Borax works in many personal care products such as cosmetic creams, skin lotions, hair shampoos, dyes and gels, bath salts and denture cleaners. Used as a water softener and laundry product, like baking soda it has many cleaning uses. It is a mild alkali, used in combination with beeswax, that forms a kind of soap that is used as an emulsifier in creams (water in oil emulsions).  When combined with guar gum and water it forms a gel. Found in recipes for laundry and other soaps, used in combination with sodium carbonate in commercial bath salts and as an alternative to automatic dishwasher detergent. Also used as an insecticide. 

Format: White Crystalline Powder.

Usage: The ratio of beeswax to borax is 16:1 to 20:1.  Canadian cosmetic regulations state concentration of borax in cosmetics should not exceed 5%.  Please see under the Technical Tab for more regulatroy information about boarx in cosmetics.

INCI: Sodium Borate

Other information:  Borax, by itself, is not an emulsifier, it is however a co-emulsifier with Beeswax for experienced formulators.  You need both in a perfect ratio, to get a stable emulsion.  Borax is NOT a preservative, you still need a broad spectrum preservative in your formula if you use beeswax and borax as an emulsification system.

Safety data according to the Cosmetic Ingredients Review Panel:

• "Safe when used up to 5%, however should not be used on infant or injured skin."

Safety data according to Health Canada:

• The inner and outer label of the cosmetic shall carry cautionary statements to the effect: "Do not use on broken or abraded skin.", "Not to be used by children under three years of age." Warnings are not required where sodium borate is used as a pH adjuster, and the concentration is equal to or less than 0.1%.
• Permitted at concentrations equal to or less than 5%

CAS#: 1303-96-4