into the topic
Understanding emulsions
They say water and oil don’t mix, but many of us have whipped up a quick salad dressing successfully mixing olive oil and vinegar. So what’s going on? The addition of a surfactant (in the form of mustard) and vigorous mixing allows the oil to disperse, and remain dispersed, within the vinegar. The result is a creamy, delicious emulsification of olive oil, vinegar, and mustard.
Zooming in to the microscale, what we have are tiny droplets of olive oil suspended in the vinegar, and stabilised by surfactant compounds in the mustard. From the vigorous mixing many different sizes of droplets are produced, some small, some large, and many somewhere in between. This size distribution defines many of the characteristics of the emulsion: viscosity, stability, the mouth-feel, the rate that fat-soluble flavour compounds diffuse to the tongue, just to name a few. Having control of the size distribution gives you control of all of these characteristics, and more.
Why Droplet Size and Uniformity Matter
The droplet size distribution determines how an emulsion behaves. Stability is one of the most important characteristics of an emulsion – without good stability the oil can rise to the top just like the cream in raw milk, or worse, split completely like a mayonnaise gone wrong. Both of these failure modes are tied to the droplet size – larger droplets decrease the stability. However some applications require a large droplet size to achieve a desired sensory characteristic: the oiliness of a moisturising cream, the matteness of a face cream, the release profile of a perfume, all may call for larger droplets in the emulsion.
This complex balancing act is made simple with tight control of the size distribution and the ability to produce monodisperse emulsions allow tuning of this size distribution to the highest degree.
Key takeaways:
- Control of droplet size extends shelf life and improves texture.
- Consistent droplet size reduces phase separation and clumping.
- Cleaner formulations: fewer stabilizers for the same performance.
Microfluidic emulsions: Consistent, Efficient, Powerful
In traditional emulsion production, droplets are formed in high-shear, energy intensive processes such as high pressure homogenisation. The extreme environment during droplet formation in these machines can change the structure of proteins and damage vitamins and shear-sensitive ingredients. Using our approach, each droplet is formed individually with very low shear forces an
- Improved stability: reduced separation and coalescence.
- Reproducible performance: every batch behaves the same.
- Cleaner formulations: fewer stabilizers and gentler processing.
The name Peak Emulsions refers to the narrow peak of a droplet size distribution — the hallmark of precision emulsification.
We engineer systems that make that peak possible: uniform droplets, stable products, efficient processes.
Applications & Product Examples
Food & Supplements
Gentle processing for natural integrity. Our technology preserves the structure of fragile nutrients and bioactives that are often degraded by high-pressure mixing.
- Functional beverages enriched with vitamins or omega oils
- High-performance dressings, sauces, and dairy alternatives
- Nutrient-dense supplements where ingredient preservation matters
Cosmetics & Personal Care
Formulations that feel better and last longer. Uniform droplet control ensures stability, smoother texture, and superior sensory experience.
- Serums, creams, and lotions with natural actives
- SPF formulations and sunscreens with improved dispersion
- Clean beauty products with fewer emulsifiers
Pharmaceuticals & Biotech
Precision that protects performance. Controlled emulsification enables reproducible formulations and gentle handling of actives.
- Emulsion-based drug delivery systems
- Encapsulation of sensitive actives or biologics
- Controlled-release formulations
Chemicals & Specialty Materials
Consistent quality through controlled structure. Uniform droplet size improves process predictability and material performance.
- Coatings, adhesives, lubricants, and dispersions
- Functional materials where droplet uniformity defines rheology
Why It Matters for Modern Manufacturing
As industries move toward cleaner and more sustainable production, the focus is shifting from ingredients to processing. Controlling droplet size and uniformity allows manufacturers to reduce energy use, cut additives, and produce higher-quality emulsions that meet evolving regulatory and consumer demands.
Evaluate Your Formulation
If you’d like to see how controlled emulsification can improve your product, our lab-scale machines are available for evaluation testing.
Submit your formulation and we’ll provide a detailed report covering:
- Ingredient compatibility
- Operational protocol for your formulation
- Emulsion stability and droplet-size analysis