Emulsifiers in Food

• Common emulsifiers found in food are lecithin, soy lecithin and Monoglyceride. In all, there are more than 12 emulsifiers commonly found in food. Some of the products made possible by these emulsifiers are dairy products, sauces, mayonnaise, baked goods, margarine, soft drinks and frozen desserts. In cutting edge molecular gastronomy, chefs are constantly finding new emulsifying agents and new uses for them.
  
  

Emulsifiers in Cosmetics

• A few of the emulsifiers commonly found in cosmetics and toiletries are polysorbate 60, PEG-150 stearate and steareth-20. In all, there are more than 20 different emulsifiers used in cosmetic products. It has long been questioned if applying some of these chemicals to bare skin is entirely safe. Opinions definitely vary. Many of the products that contain these emulsifiers could be made without them, but manufacturers argue that product quality would suffer. Creams, ointments and shampoos are just a few of the products that benefit from the use of emulsifiers.
  
  

Emulsifiers in Medicine

• For internal applications, many of the emulsifiers used in food products can be used for medicine. For external applications, some of the emulsifiers present in cosmetics can also be used for creams, ointments and suppositories. Lanolin, derived from wool, is an emulsifier used for medicinal purposes.
  
  

Emulsifiers in Industry

• In many industrial applications emulsifiers are used in final products or at various steps along the production process. Chemicals are sometimes held in emulsions so they can later be combined with other ingredients. Lanolin, alkyl phenol ethoxylate and polyethylene glycol are just a few of the emulsifiers with powerful industrial applications.