HiSiaddi is an innovative foreign trade service provider driven by both technology commercialization and foreign trade operations. We have established a "1+2+3+4=1" service system and can supply original alkyl polyglucoside (APG) products from multiple well-known brand manufacturers. As a tech-enabled foreign trade service provider, HiSiaddi has long collaborated with factories on technology transformation and accurately captured market demands, repeatedly proposing APG formula optimization schemes and application improvement suggestions. Below is a case of formula optimization consulting for APG.
Contact HiSiaddi customer service for more formula optimization consulting support.
Our partner is NORTH ECO, a premium Swedish natural care brand specializing in sulfate-free organic cleansers, mother and baby care and luxury hotel body care lines. Its products are sold across Nordic markets including Sweden, Norway and Denmark, supplied to local organic lifestyle stores, premium supermarkets and light luxury hotel supply chains. Upholding Nordic environmental standards alongside EU IFRA and REACH regulations, the brand prioritizes low irritation, plant-derived raw materials, high biodegradability and mild skin feel, with alkyl polyglucoside (APG) as its primary core surfactant.
The client had long sourced standard commercial APG raw materials from China. After a full product line upgrade, multiple abnormalities emerged during formula compounding and workshop mass production. Internal R&D and production teams repeatedly adjusted formulas and equipment parameters yet failed to resolve the root issues, resulting in reduced production line yield and delayed new product launch plans. The client commissioned HiSiaddi’s technical team to conduct problem diagnosis and deliver corrective solutions.
HiSiaddi technical staff conducted comprehensive investigations combining raw material test reports, the client’s existing formula system, workshop production conditions and warehousing & transportation environments, identifying four major technical issues typical of high-end care product manufacturing:
The client’s formulas incorporate plant essential oils, amino acid surfactants and natural moisturizing extracts. After mixing with original APG, slight turbidity and delamination appeared following 48 hours of static storage; meanwhile, foam lacked fullness and durability, failing to meet the dense foam standard required for premium care products. The root cause lay in mismatched APG carbon chain distribution and HLB value relative to the existing formula system, alongside unadjusted mixing ratios and unsuitable pH ranges.
Trace residual fatty alcohol and monosaccharide impurities existed in the APG batch. While no obvious abnormalities appeared at ambient temperature, mild off-odors released from impurities during heating, stirring and maturation masked premium fragrance notes. Additionally, trace residues created a slight sticky sensation upon application, conflicting with the brand’s positioning of refreshing, skin-friendly textures.
Workshop and warehouse temperatures in Nordic winters often drop to -8°C. APG viscosity surges drastically at low temperatures, forming thick clogs that hinder pipeline pumping and create uneven feeding. This overloaded equipment and caused inconsistent product viscosity across batches, failing to guarantee uniform product quality.
APG inherently features high viscosity, yet the client retained feeding sequences, stirring speeds and temperature control parameters designed for conventional surfactants. Local agglomeration and severe kettle wall adhesion occurred during production, elevating raw material loss rates. Residual materials left in reaction kettles between cross-batch production caused minor cross-contamination of fragrances, reducing efficiency when switching between scented product variants.
Adhering to three core principles: retaining the client’s existing formula framework, retaining original production equipment and preserving the brand’s product positioning, HiSiaddi developed a full set of solutions covering raw material fine-tuning, formula optimization, production process upgrading and on-site management, and dispatched technical personnel to provide on-site guidance for implementation.
We coordinated with partner manufacturing factories to add multi-stage membrane filtration and low-temperature dealcoholization post-treatment procedures to supplied APG, selectively removing residual fatty alcohols, free monosaccharides and other by-products. Purified raw materials featured drastically reduced impurity levels, completely eliminating off-odor generation during heating and maturation while improving sticky application texture of finished products. Simultaneously, we assisted the client in establishing incoming raw material testing standards mandating testing of residual alcohol, sugar and viscosity as key indicators for every batch.
The overall system pH value was precisely adjusted to an optimal range of 5.5–6.2 to mitigate colloidal disturbance caused by electrolytes and impurities, resolving turbidity and delamination of finished goods.
Matching the client’s formula characteristics, we fine-tuned the mixing ratio of APG with amino acid and amphoteric surfactants, leveraging the synergistic effects of compounded surfactants to optimize foam structure for dense, stable and long-lasting foam consistent with premium care experience standards.
Compatibility testing was conducted with a full range of plant essential oils to determine the optimal addition sequence, ensuring pure, unaltered fragrance profiles.
We guided the client to install thermal tracing insulation on raw material storage tanks and conveying pipelines, maintaining a stable storage temperature above 10°C to avoid thickening and clumping at low temperatures.
The initial batching temperature of the workshop was adjusted to 20–25°C, which greatly improved raw material fluidity without compromising active ingredient stability, restoring smooth pipeline pumping and precise feeding measurement.
A standardized feeding sequence was redefined: pure water and low-temperature foam stabilizers were injected first, followed by slow addition of APG under low-speed stirring, with essential oils and functional extracts added last to prevent APG agglomeration from excessive local concentration. Front-end stirring speeds were reduced with uniform constant stirring in later stages to minimize material adhesion to kettle walls.
Equipment cleaning standards were formulated: before switching between differently scented products, reaction kettles and pipelines were cyclically cleaned with warm water and dedicated neutral detergents to fully remove residual materials, completely eliminating cross-odor issues. Post-rectification, raw material loss from kettle wall adhesion dropped significantly, and production line switching efficiency improved.
HiSiaddi delivered bilingual technical training for the client’s R&D, production and quality inspection teams, covering APG physicochemical properties, key parameter control and abnormal risk prediction methods, alongside compiled Chinese-English operation guidance documents. A monthly technical follow-up mechanism was established to monitor real-time production status and proactively prevent potential risks.
Small-batch trial runs: 12 consecutive production trials were completed, with finished products meeting all standards for appearance, fragrance, foam and skin feel. Low-temperature simulation and long-term ambient static storage testing showed no abnormalities, and full batch consistency complied with specifications.
Full production resumption: The client fully adopted new formula parameters and production workflows to restore full-capacity manufacturing, with no recurrence of all technical defects and stable product pass rates.
End-market feedback: Post-launch consumer and partner hotel feedback confirmed excellent application performance, with consistent premium standards for mildness, fragrance and texture alongside positive market reputation.
This set of technical defects stemmed from overlapping factors including raw material impurities, formula mismatches and unsuitable production conditions, representing typical technical pain points encountered by overseas mid-to-high-end care brands using APG. Leveraging solid surfactant application technology, HiSiaddi adopted a combined solution of "raw material purification + formula fine-tuning + process optimization + procedural management" to rapidly resolve production crises.
Highly recognizing HiSiaddi’s technical strength and on-site service capacity, the client sustained increased APG procurement volumes and designated HiSiaddi as a long-term technical partner for priority technical collaboration on new product formula R&D and raw material iteration.
This case also confirms that supplying raw materials alone is insufficient to serve overseas mid-to-high-end clients; comprehensive supporting full-process technical application support constitutes core competitive advantage. Breaking the traditional foreign trade supply model, HiSiaddi delivers in-depth technical service to resolve clients’ practical production challenges and continuously consolidate strategic partnerships between supply and demand sides.
Contact HiSiaddi customer service for more formula optimization consulting support.
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