Pharmaceutics II Exam 2 Concepts Practice Test

HLB helps predict which type of emulsion a surfactant will stabilize. Hydrophilic emulsifiers have relatively high HLB values, typically about 8 to 18, which makes them water-loving. They orient at the oil–water interface with their hydrophilic heads in the water phase, stabilizing oil droplets dispersed in water, i.e., an oil-in-water emulsion. Low-HLB emulsifiers, being more lipophilic, tend to stabilize water-in-oil emulsions.