another very interesting property: heat transfer. Thermal conductivity of air is ten times less than that of water and therefore heat is not conducted; if you touch water at 10°C, you will perceive a cold sensation, but this does not happen with foams that have a higher percentage of air than liquids at the same temperature.
HER MAJESTY THE FOAM: FORMULATION
cleansing mousse – whip soap
Discover special ingredients to improve your foaming formulation
