Gelling Oils: The Natural Way

Whether it’s a cleansing balm, a solid body oil, or a waterless serum, oil gelling offers an effective way to deliver actives and create luxurious textures, all while keeping formulas clean and minimal.

Oil gels (also known as oleo-gels) are ideal for:

• Non-greasy, spreadable textures
• Controlled release of botanical actives
• Longer shelf life for delicate oils
• Compact, low-water product formats
• Applications where lightweight feel, portability, and sensory appeal are key

Of course, formulating natural oil gels isn’t without its complexities.

Here are some of the most common challenges and how we handle them at Alchemy:

🧪 Getting the right oil + gelling agent match

Not every oil plays well with every gelling agent. We look at polarity, viscosity, and the type of oil to find the perfect pairing.

🌡️ Temperature sensitivity

Some natural gel systems are sensitive to heat or overmixing. That’s why we’re big fans of low-shear processing and gentle heating to keep everything just right.

💫 Texture tweaks

Whether you want a soft, glossy gel or a firm balm-like texture, it all comes down to concentration and the oil blend. A few tweaks here and there can make a huge difference!

Gel-to-Milk

Particularly popular in cleansers, gel-to-milk textures offer a unique sensorial experience. Just by massaging into the skin or adding water, the gel is transformed into a milky texture that can be easily washed away.

Based on sugar chemistry, our Sucragel® range allows formulators to create just such formulations - like our Multi Gel-to-Milk XL.

Smooth Balm Textures

Gelling oils and butters to create smooth, balm textures can be a tricky business.

Most balms are created using waxes which can result in some drag in the formulation, require high temperatures, and, let's face it – it can be a messy business.

Our natural, palm-free solution Sapogel® Q is a liquid blend that allows formulators to create stable, translucent rich balms with a similar appearance and skin-feel to waxy balms – but without the need for heat, much less cleaning of vessels and the advantage of being able to add water or oil-soluble components.

One of our latest formulations showcasing its gorgeous texture is our Collagen Cleansing Balm.

Quick Break Gel-to-Oil

High Internal Phase Emulsions (HIPEs), which have a high oil phase, are well known in cosmetics, but they are often difficult to make and stabilse.

Our easy-to-use HIPEgel makes the process easy, efficient, and stable, resulting in thick gels that turn to oil when applied to the skin.

With a low use level, it provides a hydrating effect on the skin and creates a range of textures. A particularly popular prototype using it is our Peachy Lip Gloss