w/o and o/w emulsions

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I really don't see the significance between the w/o and o/w emulsions. I

have copied kevin's statement below:

" Emulsions systems are classified into two broad groups; Oil in Water(O/W)

and Water in Oil(W/O). By far O/W emulsions are the most common type used

today. With them the water or external phase is the continuous phase and the

oil is the internal or dispersed phase. A water in oil emulsion is the exact

opposite. "

I need to know what point I am missing. It appears that the oil-in-water

emulsion is simply a formulation using a high percentage of water, such as a

lotion. And a water-in-oil emulsion is a formulation that has a small

percentage of water to oil, such as a cream. What is the significance? Are

we talking about a different type of preparation? For example, when I make

lotion I typically heat both oil and water phases, but add the water to the

oil--but I have a high percentage of water (80%) so I am assuming that my

lotion is an o/w. If this is correct, then I understand the o/w piece. Could

you give an example of a w/o?

Also, I did look in the files section, but did not see anything on emulsions.

Thank you,

Angie in SC